III.
Codes of Conduct
A. General Policy
The preservation of freedom of
discussion, inquiry, and expression is possible only in an environment in which
the privileges of citizenship are protected and the obligations of citizenship
are understood. Accordingly, the
University has developed regulations and policies pertaining to students and to
student organizations. Any student or
organization violating an established policy or regulation of the University is
subject to disciplinary action according to the provisions outlined in these
Codes of Student Conduct. Personal
conduct on University-owned or University-controlled property or at
University-sponsored events is subject to University jurisdiction. The University may also enforce its own
disciplinary policy and procedures, regardless of where misconduct occurs, when
personal or organizational conduct directly, seriously, or adversely interferes
with or disrupts the educational missions, programs, or other functions of the
University. In addition to the
guidelines of conduct set forth elsewhere in the Handbook and other official
University publications, acts of conduct for which disciplinary action may be
taken and the disciplinary procedures, which apply for the fair adjudication of
alleged violations, follow.
B. Code of Academic Conduct
1. Academic Honor Code
a. All students in
attendance at The University of Alabama are expected to be honorable and
observe standards of conduct appropriate to a community of scholars. The
b. The Academic Honor
Pledge reads as follows: I promise or
affirm that I will not at any time be involved with cheating, plagiarism,
fabrication, or misrepresentation while enrolled as a student at The
2. Academic Misconduct
a. Academic misconduct by students includes all
acts of dishonesty in any academically related matter and any knowing or
intentional help or attempt to help, or conspiracy to help, another student
commit an act of academic dishonesty.
Academic dishonesty includes, but is not limited to, each of the
following acts when performed in any type of academic or academically related
matter, exercise, or activity.
(1) Cheating--using
or attempting to use unauthorized materials, information, study aids, or
computer-related information.
(2) Plagiarism--representing
the words, data, pictures, figures,
works, ideas, computer program or output, or anything not generated in an
authorized fashion, as one's own.
(3) Fabrication--presenting
as genuine any invented or falsified citation or material.
(4) Misrepresentation--falsifying,
altering, or misstating the contents of documents or other materials related to
academic matters, including schedules, prerequisites, and transcripts.
b. Except in divisions which have an alternate
academic misconduct policy which has been approved by the Provost/Vice
President for Academic Affairs, academic misconduct cases shall be resolved by
the divisional academic misconduct monitor or the academic dean of the division
in which the alleged action took place. Appeals
from the monitor’s decisions may be made to the academic dean; appeals from the
academic dean’s decisions may be made to the Office for Academic Affairs.
c. Penalties for academic misconduct can range
from a reprimand to a penalty as severe as suspension for a definite time or
even indefinite suspension. Indefinite
suspension normally requires a minimum of one semester. After one semester students may appeal for
reinstatement. Academic deans have the authority to
impose the full range of penalties.
Divisional academic misconduct monitors may impose penalties only after
receiving a voluntary written confession.
Misconduct monitors are authorized to impose penalties up to but not
including suspension, and may impose penalties of suspension or indefinite
suspension if authority to do so has been delegated by the academic dean. All persons who admit to or are found guilty
of an academic offense for which a penalty less than an indefinite suspension
is imposed will receive a penalty of indefinite suspension if they admit to or
are found guilty of another offense of academic misconduct.
d. A penalty of
indefinite suspension is mandated for a finding of guilt on all second offenses.
All second offense accusations are referred immediately to the Dean of
the College for resolution. “Second
offense accusations” assume resolution of first offenses (i.e., finding of
guilt) and that students have been afforded the opportunity to learn from the
first offense. Multiple misconduct
accusations, where the accusations have not been resolved, may result in a
penalty more severe than is typical in first offenses, including indefinite
suspension. For second-offense cases
that are in progress at the beginning of a semester, a student will be allowed
to enroll and continue through completion of semester even if the outcome of
the accusation is suspension. If an
academic misconduct case is underway during a student’s final semester, the
awarding of the degree may be dependent upon the resolution of the case. In all cases that involve suspension as a
penalty, the Office of Academic Records and University Registrar will be
notified immediately of the suspension and a hold will be placed on the
student’s record to prevent further enrollment.
3. Resolution of Academic Misconduct
a. A course
instructor, or any other person(s), who has reasonable cause to believe a
student has engaged in an act of academic misconduct shall report, immediately
upon discovery, the matter
to the divisional academic misconduct monitor (appointed by the academic dean)
of the division within which the alleged misconduct occurred. The matter must be reported by the course
instructor or department chair in a timely manner. In most cases the academic misconduct monitor
should receive the report within 2-3 weeks of the student’s alleged act of
misconduct. The instructor will take no
other action in the matter until a decision has been reached by the monitor or
the dean. When suspected incidents of
academic misconduct occur in settings other than an academic division, the
matter will be reported to and processed through the divisional academic
misconduct monitor where oversight of the course occurs.
b. If any electronic
device is confiscated by an instructor as part of the package of evidence presented
to the monitor, the device will be returned promptly once pertinent information
related to the accusation has been documented.
c. When a student is
charged with academic misconduct in a distance education course, the student
may be allowed to have a telephone meeting.
The academic misconduct monitor should verify communication with the
student through use of social security, student identification number, and/or
date of birth. The monitor should give
the URL for the academic misconduct policy as well as offer to mail, e-mail, or
fax the policy. In an effort to provide
the student with time to read the policy, a second telephone meeting is
recommended. The procedures should
continue as with on-campus students.
d. When a course
instructor reports alleged academic misconduct by a student to an academic
monitor, the academic monitor will, within one business day, notify the Office
of Academic Records and University Registrar of the accusation indicating the
student cannot drop the course. The
academic monitor will attempt to notify the student via e-mail, phone or letter
of a required meeting with representation from the Dean’s Office. If initial attempts to communicate in these
manners are unsuccessful, certified mail is recommended. When such an accusation is made prior to the
10- week drop date, the student will not be allowed to drop the course in which
the academic misconduct is alleged to have occurred until the misconduct
resolution process is complete. If the student is found not to have engaged in
academic misconduct, the student will be allowed to drop that course even if
the 10-week drop period has expired. If
the student does not respond to the notice from the Dean’s Office of the
accusation of academic misconduct within two weeks from the date of such
notice, a general hold will be placed on the student’s university
transactions. If the student does not
respond to the notice of the accusation from the Dean’s Office before the end
of the semester in which the alleged academic misconduct occurred, the academic
monitor will advise the course instructor to assign a grade of “Incomplete” to
the student.
e. The monitor will discuss the
circumstances involved with the course instructor and/or other appropriate
person(s) and review any pertinent materials in order to determine if a
reasonable basis exists for believing that academic misconduct may have been committed.
If the monitor concludes that there is a reasonable basis for believing
an act of academic misconduct may have been committed, the monitor will
determine whether the student has been disciplined for any prior academic
misconduct offense(s) and will arrange a conference with the student. When a student is accused of academic
misconduct, the monitor contacts the Office for Academic Affairs about any
prior misconduct findings for that student before proceeding with the
investigation. If prior offense(s) have
occurred, the monitor will refer the case to the academic dean for resolution. The monitor may
invite the course instructor to attend any conference(s) with the student. The student will be informed at the start of
the conference that an issue of possible academic misconduct exists and will be
given a copy of this Academic Misconduct Disciplinary Policy and will sign
to acknowledge receipt of the policy. The monitor will call the student's attention
to the following provisions:
(1) The
student is not required to make any statement at all regarding the matter under
investigation.
(2) The
student may make a voluntary statement if he or she chooses.
(3) The
student has a right to present any evidence, supporting witnesses, and other
information to the misconduct monitor.
(4) The
student has a right to be advised and represented by anyone of his or her
choice.
(5) The
student is entitled to a recess in the conference for one week in order to take
advantage of the rights listed in items 3 and 4.
f. At the conference, the student will be
informed that options
are available as to how the resolution of the charges will occur.
(1) The
matter can be dismissed by the monitor if evidence is presented which leads the
monitor to conclude that there is not convincing proof that the student engaged
in an act of academic misconduct.
(2) The
matter can be concluded at the conference level and
a penalty imposed if the student makes a voluntary written admission that he or
she engaged in an act of academic misconduct.
The student will be given written notice of the penalty. If the penalty imposed by the monitor
includes assignment of a grade, the course instructor must approve the specific
grade before the grade can be assigned. If
the course instructor does not approve the grade recommendation, the response
will be treated as an appeal and forwarded on to the academic dean.
(3) The
matter will be forwarded to the academic dean:
(a) if
it is not dismissed by the monitor and the student does not make a written
admission of academic misconduct, or
(b) if,
within one week from the date the conference is concluded, either the student
or the course instructor appeals the decision of the monitor, including
dismissal or penalty, and requests
that there be further review.
4. Resolution by the Academic Dean
a. The dean will
consider timely appeals from students or instructors who are not satisfied with
the dismissal or the penalty imposed by the academic monitor. The dean
will also make decisions concerning guilt and penalties for students who have
not made an admission of misconduct.
b. Any matter not
resolved by the misconduct monitor will be resolved by the academic dean. The
dean may act alone or in conjunction with a standing divisional committee or an
ad hoc committee appointed by the dean, but the dean shall make the
decision. The academic dean will confer with the course
instructor, the student, and any other appropriate persons, to discuss the
matter in question. The dean may arrange
an individual or group conference to discuss the matter. The student will be allowed to make a
statement and to present evidence, witnesses, and other relevant materials; the
student may be accompanied and advised or represented by anyone the student
chooses. The dean will seek the advice of the course instructor prior to
assigning a grade penalty. However, the dean is not obligated to follow the
instructor's recommendation since a penalty is being assigned rather than an
evaluation of academic work. Notice of the dean's decision will include a
statement of the academic misconduct charges and will be sent to the student by
certified mail with copies to the instructor and other involved parties; the
student or the instructor may appeal the dean's decision to the Office for
Academic Affairs if the appeal is filed within 15
working days of the date of mailing of the dean's decision. No penalty will be imposed until:
(1) the time for
appeal has expired, or
(2) a decision on the
appeal has been reached.
c. The dean's
decision(s) may be appealed to the Office for Academic Affairs within 15 working days of the mailing of the
dean's decision(s). Appeals must be
based on substantive grounds such as procedural errors, new evidence, or
inconsistencies in penalties assigned.
5. Appeal to Office for Academic Affairs
When an appeal is received by the Office for Academic Affairs, an official from that office will schedule a conference(s) with the student and other concerned parties to discuss the reasons for the appeal. If meetings with the student and other concerned parties result in an agreeable solution to the matter, the appeal process will end. If no such solution is reached, the official from the Office for Academic Affairs will recommend to the Provost/Vice President for Academic Affairs, giving reasons for the recommendation, whether the appeal should be heard or denied. If the Provost/Vice President for Academic Affairs denies the appeal, the appeal process will end. If the appeal is to be heard, the official from the Office for Academic Affairs will convene a panel to resolve the issues that remain. The panel will consist of a person designated by the Vice President for Student Affairs, a person designated by the Provost/Vice President for Academic Affairs (not the official convening the panel), one student (appointed by the President of the SGA), and one course instructor (appointed by the President of the Faculty Senate); both the student and the course instructor will come from the division holding jurisdiction for resolving the alleged misconduct if it is possible to find such people who have no prior connection with the case. In cases involving graduate students, the faculty and student members of the appeal panel should hold graduate faculty or graduate student status respectively. The person designated by the Provost/Vice President for Academic Affairs will serve as hearing administrator and will coordinate and preside at all meetings conducted to resolve the academic misconduct appeal.
The hearing by a panel is an
administrative hearing and the proceedings will be informal rather than those
used in courts of law. The panel may
admit any evidence which is of probative value in determining the issues,
subject to the panel's judgment as to the relevance, credibility, and weight of
the evidence. The panel may ask the
parties to produce evidence on specific issues, may examine witnesses, and may
call and examine its own witnesses. The
student may be represented at the hearing by a person of his or her choice; if
the student is represented by an attorney, then the other parties may be
represented by a person from the Office of the University Counsel. Each party (or the representative of the
party) will have the right to confront and cross-examine all opposing
witnesses. The panel will decide each of
the issues raised in the appeal. The
panel's decision will be final and will conclude the process insofar as the University
is concerned. A decision contrary to the student's position must be supported
by the votes of at least three of the four panel members. The panel will give
written notice of its decision(s) to the student, the course instructor, the
dean, and the Provost/Vice President for Academic Affairs.
6. Records
In
order to maintain confidentiality, the student’s name, student number, and academic division of all s or are found
guilty of academic misconduct shall be forwarded to the Office for Academic
Affairs together with a brief description of the offense and the penalty
imposed. In cases that involve suspension as a
penalty the Office of Academic Records and University Registrar will be
notified immediately of the suspension and a hold will be placed on the
student’s record to prevent further enrollment. In cases of
successful appeals, the record and all supporting documentation are expunged
and destroyed after one semester.
January 5,
2005