- Students should strictly avoid any appearance of academic dishonesty. This includes, but is not limited to: joking to others about cheating, permitting others to cheat off them, talking during examinations, plagiarizing, fabrication or falsification of information or forging documents. Students should keep their eyes on their own exams during examinations and protect their exams from the view of others.
- Students should be aware and adhere to instructor guidelines for projects, papers and exam situations including use of appropriate citations. This includes the extent of independent and collaborative work allowed for an assignment. All electronic devices (cellular phones, tablets and computers) should be turned off and placed completely out of site during test situations, unless otherwise directed by the instructor.
- Academic dishonesty can take a number of forms. Please see the academic integrity violations area for a number of examples.
- Students who discover an apparent violation of this policy should report the matter to the instructor of record or if the instructor is not known or unavailable, to the Vice President of Student Affairs/Dean of Students.
» Important Guidelines for Students
Appealing to the Academic Integrity Committee
If the student accepts responsibility for the charge and the imposed sanction, then the matter is immediately resolved. If the allegation or founded violation represents a second violation of the Academic Integrity Policy, the AIC will review the case regardless of whether the student decides to appeal the violation report and/or sanction. The review of additional sanctions imposed by the committee for a student with more than one violation will typically take place either after the window for the student appealing the second violation has closed or after the appeal process has ended for the second violation.
1. Any student who has received an AIC sanction letter is encouraged to schedule a meeting with the Vice President for Student Affairs/Dean of Students or designee to discuss the situation prior to appealing the case.
2. If the student disagrees with the violation report, the sanction, and/or the prohibition to withdraw, the student can appeal any of the above to the AIC by writing an appeal letter addressed to the AIC chair. The appeal letter and any supporting documents can be sent via e-mail to aic@chapman.edu.
- Appeals must be made within 10 Chapman University business days from the date of the sanction letter.
- In exceptional circumstances, a student may request additional time to appeal the violation report and/or sanction by e-mailing aic@chapman.edu, addressed to the AIC chair and extensions are granted at the sole non–appealable discretion of the AIC chair.
- Requests for extensions must be made within ten (10) Chapman University business days of the date of the sanction letter.
3. Appeals are not granted automatically as they must be thoughtful, well–reasoned and substantive and must demonstrate that at least one of the following criteria exists:
- New evidence not available at the time of the meeting with the faculty member’s/administrator’s member has become available and is potentially sufficient to alter the faculty member’s/administrator’s decision.
- There was a substantive procedural error made in charging the student
- The sanction(s) imposed was not appropriate for the violation of Academic Integrity that occurred.
- The facts in the case were insufficient to establish that a violation of the policy occurred.
Appeals must also include pertinent evidence supporting one of the above criteria and names of witnesses the student requests be called who have first–hand information about the matter. New evidence will not be accepted at the hearing unless it can be demonstrated that it could not have been known or available to the student at the time of the appeal. Evidence submitted will be reviewed by the AIC chair and may be denied if cumulative or not probative of the disputed facts or to the determination of the case.
4. The AIC chair will notify the student via Chapman e-mail whether or not the AIC has determined that there are grounds to conduct a hearing. Should the AIC determine there are grounds to conduct a hearing, the AIC will notify the student of the hearing and where it will be held at least five (5) Chapman University business days in advance of the scheduled hearing date.
5. If the AIC decides to hear the student’s case, the following individuals will be invited to participate:
- The AIC chair and the AIC faculty members.
- The student representatives on the AIC.
- The Vice President for Student Affairs/Dean of Students or their designee (ex–officio, non–voting).
- The student.
- Any other persons called by the AIC chair, including material witnesses (such as the faculty member) whom the student or the AIC members deem relevant to the case.
- The student may also invite one person to provide support (e.g., friend or family member). This support person may not speak for the student and this individual may not be an (practicing or non–practicing) attorney.
- A quorum is necessary for all AIC business. A quorum is defined as three (3) voting members of the AIC.
6. Should the student fail to appear at the hearing before the AIC, the AIC shall have full authority to proceed in the student’s absence. Any student that misses the scheduled hearing with the AIC forfeits the right to appeal the AIC’s decision to the Office of the Provost.
- If for any reason, the student needs to reschedule the hearing with the AIC, the committee needs to receive a 24 hours’ notice. Hearings will be rescheduled only for exceptional circumstances at the sole non–appealable discretion of the AIC chair.
7. At the start of the hearing, the student is invited to present their case. The student has the right to present relevant evidence supporting their claims that has been previously provided to the AIC in their appeal. The student should be brief, concise, and organized in presenting their case.
- The AIC chair may conclude the hearing at any time should the committee feel that the student is straying from the relevant facts of the case or reasons for the violation report and/or sanction to be vacated.
- Although the committee may ask the student to review briefly the events of the case, the student comments should focus primarily on specific reasons the violation report and/or sanction meet one of the above specified grounds for appeal.
- AIC members may ask the student questions about the case for clarification.
- The student and witnesses are expected to maintain proper decorum during the proceeding or risk being excused. If a student is excused, the hearing will continue in their absence.
8. After the student has presented the case and all questions have been addressed, the student and faculty member will be excused and the AIC will deliberate. Deliberation may result in the following:
- A decision to uphold, modify or overturn the initial sanction. The AIC reserves the right to modify or overturn the instructor’s sanction.
- A determination that additional information is needed. In this case, the decision is suspended until all necessary information has been obtained. In this case, the student will be notified as soon as possible, but within a few days, after the meeting.
9. After the AIC makes its decision, the chair will notify the student in writing and via Chapman e-mail. Decisions of the AIC are based on the standard of proof whether it is more likely than not that the student violated the Academic Integrity Policy of Chapman University.
Appealing to the Provost
If unsatisfied with the outcome of the AIC hearing to contest the violation report and/or sanction, the student may appeal the decision of the AIC to the Provost by e-mailing aic@chapman.edu within five (5) Chapman University business days of receiving the AIC decision letter. This period is known as “the appeal period.” A review will be conducted by the Provost or their designee.
In exceptional circumstances, a student may file a request to the Provost for an extension to the appeal period by e-mailing aic@chapman.edu. Requests for extensions must be made within the appeal period.
Appeals are not granted automatically as they must be thoughtful, well–reasoned and substantive and must demonstrate that at least one of the following criteria exists:
- New evidence not available at the time of the hearing has become available and is potentially sufficient to alter a decision.
- There was a substantive procedural error that may have prohibited the hearing from being conducted fairly in light of the violation report and/or sanction.
- The sanction(s) imposed was not appropriate for the violation of Academic Integrity that occurred.
- The facts in the case were insufficient to establish that a violation of the policy occurred.
Upon appeal, the Provost or their designee shall review the faculty member’s decision, sanctions and supporting evidence, and any evidence provided by the student, and may confer with the faculty member and the student. The Provost or their designee shall have the authority to uphold, modify, or overturn the AIC’s decision and sanctions.
The Provost or their designee shall notify the student, the faculty member and the Dean of Students in writing of their decision. The Provost or their designee’s decision is final on all Academic Integrity Policy violation cases. No further review or consideration will be granted following this decision.