D100: Dishonesty in Academic Matters

Policy

Dishonesty on the part of a student in connection with either course material or student records is a serious matter involving the possibility of disciplinary action. Since the members of the faculty have a direct responsibility in the enforcement of the standards involved, the following formal statement was prepared, incorporating the current regulation and the procedures for implementing it.

1. The following statement appears among the scholastic regulations listed in the UNM Catalogand Pathfinder:

"Each student is expected to maintain the highest standards of honesty and integrity in academic and professional matters. The University reserves the right to take disciplinary action, up to and including dismissal, against any student who is found guilty of academic dishonesty or otherwise fails to meet these standards.

Academic dishonesty includes, but is not limited to, dishonesty in quizzes, tests, or assignments; claiming credit for work not done or done by others; and nondisclosure or misrepresentation in filling out applications or other university records."

2. When a violation of the regulation occurs in connection with a course, seminar, or any other academic activity under the direction of a faculty member, that faculty member is authorized to take whatever action is deemed appropriate, but no penalty in excess of an "F" in the course and the involuntary withdrawal of the student from the class may be imposed. Whenever this penalty is imposed; the instructor may report the case in full detail in writing to the Dean of Students, who may impose additional sanctions or refer the matter to the Student Conduct Committee for a determination of whether additional sanctions are warranted.

It is also important to point out that before a faculty member takes action on any alleged violation of this rule, the instructor should be certain that there is substantial evidence to support the charge.

3. When academic dishonesty occurs in connection with any test or examination not connected with a course, but administered by an officer of the University or in connection with any non-disclosure or misrepresentation in filling out applications or other University records, the person who observes or discovers the violation shall transmit in writing to the Dean of Students a statement describing the occurrence. A copy shall be sent to the student. The Dean of Students shall determine the sanction following procedures set forth in section 3.4 of the Student Grievance Procedure.

4. Action taken by the Student Conduct Committee shall be completed within the time limits and extension provisions outlined in section 9.1 of the Student Grievance Procedure. Copies of the final decision will be sent to the faculty member's chairperson, dean and to the dean of the student's college if different.

The procedure described above with reference to the Student Conduct Committee removes none of the instructor's authority heretofore practiced in such matters, but rather strengthens and gives uniformity to action taken by making use of an appropriate committee upon which both faculty and students serve.

On the whole, experience shows that student committee members deal as rigorously with dishonesty as do administrative officials, individual faculty members, or faculty committees. More important than consistency or rigorousness of punishment, however, is the simple consideration that student government, student self-reliance, and student responsibility develop further and more firmly when student representatives actually take a role in dealing with student behavior.

In order to be as fair as possible to students, it is recommended that faculty members teaching lower division courses inform the class, at the beginning of each course, as to their policy and the University policy with reference to dishonest academic practices. Students thus informed will thereafter have no basis for pleading ignorance of regulations.

Refer also to Policy D175: Undergraduate Student Conduct and Grievance Procedures in the Faculty Handbook and the UNM Academic Catalog Student Information & Policies: Scholastic Regulations section.