Student Behavior Policies

Prepared by Noel DeNevers, Chairman, College of Engineering Appeals Committee

Unfortunately, students occasionally cheat, either on exams, or by submitting as their own work which is not their own. This brief memo sets out, for the benefit of faculty in the College of Engineering, the pertinent university and college policy to be followed by a faculty member who detects such cheating by a student.

The chapter and verse on this topic, in university regulations is in Policies and Procedures Manual, Volume II, Sections 8-10.10 and 8-10.11. As far as I know there is no special or corresponding college policy.

When a faculty member detects cheating in an exam, or plagiarism in written work, the faculty member's options are:

1. Give a reduced grade in the course, with the worst being a grade of E.
2. Bring the cheating to the University Student Behavior Committee, and allow the Committee to determine the appropriate punishment, which can be as severe as expulsion from the University.

In all cases the faculty member should be careful to preserve the evidence of cheating, because whatever action the faculty member takes may be appealed. We live in the golden age of lawyers. The student's first appeal is to the College of Engineering Appeals Committee, then to the University Student Behavior Committee. If a student elects to appeal a reduced grade, he/she must be allowed to continue the course until the committee has acted on the appeal.

Some faculty members and/or departments have in the past had a policy (perhaps unstated) that a student caught cheating in one class in that department would not ever be allowed to register for other classes in the department. This is strictly illegal and has been overturned on appeal by the University Student Behavior Committee. The most stringent punishment a faculty member or a department may give for cheating or plagiarism is an E in that particular course.

The College recommendation to any college faculty member who detects cheating on an exam or plagiarism in any written work is:

1. Preserve the evidence.
2. Confront the student as rapidly as practical, show the evidence, ask if they have any explanation which would refute the evidence for cheating, make a written record of that meeting with the student.
3. If the student cannot refute the evidence, tell the student that a grade of E will be given in the course.
4. Tell the student that the student may appeal to the College Appeals Committee.
5. Give a grade of E in the course.