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Academic Dishonesty

Students have a responsibility to maintain the highest level of academic integrity. They are expected to perform educational tasks with the highest moral and ethical conduct. Academic dishonesty, intentional or unintentional, is grounds for failure on any assignment or failure in the course, at the instructor's discretion. Academic dishonesty is also grounds for suspension or dismissal from the University at the discretion of the Dean of Graduate and Professional Studies and may be subject to appropriate legal investigation and prosecution.

Helping another student in an act of academic dishonesty constitutes an act of academic dishonesty.

Academic dishonesty may take the following forms

Plagiarism

 The act of taking or passing off another's ideas, or writing, as one's own; copying or paraphrasing another's words without credit; buying or accepting work and presenting it as one's own. Students bear the responsibility for demonstrating the evolution of original work.

Copyright violations

The Copyright Law (Title 17 U.S. Code) protects electronic, print and other copyrighted materials. Any infringement of copyright is a violation of academic integrity. Electronic copyright infringement involves video, audio and computer materials and any other materials made electronically. Copying videos, cassettes or software, selling or disseminating programs without the owner's permission, putting pirated software on the University computers or your computer is not permitted. As long as appropriate credit is given, making a copy of a small portion of a book or a portion of an article for use in your assignments is acceptable. The correct citation method for sources of ideas and information obtained electronically or in print is available in the library. The library has a copy of the complete Copyright Law for further reference.  

Cheating 

Being dishonest or deceptive in order to obtain some advantage or gain; e.g., stealing or receiving stolen examinations. Additional examples of cheating include, but are not limited to, submitting work produced for one course to fulfill the requirements in another, as well as submitting work that is or has been submitted by another student in the same or different course, unless approved by the current instructor.

Theft/Vandalism

Taking or defacing library materials or educational equipment such as a DVD, computer or software. Cutting pages out of a book or magazine or taking material out of the library and not checking it out is stealing.  

Forgery 

Signing another's name to exams, forms, or other institutional documents.  

Disciplinary Action

Students who violate the Academic Dishonesty policy will be subject to one or more of the following disciplinary actions.

  • Warning

  • Temporary or permanent suspension of computer, network and/or library privileges

  • Academic suspension

  • Investigation and action taken in accordance with the appropriate student, faculty, or staff handbook

  • Investigation and/or prosecution by state or federal law enforcement agencies

The procedures to be followed in cases of suspected violations of the Academic Dishonesty Policy are described below. 

  1. If the faculty member suspects that a student has violated the Lasell University Academic Dishonesty Policy, they will meet privately with the student within five business days of the alleged violation. During the meeting the faculty member will discuss the violation and possible sanctions with the student and present the evidence if applicable. Within 48 hours of the initial meeting, the student may seek advice from an individual within the academic community before meeting a second time with the faculty to resolve the issue. One of several outcomes may result:

  2. Both parties agree that the alleged violation did not occur. No further action is taken.

    • The student admits to the integrity violation, and both parties agree on an appropriate sanction in keeping with the severity of the incident. The faculty member and the student complete the Academic Dishonesty Incident Report Form, which is sent to the Dean of Graduate and Professional Studies, who forwards a copy to the student’s program coordinator. If the Dean believes the incident is a potential repeated offense, they will submit the case to a committee for review.

    • The student does not agree that a violation has occurred or disagrees with the sanction and decides to appeal. The faculty member and the student complete the Academic Dishonesty Incident Report Form, which the faculty submits to the Dean of Graduate and Professional Studies, who then forwards it to a committee for review. The chair of the committee contacts the faculty member and the student in writing to set up separate meeting times for each party and requests that the student submit a written appeal to the committee chair prior to the meeting.

  3. If the student fails to respond to the faculty member within the 48-hour deadline, the faculty’s sanction will be imposed, and the student will forfeit their right to appeal.

  4. In the case of an appeal, a committee will be convened by the Dean of Graduate and Professional Studies to make a recommendation to reject or uphold the student’s appeal and forwards its decision in writing, along with sanction recommendations in the case of a rejection, to the Dean of Graduate and Professional Studies. The Dean takes the Committee’s recommendations under advisement and makes the final decision regarding the student’s appeal. If the Dean upholds the appeal, no sanctions are imposed. In the case of a rejected appeal, the Dean makes a final decision regarding sanctions in consultation with the faculty member. In the case of a repeated offense, the Dean's recommended sanctions may include dismissal from the University. In the case of a potential dismissal, the final decision rests with the Dean in consultation with the President and/or legal counsel for the University. A completed copy of the Academic Dishonesty Incident Report Form is sent to the student’s program coordinator and to the dean of the school in which the violation occurred.