Academic Dishonesty

• The principle of honesty must be upheld if the integrity of scholarship is to be maintained by the academic community.

The Initial Phase

• When an instructor has reason to believe that a student has committed a dishonest act in completing an assignment, he or she should proceed in one of two ways:
• Call the student to a meeting to discuss the charges, the evidence, and the proposed academic consequence.
• Meet with the student and the appropriate Department Chair together to present the evidence and to discuss the charges and the proposed academic consequence and administrative penalty.
• Following these steps, the instructor will confer with the Department Chair to decide whether to proceed with the charge. The instructor may drop the charge, but the Department Chair may not dismiss the charge without the instructor's consent. If the decision is to proceed, the student shall be notified of the charges in writing by the Vice President for Academic Affairs and informed of the procedures for processing cases of academic dishonesty under the UNVA Policy on Integrity.
• The student shall have ten (10) calendar days following notification by the Vice President for Academic Affairs to decide whether:

• To accept the charge of academic dishonesty and the proposed academic consequences and administrative penalties.
• To deny the charge of dishonesty and to proceed to a formal hearing.
• To accept the charge of dishonesty but to appeal the proposed actions.

• Unless the student informs the Department Chair and the instructor otherwise within this ten-calendar-day period, he or she shall be presumed to have accepted both responsibility and consequences. If the student accepts the charge, a record of the academic consequences and administrative penalties imposed shall be maintained in the office of the appropriate Department Chair. A copy of the final disposition of the case shall be sent to the Chair of the department in which the violation occurred.

The Hearing Phase

• If the student denies having committed the alleged act of academic dishonesty, he or she must submit a written request for a formal hearing to the appropriate Department Chair within ten (10) calendar days of being notified of the charges. The Department Chair shall refer the case to the Student Services Director who, within thirty (30) calendar days, will schedule a formal hearing of the case by the Academic Council Hearing Board (“hearing board”). The Student Services Director will provide at least ten (10) days notice to the student and the instructor regarding the time and location of the hearing. The Director will also be available to advise the instructor of the procedures and options for presentation of the case.
• The hearing board shall be composed of three faculty members appointed by the Academic Council, and one graduate or undergraduate student appointed by the Vice President for Academic Affairs. The Department Chair shall serve as the presiding officer. Members shall normally serve a two-year term. The presiding officer shall conduct the hearing and advise the hearing board on procedure but shall not vote. The hearing board shall be governed by the general UNVA rules of procedural due process.
• The hearing board shall hold a formal hearing and decide on the basis of a preponderance of the evidence whether the student did engage in academic dishonesty. In cases where the hearing board deems that expert advice is essential to a judgment on the merits of the case, such as suspected dishonesty in research, the hearing board may appoint an ad hoc committee to advise it. The ad hoc committee shall consist of three faculty members with knowledge of the field in question. The members of the ad hoc committee shall be present at the hearing and shall advise the hearing board during the board's deliberations. The final judgment in the case shall rest with the hearing board. Within five (5) calendar days from the date the hearing is completed, the presiding officer shall forward the hearing board's findings with explanations to the appropriate Department Chair, with copies to the instructor, and the accused student.
• Within five (5) calendar days after receipt of the notice of the hearing board's final judgment in the case, the Department Chair shall inform the student in writing of the findings of the committee and, if academic dishonesty is upheld, the administrative penalties to be imposed.
• If the hearing board finds the evidence insufficient to sustain the charge of academic dishonesty, the Department Chair and the instructor shall dismiss the matter without further action against the student, who shall be permitted to complete the course without prejudice or withdraw from it. If the student withdraws from the course, it shall not be listed on his or her transcript.

The Appeals Phase

• If the hearing board sustains the charge of academic dishonesty, a student may appeal that judgment in writing to the Vice President for Academic Affairs within fifteen (15) calendar days from the date of that notice from the Vice President for Academic Affairs. The basis for appeal of the hearing board's judgment shall be:
• That the standards of procedural fairness were violated (e.g., that the student did not have sufficient opportunity to present his or her side of the case) or
• That there exists newly discovered important evidence that has substantial bearing on the findings of the hearing board. If the appeal is sustained, the case shall be referred back to the hearing board for a new hearing. Except for such appeals, the judgment of the hearing board shall be final.