ACADEMIC INTEGRITY COMMITTEE
Minutes from Wednesday, 20 Nov 2002
2:15 PM in "THE BUNKER" (Basement of the Auditorium)
Attending: David Tait, Roy Gardner, Victor Gischler, Brett Campbell, Greg Petersen, Carole
Burrage, Clem Ohman, Claudia Glass
Excused: Bob Willis
Approval of Minutes from Wednesday, 6 Nov 2002
Motions: Moved seconded and passed that they be approved.
Chair Report on Hearings or Appeals since the last AIC meeting: No Report
Set Business:
Appeals Process:
Motions: All motions/changes included in "Title 12 Academic Integrity Draft 4" below
New Business: None
Motions:
Topic/s for Next Meeting:
Motions: Moved seconded and passed that we continue revising the Academic Appeals Process
below
Future Business: None
Motions:
Next Meeting: Wednesday, 4 Dec 2002; 2:15 p.m. in "The Bunker" (Our Last of the Semester)
*************************
Title 12 Academic Integrity
Drawing from its roots as the Oklahoma Military Academy, Rogers State University continues to
embrace the tradition of an honor code. Academic integrity is the implicit trust among students,
faculty, and staff that shapes our institution into a learning community. This trust depends on all
members of the community. In an ideal environment, the code of academic integrity need not be
written. It is not possible to create an all inclusive list of expectations and possible violations,
especially in a rapidly changing technological world. Nevertheless, the following guidelines have
been established as a model to help prevent unauthorized procedures.

All work submitted by the student is considered the work of the student. Representing another's work as
your own without acknowledging the original work is plagiarism.

All information presented by the student is considered authentic.

It is the student's responsibility to work within authorized guidelines. Students with questions regarding
procedures should ask the faculty member near the beginning of the assignment, examination, or project
and the procedure in question.

Proper conduct at all times is important for maintaining a productive learning atmosphere.
Students should not only follow the code, but avoid situations where they could be accused and
penalized for academic misconduct.
Sanctions
Possible sanctions for Academic Integrity violations include, but are not limited to, a lower grade
or failure of an assignment or course, an enrollment and/or transcript hold, suspension, expulsion
from the University, and/or degree revocation. Cases involving allegations and violations of
academic misconduct will be treated according to individual case merit and the policies set forth
below.
It is the responsibility of the community to maintain the highest standards of academic integrity.
Violations will often be first addressed by faculty and staff. Every effort should be made for
successful resolution between faculty and/or staff and the student or students involved. Any
sanctions imposed by faculty and/or staff must be submitted in writing within seven semester
days to the student, with copies sent to the appropriate Director or Department Chair and the
student's advisor to become a permanent part of the student's RSU advisement file. This will
enable RSU to take appropriate action against repeat offenders.
An advisor, upon finding multiple violations in an advisee's file, has seven semester days to
notify in writing his/her Director or Department Chair. The process then follows the same
procedure as "Appeals."
Academic Appeals Process
A. Mediation
If faculty and staff are unsuccessful in their attempts to resolve a violation of academic integrity,
mediation will first take place within the departmental or organization. Students may request
mediation with the Director or Department Chair with seven semester days of receipt of his/her
sanction. The Director or Department Chair may either mediate the case him/herself or appoint a
faculty member, or members, in the same or a closely related discipline to mediate the case.
Mediation must be completed within seven semester days after the request for mediation or the
charges against the student will be dropped. Mediation decisions will be submitted in writing to
the student and faculty or staff member within seven semester days after a decision has been
made.
B. Appeals
Disputes that have not been satisfactorily resolved within the department or organization may be
appealed within seven semester days of the receipt of the mediation decision by mediation to the
appropriate Dean. Upon unsuccessful mediation, the Department Chair has seven semester days
to notify his/her Dean in writing. The Dean has seven semester days to contact the Academic
Integrity Committee (AIC) Chair to request a hearing. The AIC then has fourteen semester days
to convene a hearing. Within seven semester days after the hearing, the decision of the panel will
be submitted to the Dean with copies sent to the student, faculty and/or staff member, the
Department Chair, and the advisor.
Hearing Panel Procedural Guidelines:
(a) The faculty or staff member and the student charged may each be accompanied by one
adviser of his or her choosing from the College community and legal council, if desired.
(b) A Hearing Panel consists of three (2?) faculty from the Academic Integrity Committee and
two (1?) students from the Student Government Association.
(c) All attendant procedures and records of the AIC and its Hearing Panels, from the initial
charge to the final resolution, shall be strictly confidential in accordance with FERPA.
(d) Before the hearing, both student and instructor shall be given reasonable access to the case
file to be retained by the AIC Hearing Panel presiding officer for the case.
(e) The AIC Hearing Panel presiding officer may request the attendance of witnesses upon
motion of any panel member, or of either party. These are to be selected from the written
statements and supporting documentation and notified of the hearing in the same time frame as
the other hearing members.
(f) Failure to attend by one or more involved does not cancel the hearing.
(g) Hearings will be closed to the public, without exception. Witnesses other than the student and
instructor shall be excluded from all other aspects of the hearing.
(h) The role of advisors shall be limited to consultation. Under no circumstances are advisors
permitted to address the Panel or question witnesses. At the discretion of the presiding officer,
violations of this limitation will result in the advisor being ejected from the hearing.
(i) The Hearing Panel assumes the responsibility for the questioning of witnesses, eliciting
relevant evidence, and establish the facts by a preponderance of the evidence.
(j) The AIC Hearing Panel presiding officer shall exercise control over the proceedings to
achieve orderly and timely completion of the hearing.
(l) Witnesses shall be asked to affirm that their testimony is truthful.
C. Final Appeals
A student may appeal the decision of the AIC Hearing Panel to the Vice President for Academic
Affairs within seven semester days only with new evidence or evidence of bias. The President
will then decide whether another hearing is needed.
Grade Appeals
A student may appeal a grade decision informally with his/her instructor by meeting with the
instructor. If a student is not satisfied with the informal decision, or the course grades have
already been filed with and posted by the University, the student may appeal to the Department
Chair in the Department in which the course is offered only if the student can produce evidence
of bias or extraordinary extenuating circumstances beyond the student's control that the
Instructor has not considered. If the Department Chair feels that the student has a case, the
Department Chair will request a letter and copies of the supporting documentation from the
student. The student has seven semester days to submit the requested materials to the Department
Chair. The process then follows the same procedure as "Appeals."