Policies of the Committee on Academic Conduct of the College of Arts and Sciences

• Jurisdiction: A student falls within the jurisdiction of the Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences if 1) The student is in a major within the College of Arts and Sciences. This includes pre-major status. Note that this is true regardless of the college in which the course is taught. 2) The student is a non-matriculated student and is taking a course in the College of Arts and Sciences. 3) Other colleges and schools within the University of Washington will usually handle such matters where it involves majors within their programs, although they may choose to refer cases on to the College of Arts and Sciences Committee on Academic Conduct Committee. Faculty who are in doubt as to their college's policy should contact their dean's office.
   
• Procedures: All cases should be referred to the Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences through his representative, K.J. (Gus) Kravas, Special Assistant, Office of the Provost, (206) 543-5708, Box 351241, gkravas@u.washington.edu. Upon receipt of a charge of misconduct: 1) We will contact the student by mail, asking the student to set up a meeting with Dr. Kravas or another faculty member depending upon the discipline/department which has submitted the charge. A copy of the Student Conduct Code and an information sheet prepared by the A&S Committee on Academic Conduct entitled "Information to Students Charged with Academic Misconduct" will be enclosed with the charge letter. 2) During the meeting, the student will be informed of his or her rights as specified in the Student Conduct Code, and be presented with the misconduct evidence and asked for their explanation of the incident. 3) A date will be arranged to have the student's case heard by the Committee on Academic Conduct with the student present if the student so desires. Any action of the Committee can be appealed by the student to the University Disciplinary Committee through the Office of the Vice Provost for Student Life.
   
• Sanctions: Possible disciplinary sanctions are specified in the Student Conduct Code. The Committee may recommend that the Dean exonerate the student if the evidence is found to be insufficient to substantiate the charge. The Committee may also recommend a warning, reprimand, restitution, probation or suspension. Finally, in certain severe cases or in cases where the student is being found guilty of a second infraction, the Committee may recommend that the student be dismissed from the University.

Guidelines for Reporting

• Letter of Charges - This letter should identify:
  1. Your name and the course in which the alleged misconduct took place.
      
  2. The student(s) charged; please include name, student number, and major, if possible.
      
  3. Any other students in a position to assist the Committee in its determinations.
      
  4. Particulars of the situation which would be helpful to the Committee to consider, (such as your observations of the students behavior, admissions or denials of guilt by the student(s), information about the assignment, or any background about your relationship with the student).
      
• Written Statements from Witnesses - This should be a detailed account by anyone who may have been in a position to witness the actual misconduct, e.g. teaching assistant proctoring an examination, or observations of the materials, e.g., specific comparisons of handwriting.
   
• Copies or Transcripts of Communications with Students - This could include any warnings of what could be regarded as misconduct distributed to the class (e.g., defining "plagiarism" or establishing limits of acceptable collaborative effort), specific letters written to the student regarding previous behavior which was suspect, or your letter to the student informing him or her of your intent to bring a charge.
   
• Documents in Evidence - The following types of documentation are useful to the Committee:
  1. Course materials: To include handouts to the student explaining the assignment or examination for which they are charged with academic misconduct.
      
  2. The student's work: It is understandable that you might wish to provide copies, but if the quality of the paper, specific marks which do not reproduce well, or remains of attempts to alter a paper are essential to the case, originals may be necessary.
      
  3. Original sources if the problem is in the area of plagiarism.
      
  4. Annotated remarks including diagrams or marks to illustrate some point, which may not be evident to the Committee.
      
  5. Correct answers to exam questions. Since cases of copying are most evident in unique, incorrect answers, it is of help to the Committee to have some kind of key to determine whether copying occurred.
      
• Presence of Faculty at Hearings - It is not the normal procedure of the Committee to have present at the hearings the faculty member who brought the charge.
   
• Concluding the Case - When the Committee has made a decision, you will receive a copy of the letter sent to the student informing him or her of that decision. In the case of actions beyond exoneration and short of dismissal, the final decision will be made by the Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, acting upon the recommendation of the Committee. In cases of dismissal, the Dean makes a recommendation to the Office of the Vice Provost for Student Life. If you have any questions, please contact the Dean's Representative at that time. You should know that the student has the right to appeal any decision of the Committee to the University Disciplinary Committee and you may be asked to provide further information to that body.
   
• Grading Work in which Misconduct is Suspected - A grade should be withheld (and not a 0.0 given) for any examination or assignment which is the result of suspected academic misconduct. The faculty member should tell the student that the grade is being withheld as the result of suspected academic misconduct and that the case will be referred to the Committee on Academic Conduct. The Student Conduct Code specifically states,

  "Within ten days of the conclusion of the hearing and any associated investigations, the student shall be provided with a written order which shall include a statement of the decision, the reasons for the decision, and information about appealing the decision. No unfavorable action may be taken against the student until the student has been given such notice and information," (WAC 478-120-065, [5]).

  An X (leaving a grade unreported) should be turned in for the course until the academic misconduct charge is resolved. In all cases, if the Committee exonerates the student, it is expected that the faculty member, upon notification of the Committee's action, will reinstate the grade which the student would have received had the misconduct charge not been submitted.
   
• Coordination of Records - The Code specifies that repetition of misconduct will result in a harsher disciplinary sanction. It is expected that faculty teaching courses outside of the College of Arts and Sciences will check with the A&S Academic Conduct Coordinator or the Dean's Representative of the Committee on Academic Conduct regarding all cases of misconduct involving Arts and Sciences pre-majors.