Academic Honor Code: Academic Honor Code Policy

Academic honesy is highly valued at Saint Leo University. Therefore, the Honor code is strictly enforced. Please visit the SaintLeo Webiste through this link to review the Academic Honor Code policy. This policy is as follows:

B2. ACADEMIC HONESTY          Values: Excellence, Respect, Integrity
Please consult the Catalogue for Academic Policies. The policy on Academic Honesty is repeated here, given its vital importance in the Saint Leo community.

As members of an academic community that places a high value on truth and the pursuit of knowledge, Saint Leo University students are expected to be honest in every phase of their academic life and to present as their own work only that which is genuinely theirs. Unless otherwise specified by the professor, students must complete homework assignments by themselves (or if on a team assignment, with only their team members). If they receive outside assistance of any kind, they are expected to cite the source and indicate the extent of the assistance. Each student has the responsibility to maintain the highest standards of academic integrity and to refrain from cheating, plagiarism, or any other form of academic dishonesty.

Academic dishonesty is representing another’s work as one’s own, active complicity in such falsification, or violating test conditions.

Plagiarism is stealing and passing off the ideas and words of another as one’s own or using the work of another without crediting the source.

The University will hold students responsible for safeguarding their work against plagiarism by others. For example, papers left on hard drives or flash drives are easily copied, and when two or more students submit papers that are essentially the same, it is often impossible to determine which version was written first and which was plagiarized. In cases of this nature, the actions of all involved will be reviewed by the appropriate Academic Standards Committee, and appropriate sanctions may be awarded to one or all students.

Questions of academic honesty are of great importance to Saint Leo University. Infractions are addressed by the Office of Academic Affairs. When there is a reason to suspect that a student has violated either the University’s policy on academic honesty or the faculty member’s specific codes as outlined in the course syllabus, the faculty member must discuss the charges and the evidence with the student. Without taking any punitive action, the faculty member will as soon as possible submit a written report of the suspected violation as follows:

For students enrolled in University College, the report goes to the Academic Standards Committee.

1. For students enrolled in the Graduate Programs, the report is sent to the Vice President for Academic Affairs, who in turn forwards it to the Graduate Academic Standards Committee.
2. For students enrolled in the Division of Continuing Education and Student Services, the report goes to the Center Director.
3. For students enrolled in the Center for Online Learning, the report goes to the Director of the Center for Online Learning.

The report of the faculty member will normally include these points:

1. The faculty member’s charge against the student.
2. The evidence supporting the faculty member’s charge.
3. A summary of the discussion between the student and the faculty member, including any admission or denial of guilt by the student.
4. A copy of the course syllabus.

Upon receipt of the faculty member’s report, the Undergraduate Academic Standards Committee, the Graduate Academic Standards Committee, or an ad hoc committee appointed by the Continuing Education Center Director will schedule a hearing and inform the student, in writing, of the date and time of the hearing. The Committee also will enclose copies of the faculty member’s report. A student is not permitted to withdraw from a course while the infraction is under investigation. The student is required to attend the hearing. If the student does not attend the hearing, the Committee will render a default judgment with appropriate sanctions.

After reviewing the evidence and hearing the argument of both parties, the Committee will render a decision on the charge and determine any sanctions that are appropriate. The sanctions for academic dishonesty such as cheating on an examination, plagiarism, forgery of academic documents (including signing another’s name), copying of computer programs or information and similar offenses, are as follows:

1. The minimum sanction for the first offense is a zero for the test or assignment, but the usual sanction is an “F” in the course in which the violation took place. No provision will be made for the student to receive a “W.”
2. The minimum sanction for the second offense is an “F” in the course, but the usual sanction is suspension or dismissal of the student from Saint Leo University.

The student may appeal the decisions of the Committee to the Vice President for Academic Affairs, who may accept or modify any finding, conclusion, or suggested sanction in the Committee’s recommendation and issue the final decision of the University as soon as practical. The final authority rests with the Vice President for Academic Affairs. It is the personal responsibility and obligation of each student to uphold the Academic Honor Code. Students are required to report any observed instance of academic dishonesty to the faculty member.

A new Online Academic Honor Code reporting system will be piloted in fall 2007 for University Campus students where instances of academic honesty may result in sanctions applied by the faculty member in the classroom. Students will be notified via the Online Academic Honor Code reporting system, and they will have the opportunity to appeal the allegation and/or decision. More information will be distributed at the opening of the school year.