Academic Honesty

Any student who submits work that is in violation of the academic honesty policy will be subject to the penalties described in the College Catalog and the Student Handbook and outlined in LVC’s Academic Honesty Policy below. Lebanon Valley College expects its students to uphold the principles of academic honesty. Violations of these principles will not be tolerated. Students shall neither hinder nor unfairly assist the efforts of other students to complete their work. All individual work that a student produces and submits as a course assignment must be the student’s own.

Cheating and plagiarism are violations of the academic honesty policy. Cheating is an act that deceives or defrauds. It includes, but is not limited to, looking at another’s exam or quiz, using unauthorized materials during an exam or quiz, providing unauthorized material or assistance to another student, colluding on assignments without the permission or knowledge of the instructor, and furnishing false information to receive special consideration, such as postponement of an exam, essay, quiz, or deadline of an oral presentation.

Plagiarism is the act of submitting as one’s own the work (e.g., the words, ideas, images, compositions, or other intellectual property) of another without accurate attribution. Plagiarism can manifest itself in various ways: it can arise from sloppy, inaccurate note-taking; it can emerge as the incomplete or incompetent citation of resources; it can take the form of presenting passages or work prepared by another as one’s own, whether from an online, oral, or printed source. It may also take the form of re-using one’s own previously submitted work (such as a paper written for a different class) without the current instructor’s knowledge and permission.

A student is culpable for violations of the academic honesty policy, as outlined above, when caused by either academic negligence or academic dishonesty. An act of academic negligence is when a student engages in behaviors outlined above through irresponsible ignorance or carelessness. Acts of dishonesty involve the intent to deceive or mislead. Initially, the instructor will make the determination that a violation of the policy may have occurred.

In the event of an alleged violation of the academic honesty policy, the following process will apply:

No later than three calendar weeks after the instructor suspects a violation of the policy, the instructor will notify the student of their suspicion, the basis for the suspicion, and any supporting evidence. This notification must include an email to the student containing the above information. The student is not permitted to withdraw from or otherwise change their status in the class when the student has submitted work that gives rise to a suspicion of a violation of the academic honesty policy.
Following this notification, the student will be given the opportunity to meet with their instructor to respond to the charge with factual information and mitigating circumstances related to the charge. If circumstances prohibit a meeting (as might be the case if the incident occurs at the end of a term), the student may respond to the charges via email.
If the instructor concludes that the student is culpable of a violation of the academic honesty policy, the instructor shall report the incident to the Associate Provost of Arts and Sciences (APAS). The instructor must provide a full description of the incident, including the notification to the student, the response of the student (if any), and the instructor’s recommended penalty, as part of the report.
The APAS shall retain the information for as long as the student involved is enrolled at the College. Information and evidence concerning academic dishonesty are the property of the College.
The student charged with an academic honesty violation will be given the opportunity to meet with the APAS in a closed session to review the report and any supporting information and to provide information that the student believes is relevant.
The APAS has the authority to determine whether actions by a student constitute “violations of the academic honesty policy” as described previously. If the APAS determines that the student is not culpable of a violation, the APAS shall notify the student and the instructor in writing. If the APAS determines that the student is culpable of a violation, the APAS shall notify the student of that determination, the basis for the determination, and the consequences of the offense. The APAS shall also provide the student with a copy of this policy or a link to this policy.

Sanctions for Undergraduate Students

Sanctions for Graduate Students

Appeals

The student may appeal the determination of a violation of the academic honesty policy within 10 business days following the date of the decision sent to the student from the AP. Failure by the student to appeal within the limited time period constitutes a waiver of the student’s right to appeal.
The appeal must be made in writing and forwarded to the Provost and Vice President of Academic Affairs (Provost/VPAA). A student may appeal each violation of the academic honesty policy charge only once. An appeal is permitted to proceed only if it raises one of the following bases:
- The College’s Academic Honesty policy and procedures were not followed by the instructor.
- Significant and new evidence supporting the student’s defense was discovered after the meeting with the AP.
The Provost/VPAA’s decision on whether to grant an appeal is final and not subject to review under any other policy or process.
If an appeal is granted, the Provost/VPAA will assemble an Appeals Committee, consisting of two members of the teaching faculty and one member of the student body. The Provost/VPAA will appoint one of the two instructors to serve as chair of the Appeals Committee. The Appeals Committee has the authority to (a) affirm or reverse the findings of the instructor and the AP, and (b) reduce or moderate decisions on grade penalties, suspension, or expulsion. Findings will be communicated in writing to the student, instructor, AP, and Provost/VPAA.
The chair of the Appeals Committee will consult with the student and instructor to schedule an appeals hearing. The student and instructor will be given at least two College business days’ notice of the date, time, and place of the hearing. The student and instructor must be present during the hearing, excluding deliberations. The student may be assisted during the appeals hearing by an advisor of choice from among the current students, faculty, administration, or staff, but may not be assisted during the appeals hearing by anyone else. The selected individual may function in an advisory capacity only. They may not actively participate in the appeals hearing.
The student will be informed in writing of the committee’s decision within one College business day following the appeals hearing. The decision of the Appeals Committee is final and not subject to review under any other policy or process.
Students may not use the grievance process to dispute a grade awarded pursuant to the College’s academic honesty policy and procedures.