Academic Honor Program Information for Faculty

Academic Honor Program Information for Faculty

Important Faculty Reminders

There are two very important things for faculty to remember.

  1. If the Honor Code violation is discovered at the end of a semester, on a final exam or paper, for example, please DO NOT submit a letter grade for the student. Instead please record the grade as IN (Incomplete).
  2. When you are contacted by the student members of the Honor Committee, or if you have to present your case to a panel of the Campus Life and Community Standards Board, please bear in mind that you are speaking to people who believe in upholding academic integrity but who are NOT experts in your field. You will need to make the case for academic dishonesty to them in as clear and simple a way as possible.

What to Expect Once a Report Is Submitted

  1. The student Chair of the Honor Committee will appoint a case chair who will reach out individually to the instructor and student to gather information.
  2. If the student admits to violating the Honor Code to the Honor Committee, then an expedited review process may be followed. If the instructor, the student, and the Dean for Student Success agree to an expedited process, and if the student has not previously been found responsible for violating the Honor Code and does not have significant previous conduct history, then a meeting between those parties will be arranged to discuss and resolve the Honor Code violation. The instructor will assign academic course work sanctions, and the Dean for Student Success, in consultation with the Chair of the Honor Committee, will assign a college sanction.
  3. If the student does not admit to violating the Honor Code, or if the student has previously been found responsible for violating the Honor Code or has significant conduct history, or if the instructor, the student, or the Dean for Student Success does not want the expedited process to be used, then the case will be assigned to an investigative panel by the student Chair of the Honor Committee. If, after the investigation, the Honor Committee determines that it is more likely than not that a violation of the Honor Code has occurred, then the case will be forwarded to the Campus Life and Community Standards Committee. If not, the case will be dismissed by the Honor Committee.
  4. If the Honor Committee forwards the case to the Campus Life and Community Standards Committee, the instructor will be asked to participate in the Campus Life and Community Standards Committee review. If the accused student is found responsible for violating the Honor Code, the Campus Life and Community Standards Committee will recommend an academic course work sanction to the instructor and will assign college sanctions.
  5. If the case is not resolved prior to the end of the semester in which the alleged infraction occurred, the instructor should post an incomplete grade in the course. If the alleged infraction is discovered after final grades have been posted, the instructor should contact the Dean for Student Success and the Registrar.
  6. In the event that an Incomplete grade is initially posted, the instructor should submit a final grade or a grade change to the Registrar once the case is resolved.

Please contact honorcommittee@allegheny.edu if you have questions.