Rule of Conduct and Academic Honesty Policy

Acts of academic dishonesty may be divided into two broad categories: cheating and plagiarism. Cheating may extend to homework and lab assignments as well as to exams. Cheating is defined in three principal ways: copying from other students or from written or electronic materials; providing or receiving unauthorized assistance; and collaborating on take-home assignments without faculty authorization.

Plagiarism is the unacknowledged use of someone else’s material. There are three common kinds of plagiarism. One is to use the exact language of a text without putting the quoted material in quotation marks and citing its source. A second kind of plagiarism occurs when a student presents as his own without proper citation, the sequence of ideas or the arrangement of material of someone else, even though he expresses it in his own words. The language may be his, but he is presenting and taking credit for another person’s original work. Finally, and most blatantly, plagiarism occurs when a student submits a paper written by another, in whole or in part, as his own.

As an intellectual community, Wabash requires the highest standards of academic honesty. Cases of academic dishonesty are managed by the Dean of the College's Office. The Associate Dean of the College receives faculty reports of cases of academic dishonesty, and meets with all students accused. The Dean of the College adjudicates cases of academic dishonesty requiring an administrative response, and makes decisions about continuation at the College.

The grade penalty for any academic dishonesty offense is decided by the professor.  The infraction is reported to the Associate Dean of the College. The Associate Dean of the College will inform the student that should he feel wrongly accused, he can appeal the determination to an Academic Honesty Appeals Panel, comprised of elected faculty members and advised by the Dean of the College. First offenses for which the student accepts responsibility without appeal, or for which the Appeals Panel affirms the professor’s finding, result in mandatory supplemental instruction for the student under the direction of the Office of Student Enrichment. This instruction is not a punishment, but is meant to ensure that the student understands why the professor’s accusation constitutes academic dishonesty and equips him with the tools to prevent future charges. If the Panel grants a student’s appeal, there is no finding of academic dishonesty, but the Panel’s decision remains independent from the professor’s assignment of grades. 

After the first offense, the default penalty for any additional offense of academic dishonesty is expulsion from the College, pending an automatic review by the Academic Honesty Appeals Panel. A student facing a repeat accusation of academic dishonesty is highly encouraged to submit a written appeal to the Panel. The Panel will review all available information retained by the Dean of the College’s Office pertaining to both the current accusation and any prior admitted or upheld academic dishonesty offense. Following this review, if the Panel affirms the accusations against the student, they may recommend a response from the College other than expulsion if they determine it warranted by circumstances.  In such cases, the Dean of the College will consider these recommendations in determining the student’s penalty.  The student may appeal in writing the finding of academic dishonesty and/or the assessed penalty directly to the President of the College, who will consider the appeal at his or her discretion.