Academic Integrity and Grievance Policies
Quick Links:
Beth Martin Birky, associate academic dean
*Note that the reporting link has changed and takes you to a page where you can select “Report Academic Dishonesty” from a drop-down menu.
COMMITMENT TO ACADEMIC INTEGRITY
Goshen College expects all students and faculty members to practice academic integrity, demonstrating honesty, trust, fairness, respect, and responsibility in all academic activities. Academic dishonesty is any act that misrepresents academic work or interferes with the academic work of others and is considered a serious breach of the “Goshen College Commitment to Community Standards.” It includes but isn’t limited to the following:
- Plagiarism (giving the impression that another person’s work is your own)
- Cheating on assignments or exams
- Falsification of data
- Submission of the same (or substantially the same) paper in more than one course without the prior consent of all instructors concerned
- Depriving others of necessary academic sources
- Sabotaging another student’s work
First Offense
Faculty members will report incidents of academic dishonesty to the associate academic dean in writing or through an online report form found on the Academic Dishonesty and Grievance web page Reports should include the student name, class, type of assignment and offense, date of offense, sanctions, and summary of communication with student.
Instructors determine the outcome of a first offense as appropriate to the assignment, context, and severity of the offense. Responses range from requesting that a student re-do an assignment or exam to failure of the assignment or course, depending on the severity of the offense.
The associate academic dean will notify the student in writing that a report has been made and meet with the student to extend campus resources. The student’s advisor(s) will be copied on this notice.
Second Offense
If more than one incident of academic dishonesty occurs, the associate academic dean will notify the student in writing and meet with them to review the reports and assess the circumstances. The student may bring a support person to this meeting. The student’s advisor(s) will be copied on the notice of academic review.
After gathering evidence of the academic dishonesty offenses, the associate academic dean will convene an Academic Response Team (ART) made up of two teaching faculty members and two students who are not members of the academic department in which violations occurred.
Identifying information about the student will be removed for the ART review, unless the student chooses to provide a written statement to include in the associate dean’s documentation of the incidents. Both the student and the faculty member may submit a written request to the associate academic dean if they want to meet with the ART.
After reviewing evidence provided in the report, the ART will determine the appropriate response for repeated violations of academic integrity. All information will be confidential following FERPA violations. Responses could include educational activities, academic warning, or suspension from the college for one or more semesters or dismissal from the college, depending on the severity of the offenses.
The associate academic dean communicates the final determination in writing to the student, the registrar’s office, and the student’s advisor(s). The student may appeal the ART determination according to Goshen College’s Appeals policy. The associate academic dean oversees any required steps and maintains a record of all ART findings.
To remain enrolled at Goshen College, students need to complete these steps satisfactorily and avoid any additional academic integrity violations. Any subsequent violations may result in academic suspension or dismissal.
Fraudulent documents
The submission of documents such as transcripts, diplomas, test scores, references or applications, that are forged, fraudulent, altered from the original, materially incomplete, obtained under false pretenses or otherwise deceptive (collectively referred to as fraudulent documents) is prohibited by Goshen College.
Academic falsification occurs when:
- Someone falsely represents to Goshen College having an academic credential, including, but not limited to, degrees, certificates, grades, and credits, that the person never received or earned;
- Someone falsely represents having attended and/or received credits, grades, a degree, certificate, or other credential from Goshen College; or
- Someone provides anyone a Goshen College transcript, diploma, or other credential (or copy thereof) that has been altered or otherwise falsified.
Possible consequences of academic falsification may include, but are not limited to, academic and/or disciplinary action which could include dismissal from a program and/or Goshen College; contacting authorities for possible criminal action; forfeiture of academic credits, or revocation of a degree or admission to college. When the registrar’s office is aware of persons who present a false diploma or transcript, the employer or school will be notified of the fraudulent document.
See the Goshen College Appeals policy for appeal conditions and procedures.
Student Academic Grievance Procedure
The academic grievance policy provides a fair and timely process to resolve conflicts over academic matters, such as instructional activities, grading, or other incidents related to academic affairs and is overseen by the associate academic dean. Students of Goshen College who believe that policy has not been followed with respect to academic matters may initiate the academic grievance procedure as outlined in the Academic Grievance Policy.
Most academic grievances are resolved through an informal resolution process that utilizes facilitated mediation between the student and instructor. In some cases, a student may request a formal academic grievance process, in which the associate academic dean convenes an Academic Response Team (ART) to determine whether academic policy has been violated and identify an appropriate response. The full Academic Grievance Policy is published in the Goshen College Undergraduate and Graduate Catalogs.