Academic Integrity Policy

Academic Policies - Academic Integrity

Academic Integrity Policy

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The integrity of the academic enterprise of any institution of higher education requires honesty in all aspects of its endeavor. Maintaining academic integrity is therefore the responsibility of all faculty, staff and students at the University of Massachusetts Lowell.

Academic dishonesty is prohibited in all programs of the University. Sanctions may be imposed on any student who has committed an act of academic dishonesty. Academic dishonesty includes but is not limited to:

Cheating – use, or attempted use, of trickery, artifice, deception, breach of confidence, fraud or misrepresentation of one’s academic work.

Fabrication – falsification or invention of any information or citation in any academic exercise.

Plagiarism – representing the words or ideas of another as one’s own work in any academic exercise.

Facilitating dishonesty – helping or attempting to help another commit an act of academic dishonesty, including substituting for another in an examination, misrepresenting oneself or allowing others to represent as their own one’s papers, reports or academic works.

Any person who has reason to believe that a student has committed academic dishonesty should bring such information to the attention of the appropriate course instructor as soon as possible. The procedures outlined below are intended to provide the process by which sanction may be imposed if it appears that academic dishonesty has occurred, and by which students may appeal such sanctions.

Procedures Concerning Acts of Academic Dishonesty
These procedures apply to all students and faculty participating in academic classes and programs, including all graduate, undergraduate and CSCDE programs. The procedures associated with this policy are the only official procedures for making allegations of, issuing sanctions because of, or appealing charges of academic dishonesty.

Process*
Any faculty member of the University community may initiate charges of academic dishonesty by following the procedures outlined
below.

When academic dishonesty is suspected, the faculty member (complainant) must notify the student, written or oral, of the incident to review what was observed and what sanction will be imposed. Notification to the student must be delivered no later than ten business days after recognizing the alleged incident. The faculty member must fill out a “Notification of Academic Dishonesty Form” available online at the website for the Office of the Registrar and email or fax this form to the Provost or designee. In lieu of the form, an email with the necessary information will suffice.

The Provost or designee will send the student official notification of the sanction via certified mail.
The Provost or designee will maintain this information and record the sanction. The record will be kept until the student graduates UML.
If the student admits to the charges and accepts the sanction the process is finished.
If the student is found innocent of the charges all records of the incident will be destroyed.

Appeal
If the student denies responsibility or believes that the sanction is too severe, the student may appeal the sanction to the Academic Dean of the college of the complainant’s department or designee in writing, within five business days of receiving notification of the incident. During the appeals process the student is expected to continue attending the class in which the sanction has been issued unless prohibited by department policy. The Academic Dean or designee will commence a review of the issues raised in the appeal and forwards the decision to the office of the Provost as soon as practicable.

The Provost or designee must notify the student, by certified mail, and other relevant parties of the outcome of the appeal process.
The Provost or designee will maintain this information and record the sanction. In cases of multiple violations of the Academic Integrity Policy the Provost or designee may initiate further review.

Appeal of Due Process or Sanction
The decision reached by the Academic Dean or designee is final and may only be appealed if the student believes that he or she did not receive due process or maintains the sanction is too severe. Appeals may be filed by the student or complainant to the Provost or designee within three business days of receipt of the decision. Such appeals shall be in writing and shall be delivered to the Provost or designee, and must be based on the “Grounds for Appeal.” The Provost or designee may decide to uphold the decision of the Academic Dean or designee or convene the Academic Integrity Appeals Board (“Board”). All decisions by the Provost or designee are final and may not be appealed. Such decisions will be made as soon as practicable.

Grounds for Appeal of Due Process or Sanction

An appeal shall be limited to a review of supporting documents and the process and outcome of the Academic Dean or designee for one or more of the following grounds:

Bias by the Faculty, Academic Dean or designee substantially influenced the outcome of the process to the detriment of the student.
If new, relevant information has come to light that was not available at the time of the hearing by the Academic Dean.
If the sanction is inappropriate for the offense.
If unusual procedures were followed or if the procedures outlined herein were not followed, and such unusual procedures or the failure to follow procedure affected the decision of the Board to the detriment of the student.

Academic Integrity Appeals Board

Membership:
The Academic Integrity Appeals Board is chaired by the Provost or designee. The Provost or designee will vote only in the case of a tie. The Board consists of a minimum of three faculty members chosen by the Provost or designee with no two members selected from the same College and cannot include a faculty member within the department initiating charges of academic dishonesty.

Procedures:
In cases heard by the Board, the following procedures apply:

The Provost or designee will notify the student and complainant in writing of the date, time and location of the hearing. Hearings are closed and recorded. All information is maintained in the Office of the Provost.
An appeal shall be strictly limited to a review of the process and stated grounds for appeal, except as required to explain the basis of new information.
The student must direct all questions or concerns about any related matter or hearing to the chair of the Board.
The student may only correspond about his or her case with Board members and witnesses during the Board hearing.
When new information is presented, both the student and complainant will be allowed to be present.

a. Before the hearing the student and complainant may review any new evidence that will be introduced to the appeal hearing.

b. The student appearing at the hearing may have an advisor of his or her choice from the University community. The advisor may neither address the Board nor participate in the proceedings. The advisor cannot also be a witness for the student (see Right to an Advisor).

c. The student and complainant may hear and question witnesses pertaining to the new evidence. The chairperson reserves the right to allow only those questions that are relevant to the new evidence.
The Board will make its decision promptly and communicate it to the student in writing by certified mail within five business days upon completion of the deliberations. The decision of the Board is final and may not be appealed. The Board has the following options:

a. To decide to uphold the original decision.

b. To dismiss the charges.

c. To impose a sanction other than the initial sanction.

d. To refer the incident for a new hearing to an alternate Academic Dean. If the incident is referred for a new hearing the appeal process is reinitiated.

Right to an Advisor
A student may elect to be accompanied at all proceedings of the disciplinary process by an advisor of his or her choice. The advisor must be a current member of the faculty, staff or student body of the University. The role of the advisor in all cases is limited to advising the student during the academic dishonesty proceedings. The advisor may not speak on behalf of the student, or examine or cross-examine a witness, or address the process publicly during proceedings.

Accommodations for Students with Disabilities
The University of Massachusetts Lowell is committed to providing appropriate accommodations to students with documented disabilities so that all students have meaningful access to all UMass Lowell programs and services, including the Academic Integrity Process.

All those with disabilities who are involved in the Academic Integrity Process, including accusers and accused students, advisors, and witnesses may seek accommodations for any stage of the Academic Integrity Process. Any student requesting an accommodation must do so far enough in advance to allow the request to be reviewed and an appropriate accommodation identified and implemented. Although there is no firm deadline beyond which an accommodation cannot be requested, the student will be held accountable for making any request in a timely fashion: The University may not be able to provide an accommodation unless it is requested at least five working days before the accommodation is needed.

A request for accommodation can be made to the Director of Disability Services ("Director"), the designated Academic Dean or the Provost. The requests will be reviewed by the Director, who will apply appropriate legal standards and University policies and procedures to determine what accommodation, if any, is appropriate. The student will be given an opportunity to have an interactive role in the review process (i.e., to discuss the request with the Director, before the Director completes the review). The Director may require the student to provide appropriate documentation from qualified health care professionals to support the request. In addition, the Director may consult, as appropriate, with the Academic Dean or the Provost, or another expert of the Director’s choosing. The Director will make a decision in light of the student’s particular disabilities and the nature of the Academic Integrity Process, upon reviewing any consultations, relevant documentation and relevant previous accommodations provided to the student. The student will be given an explanation of the Director’s determination.

If the student requesting accommodations disagrees with the Director’s determination on appropriate accommodations, he may appeal the determination to the Office of ADA Compliance (Office of Equal Opportunity and Outreach) within five working days of the Director’s decision.

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