Academic Integrity

Questions regarding the School of Education and Social Policy's (SESP) Academic Integrity policy and procedure should be referred to the Assistant Dean of SESP.  General information, including definitions and examples of academic integrity, may be found here.

1. INITIATION OF A COMPLAINT
   1. All cases of violations of academic integrity guidelines by undergraduates in courses in the School of Education and Social Policy (SESP) must be referred to the Assistant Dean for Student Affairs.  Cases should be referred within one month of the date of the alleged incident, or within one month of the date the reporting individual becomes aware of the alleged incident, whichever is later.  However, no action will be taken on any case if more than one year has elapsed since the alleged incident.
   2. The Assistant Dean shall review the facts of the alleged incident, including statements of the reporting individual, the instructor(s), and any supporting material.  If, after the review, the Assistant Dean determines that there is cause for further investigation, he/she shall notify the student by letter of the date of the incident (if known), the course and instructor, the nature of the alleged violation, and the sanctions that may be imposed, if it is ultimately determined that a violation took place.  A copy of the current procedures should accompany the letter.  (The possible sanctions are detailed in Section III below inclusion of the document with the letter constitutes notification of the possible sanctions.)
      
      The letter shall request that the student make an appointment with the Assistant Dean to discuss the case within seven working days of the date of the letter, at which time the student may present any relevant material or statements on his/her behalf.  The letter shall inform the student of his/her rights, prior to meeting with the Assistant Dean, to review relevant original materials in the Office of Student Affairs, to obtain copies of such materials if desired, and to discuss the matter with a member of the faculty or other individual.  Review of original materials must take place by appointment during normal working hours at the Office of Student Affairs within seven working days of the date of the Assistant Dean’s letter.
      
      If the student does not schedule a meeting within seven working days, the Assistant Dean will make his/her determination on the basis of the evidence before him/her at that time.
   3. A student may not change his or her registration in any course once an alleged violation of academic integrity in that course has been discovered regardless of whether the alleged violation has been referred to the Assistant Dean.  Nor may such students receive a University degree while the alleged violation is pending or any period of suspension imposed pursuant to a finding of a violation of academic integrity is in effect.
   4. In certain cases where timely notification is important - - as, for instance, if a student is about to leave campus for vacation - - verbal notification can be made, but such verbal notification should be followed by a letter.



2. MEETING WITH THE ASSISTANT DEAN FOR STUDENT AFFAIRS
   1. The Assistant Dean has the authority to determine, based on the evidence presented by the reporting individual, the instructor(s), and the student, whether a violation of academic integrity guidelines has occurred: this authority will be communicated to the student in the Assistant Dean's initial letter.
   2. In meeting with the student, the Assistant Dean will describe the charges made and detail the evidence supporting those charges.  At this initial meeting, the student may decline to discuss the matter and/or request that the Assistant Dean defer making a determination until after a subsequent meeting between the student and the Assistant Dean, at which the student may present relevant information or evidence.  This must be requested at the initial meeting and must be scheduled for a time within seven working days of the initial meeting.
   3. After his/her review, the Assistant Dean shall inform the student by letter of his or her decision and the sanction, if any, to be imposed.  (If the student is not registered in the SESP, the sanction will be determined by the school in which the student is registered; see Section VI below.)



3. SANCTIONS
   1. Sanction which may be imposed by the Assistant Dean include, but are not limited to: a reduced or failing grade in the course (as determined by the course instructor); a letter of warning; a defined period of probation, with or without the attachment of conditions; withdrawal of university funding; a defined period of suspension, with or without the attachment of conditions; permanent exclusion from the University; notation on the official record; revocation of an awarded degree; or any combination of the previously listed sanctions.
   2. Any grade entered for a student in a course in which an allegation of academic dishonest is pending against him/her, whether for the course as a whole or for a piece of work submitted in the course, is subject to modification after all proceedings and appeals are concluded.  Should the student be found to have violated academic integrity, the course instructor is empowered, in his/her sole discretion, to determine the effect this violation will have on the student’s grade in the course; possible actions range from disregarding the incident in calculating the grade to failing the student in the course.



4. APPEALS TO THE SESP COMMITTEE ON APPEALS
   1. The Assistant Dean’s decision and sanction may be appealed to the SESP Committee on Appeals by filing a written notice of appeal within ten working days of the date of the letter of notification.  The student’s written notice of appeal must state what is being appealed - -  whether the finding of a violation of the academic integrity guidelines, the sanction imposed, or both - -  and must describe in detail the grounds for the appeal.  The student’s written notice of appeal should also state whether the student desires to present the appeal in person to the SESP Committee on Appeals.  The Assistant Dean’s letter to the student setting forth his or her decision and sanctions informs the student of this right and process of appeal.  Note – refer to end of document for modification on the committee on appeals passed by the SESP faculty on 10/8/02.
   2. If the student so requests, he/she will be granted an opportunity to appear in person to present his/her case to the SESP Committee on Appeals, and to hear and respond to any testimony provided by the Assistant Dean or witnesses appearing before the SESP Committee on Appeals.  Likewise, the Assistant Dean may be present to hear and respond to testimony of the accused student or any witnesses appearing before the SESP Committee on Appeals.  If the student wishes to present witnesses before the SESP Committee on Appeals, he/she must inform the Chair of the SESP Committee on Appeals at least seven working days before the appeal is to be heard of the names of the proposed witnesses and of the nature of the evidence they are prepared to present.  However, the SESP Committee on Appeals has sole discretion to determine what witnesses other than the accused student and the Assistant Dean it will hear, if any.  The SESP Committee on Appeals shall review the appeal as soon as practical after it has been filed.
   3. Following its review, the SESP Committee on Appeals may sustain or reverse the findings of academic dishonesty, if that portion of the Assistant Dean’s decision was appealed, and may, if a finding of academic dishonesty stands, sustain or modify (but not increase) the sanction, if that portion of the decision was appealed.  The SESP Committee on Appeals shall inform the student by letter of its decision.



5. APPEAL TO THE PROVOST
   1. The student may appeal the SESP Committee on Appeals’ decision to the Provost of the University.  Such appeals must be in writing and include a detailed statement setting forth the grounds for the appeal.  Appeals to the Provost will be limited to alleged errors in procedures, interpretation of regulations, or alleged manifest discrepancies between the evidence and a school finding and/or sanction.  The Provost will receive appeals only after a sanction has been specified for the alleged violation (see Section VI below); an appeal to the Provost may concern the finding and/or the proposed sanction.  The letter communicating the Committee’s decision shall inform the student of this right of appeal.



6. CROSS-SCHOOL CASES
   1. In instances where a student registered in another school is alleged to have committed a violation of the academic integrity guidelines in a SESP course, the authority of the School of Education and Social Policy will extend only to determining whether or not the alleged action constitutes a violation of academic integrity and, if so, to the imposition of a grade penalty by the instructor in the course (See Section III.B.).  If the finding is affirmative, the case will be referred to the appropriate authority of the school in which the student is registered for whatever further sanction that school deems appropriate.
      
      Similarly, the Assistant Dean may be called upon to determine further sanctions for SESP students who have been found guilty of academic dishonesty in courses in another Northwestern school.
   2. In instances where a student registered in SESP has been found to have committed a violation of the academic integrity guidelines in a course offered by another school, the Assistant Dean will notify the student in writing of the formal referral of the matter to SESP for determination of a SESP sanction, if any.  Such notification will inform the student that he/she should schedule an appointment with the Assistant Dean, to take place within seven working days, to present any evidence of mitigating circumstances, but not on the underlying question of guilt or innocence.  If the student does not schedule an appointment within the allotted time, or within such extension of time as the Assistant Dean may grant in his/her sole discretion, the Assistant Dean will make a decision on sanctions based on the available information.
   3. The Assistant Dean will inform the student in writing of any sanction imposed and of the student’s right to appeal that sanction (but not issues of guilt or innocence) to the SESP Committee on Appeals.



7. GENERAL CONSIDERATIONS
   1. A student may not change his or her registration in any course once an alleged violation of academic integrity in that course has been discovered regardless of whether the alleged violation has been referred to the Assistant Dean.  Nor may such students receive a University degree while the alleged violation is pending or any period of suspension imposed pursuant to a finding of a violation of academic integrity is in effect.
   2. At any stage of the proceedings described above, the student may be accompanied by a fellow student, a faculty member, or another individual of the student’s choosing, but not by an attorney.  This person may not, however, take part in the proceedings except as a witness if that individual’s testimony is deemed relevant by the Assistant Dean or by the SESP Committee on Appeals, as appropriate; the student must speak on his/her own behalf.
   3. Sanctions specified by the Assistant Dean, as modified by the SESP Committee on Appeals or the Provost (if an appeal has been filed) shall take effect at the expiration of the period for appeal of a decision if an appeal has not been filed, and after a decision has been reached by the Committee on Appeals of the Provost if an appeal has been filed.  If the appeal is not granted, the sanction will be applied retroactive to the date specified by the Assistant Dean and, if necessary, current registrations may be canceled.
   4. All materials relating to an allegation of academic dishonesty will be kept in the SESP Office of Student Affairs for a period of 10 years, regardless of the finding in the case.  
   5. All references to the Assistant Dean in these procedures include the Assistant Dean’s designee if circumstances prevent the Assistant Dean from participating.


MODIFICATIONS:


8. APPEALS TO THE SESP COMMITTEE ON APPEALS
   The Assistant Dean's decision and sanction may be appealed to the SESP Dean or to the  SESP Committee on Appeals by filing a written notice of appeal within ten working days of the date of letter of notification.  The Undergraduate Committee of the School serves as the SESP Committee on Appeals.