Academic Integrity Policy

 

Academic Integrity Statement:

Academic dishonesty can involve cheating; fabrication or falsification of information; plagiarism; destroying, defacing, stealing, or making inaccessible library or other academic resource material; complicity in the academic dishonesty of others; falsifying grade reports; or misrepresenting illness, injury, accident, etc., to avoid and/or delay an examination/quiz or the timely submission of academic work and assignments. Depending on the degree of severity (as interpreted by the instructor) the disciplinary action imposed as a result of academic dishonesty may range from a warning (written or oral) to assigning the student a final course grade of F for the semester. The instructor may choose to assign zero or partial credit for a specific assignment, quiz, examination or written report in which academic dishonesty was involved.

Before imposing any type of academic disciplinary sanction, the instructor must first discuss this matter with the student(s). In all cases, the instructor must document the student’s actions which constituted a violation of the Student Code of Conduct in terms of academic dishonesty. This documentation must be kept by the instructor for a minimum of one year and must be made available to appropriate Department, College, and UNL authorities if this case of academic dishonesty results in a disciplinary hearing and/or an appeal is filed by the student. When an academic disciplinary sanction is imposed that causes a student to receive a reduced course grade, the instructor must make a written report regarding the facts of the case, and explain the academic disciplinary sanction imposed against the student to the Department Head and, if necessary to the UNL Director of Student Judicial Affairs. The student shall be provided with a copy of this report. The instructor may recommend further disciplinary proceedings by the UNL Office of Student Judicial Affairs against the student for violating the Student Code of Conduct if the instructor believes that such additional action is warranted.

If a student facing an imposed sanction due to an incident of academic dishonesty in a course taught by an entomology faculty member wishes to appeal this sanction, the following process must be followed. First, the student must submit a written appeal to the instructor of the course and state their reason(s) for appealing. If this student appeal cannot be resolved with the course instructor, then the student must immediately submit their appeal statement within seven days to the Department’s Curriculum Committee for their recommendation. If a satisfactory solution to this appeal is still not reached with the Department Curriculum Committee, the student’s written appeal will then be forwarded to the Department Head. If a satisfactory solution is still not achieved at the Department Head level, the student may then submit their written appeal statement to the College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources (CASNR) Dean’s Office. The appeal process for the College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources will then be followed as outlined by the College.

 

A student wishing to appeal a final course grade (or a grading policy) for a course taught by an entomology faculty member must first gain approval from his or her academic adviser in order to initiate this action. With approval by the student’s academic advisor, the student must submit a written appeal to the appropriate course instructor and explain the reason(s) for justifying a higher course grade or appealing a specific grading policy in the course. If a satisfactory solution is not achieved with the course instructor, the student may then request a decision and recommendation from the Department’s Curriculum Committee. If a satisfactory solution is still not achieved at the Department level with the Curriculum Committee, the student may appeal to the Head of the Department of Entomology. If the student is not satisfied with the department head’s decision, the student may then appeal the final course grade to the CASNR Dean’s Office and the appropriate CASNR Grade Appeals Committee. Students appealing a final course grade must do so within one month following the course grade being assigned and posted on MyRed.

This academic dishonesty policy statement and the student appeal process guidelines were approved on October 31, 2013 by the Department’s Curriculum Committee and on Dec. 6 2013 by the faculty of the Department of Entomology.

 

 

 

All courses taught by faculty/staff in the Department of Entomology will include the following academic integrity statement in their course syllabi:

“Students are expected to adhere to guidelines concerning academic dishonesty as specified in Entomology policy (dishonesty) in accordance with Section 4.2 of the University Student Code of Conduct (http://stuafs.unl.edu/dos/code). Students are encouraged to contact the instructor for clarification of these guidelines if they have questions or concerns.”