In order to establish and maintain the academic integrity of the UAH community, faculty members have the responsibility to address cases of plagiarism. If a faculty member simply ignores the fact that a student has plagiarized, he or she is in a sense, taking part in academic dishonesty. Indeed, reporting a student who has plagiarized can be a long, painful process for faculty, but ignoring plagiarism is devaluing the process of education and the principles and goals of the UAH community.

There are a series of steps that the faculty member takes when he or she has a student who has plagiarized. These steps are presented in detail in the UAH Student Handbook, in the section titled Code of Student Conduct, but it is useful for the process to be summarized here.

First, it is important for the faculty member to understand the student’s rights and responsibilities when it comes to academic dishonesty. In the UAH Student Handbook, it states: “The student is expected to comply with valid institutional regulations, to contribute to the good order of the University’s academic and administrative processes, and to uphold standards of common decency and honor in all conduct” (89). If students have plagiarized, they are engaging in academic misconduct and the faculty member can play an important role in ensuring that students understand the consequences of plagiarism to the UAH community and to themselves.

In the Article III in the UAH Student Handbook, it states, “The following types of misconduct are specifically prohibited, and individuals or groups found guilty of such misconduct by the procedures set forth in this Code should be subject to discipline” (93). Plagiarism is one of the main types of academic misconduct described in the list and the faculty member has the responsibility to initiate the disciplinary action for any student who engages in plagiarism. The UAH Student Handbook defines plagiarism as “the use of any other person’s work (such work need not be copyrighted) and the unacknowledged incorporation of that work in one’s own work offered in fulfillment of academic requirements” (93). Thus, plagiarism can manifest in a variety of forms. For instance, the student could simply fail to cite a particular source or the student could turn in a paper written by someone else. In any case, the student is violating UAH’s Student Code of Conduct, and must suffer the consequences.

First, it is important for the faculty member to understand that the Vice President for Student Affairs has general jurisdiction and authority over all matters concerning student misconduct. Thus, if the faculty member has any questions, it would be advised to contact the Vice President for Students Affairs. The Vice President appoints a Judicial Officer, who deals with the filing and initial processing of a student misconduct complaint. The University Judicial Board (UJB), comprised of undergraduate students, graduate students, faculty members, graduate faculty members, staff members, and the Deans, has jurisdiction over all cases of student misconduct.

Article V. describes in detail the disciplinary procedure that a faculty member goes through when filing a complaint of student misconduct. The Student Code of Conduct states: “A complaint charging a student or an organization with misconduct may be filed by any University person having knowledge of the pertinent facts based on personal observation or other reliable information” (99). Thus, if a faculty member wants to file a complaint with the Judicial Officer, he or she must have sufficient evidence that a student has plagiarized. This evidence can come in a variety of forms, but the point is that a faculty member cannot simply file a plagiarism complaint without any evidence. The faculty member must fill out a form describing the complaint, which can be obtained from Judicial Affairs, which describes that type of misconduct charged and the facts upon which the misconduct case is based. The faculty member, or Complainant must sign the form and submit it to the Judicial Officer.

The complaint of plagiarism then goes to the UJB, where the Preliminary Action Officer (PAO) attempts to settle the charges through mediation. If the charges are not settled through mediation, the PAO determines if the case warrants a full hearing, based on whether or not there is reasonable suspicion, meaning that “upon preliminary inquiry, an apparent state of facts is found to exist as would incline a prudent person to suspect or believe, though there may be some doubt, that the Respondent may have committed the misconduct charged” (101). If there is no reasonable suspicion, the PAO goes through the dismissal process. If reasonable suspicion does exist, the PAO meets with the Respondent for a conference, in which the Respondent can admit to the misconduct charged in a signed statement, to which the Judicial Officer can determine what sanction will take place. On the other hand, the Respondent can deny misconduct, and the case will be referred to the UJB for a full hearing.

After the PAO refers the case of academic misconduct to the UJB, the Judicial Officer carries out several pre-hearing procedures, including informing the Respondent and Complainant of the guidelines for the hearing process, selecting the hearing panel, and helping the Respondent obtain an adviser. The Presiding Officer then receives the disclosure of witnesses and evidence from the Complainant and Respondent and conducts a pre-hearing meeting with the hearing panel, Complainant and the Proponent, Respondent, and the Adviser.

At the hearing, the Presiding Officer ensures that the hearing is fair and timely. The hearing can either be closed or open and the Presiding Officer determines what evidence shall be accepted. The Respondent may testify or remain silent, and the Complainant, along with the Proponent, will present the case against the Respondent. Then the hearing panel deliberates and determines by majority whether or not the Respondent is guilty of misconduct. If the Respondent is found guilty, the hearing panel determines what sanction the Respondent will receive, whether it is a warning, work reparation, disciplinary suspension, disciplinary probation, expulsion, or several other options. The Respondent has 5 days after the hearing panel report has been filed to file an appeal to the Vice President of Student Affairs.

The faculty member does have the choice to deal with a student who has plagiarized by applying an academic penalty within the confines of the course. The faculty member must first conduct a conference with the student, in which the faculty member describes his or her suspicions and the student has a chance to explain the situation. If the faculty member determines that the student has plagiarized, the faculty member can impose a sanction, such as requiring the student to revise the assignment, or awarding a failing grade for the assignment. The student can go through the grievance process if they find the sanction to be unfair. The faculty member must give a written notice of the conference and sanction to the Vice President of Student Affairs, which will be placed in the student’s disciplinary record.

Whatever option the faculty member chooses, it is important for the student to understand that plagiarism and any other form of academic misconduct is prohibited and will have consequences at UAH.

*For more details on the judicial process, refer to the UAH Student Handbook, 2002-2004.