Dylon Harrison

Staff Writer

Over the course of an ISU student career, some will be faced with the ugliest monster in academia: academic dishonesty.

For most, the lucky ones, it may only be encountering a paragraph on every syllabus with a strict warning, but for others, it could be another student trying to cheat off their hard work. Some students also choose to give into the temptation of stealing intellectual property.

Both have harsh consequences at ISU and other institutions across the nation.

These consequences can range from failing the assignment, to expulsion.

Academic Affairs supervises and enforces ISU’s Academic Dishonesty Policy. Revisions to it are made by the Office of the Provost and the Vice President for Academic Affairs.

It’s encouraged for professors to include information and expectations regarding the Academic Dishonesty Policy in the syllabus at the beginning of each semester.

ISU’s Academic Dishonesty Policy defines cheating as, “using or attempting to use materials, information, or study aids that are not permitted by the instructor in examinations or other academic work.”

More definitions and examples of violating the Academic Dishonesty Policy are on ISU’s Academic Integrity Webpage.

The policy also defines plagiarism as, “presenting or representing another person’s words, ideas, data, or work as one’s own.”

“I like to distinguish between negligence and dishonesty,” said Kris Clarkson, Director of Student Life. “Not all of it is intentional.”

If a professor decides that a student’s perceived academic dishonesty was not intentional, they may suggest resourcing or revising the offending piece. This makes the process of enforcing the Academic Dishonesty Policy heavily reliant on ISU’s professors.

If they believe it to be intentional, they then can choose to fail the student for that assignment or fail the course. After a student has received two “fail the course” penalties, their case goes to the Academic Dishonesty Board, but there must be evidence of academic dishonesty for the accused student to be punished for it.

According to the university’s policy, professors can impose the following punishments: a written warning, forced resubmission of work, grade reduction or a failing grade in the course. If further action is needed, the university can then suspend or expel the student.

“The student has some rights in that process too,” Clarkson said. “If they feel they were falsely accused, or the penalty was too severe, they can appeal to the chair.”

If the chair of the Academic Dishonesty Board does not reverse the ruling, but the student still believes it’s unfair, they can then appeal to the dean of the college that the course resides in.

Once accused, students cannot avoid the academic dishonesty charges by withdrawing from the course. If an accusation is made near the end of a semester, the student will receive an incomplete grade until the matter is resolved.

Clarkson said in his time at ISU, he has only seen the Academic Dishonesty Board drop one charge because they believed the infraction was unintentional.

The current academic dishonesty policy is under review, with a new revised copy expected to soon be going to the faculty senate for review.

The review will likely be performed by an academic conduct board.

There is no set or estimated date for when this new policy may go into effect.