Academic Integrity

What happens after I report academic misconduct?

The process
As described in the Code of Student Rights, Responsibilities, & Conduct: Procedures for Bloomington Campus, the following process is initiated after an instructor submits an academic misconduct report:

1. Notification sent to the student: The Office of Student Conduct (OSC) sends a notification letter to the student. The letter contains a verbatim copy of the faculty member's report about the incident, the meeting, and the academic sanction. The letter also includes information about the appeal process and how to access it.
2. Opportunity to appeal: The student has 7 business days* from the date of the OSC notification letter about a faculty member's academic misconduct report. Students can submit an appeal on the following bases:
   • the finding of academic misconduct on the basis of the preponderance of the evidence standard not being met
   • the sanction for academic misconduct as an arbitrary or disproportionate outcome
   • a due process error (e.g., no meeting took place)
   • bias
   In cases of due process error or bias, those issues will be addressed separately from appeals related to the finding of or sanction for academic misconduct. Appeals alleging bias will be referred to the Assistant Dean for Student Support and Bias Education. 
3. Appeal: If a student appeals, the faculty member will be notified by the College's Office of Undergraduate Academic Affairs and will receive information about the appeal process. Some appeals are resolved, and some are heard by the College's Academic Fairness Committee during the spring and fall semesters.
4. Additional sanctions: At the end of the 7-business day* appeal window (or after the student's appeal is adjudicated by the College), the OSC reviews the student's disciplinary record and consults with the student's academic unit (e.g., College, Kelley, O'Neill, etc.) to determine whether additional disciplinary sanctions are appropriate.
5. OSC conference: A hearing officer from the OSC meets with the student to discuss the incident and delineate additional disciplinary sanctions (if any).
6. Application of sanctions: The student completes additional disciplinary sanctions.
7. Student record: The OSC maintains the student's disciplinary record, which is protected by FERPA. The College and the faculty member are not apprised of the outcome of the disciplinary process.

*Business days are defined as days when the university is open and when people can be expected to be working to conduct business. Days including, but not limited to, observed university holidays, weekends, and snow days that result in closure of the university are excluded from the counting of business days.

Common student concerns when discussing academic misconduct issues with students

• Additional disciplinary sanctions: When determining additional sanctions, the OSC reviews the student's disciplinary record (personal and academic misconduct incidents), if any, and consults with a representative from the student's academic unit. If the incident is the student's first academic misconduct violation, the most common sanction is required completion of the Academic Integrity Seminar. If a student has previous academic or personal misconduct violations, or has committed a particularly egregious offense, the OSC may impose other sanctions, including disciplinary probation, suspension, or expulsion.
• Academic Integrity Seminar: The Academic Integrity Seminar is an interactive workshop offered by the OSC throughout the academic year. In the seminar students review the Code of Student Rights, Responsibilities, & Conduct, proper citation and research practices, time management strategies, and other topics to help students avoid academic misconduct.
• Transcripts: Student transcripts do not include any notation of academic misconduct. Student disciplinary files held by the OSC are the sole record of academic misconduct violations. Note: Any grade which the faculty member has indicated is the result of academic misconduct appears as a normal grade on the transcript. The internal notation of academic misconduct on any grade is visible only to the Office of the Registrar. This notation tells the Registrar that the Extended-X policy cannot be applied to that enrollment and that the grade must always be included in GPA calculations.
• Disciplinary record: A student's disciplinary record is protected by FERPA and is only released by the OSC with written permission from the student. 
• Graduate school applications: Students are frequently concerned with the impact that an academic misconduct violation will have on admission to graduate or professional schools. While the OSC does not automatically disclose disciplinary records to admissions committees, some graduate school applications ask whether a student has ever been found responsible for academic misconduct. You should encourage students to be honest about academic misconduct violations during their undergraduate careers and to submit a statement explaining the violation. When addressing this issue, students should emphasize what they learned from the experience. Many students who have committed academic misconduct as undergraduates go on to complete graduate and professional degree programs.
• Scholarships and funding: Academic misconduct violations do not typically affect scholarship and funding eligibility unless the impact of the academic sanction on the GPA would disqualify the student for the scholarship. Encourage students to follow up with their scholarship provider if they are concerned about the effect that an academic misconduct violation may have on their eligibility.
• International students: Academic misconduct violations do not affect student visa status. Encourage international students to follow up with the Office of International Services, if they have questions in this regard.

Resources for students
Encourage students to consult with the Office of Student Conduct or the Code of Student Rights, Responsibilities, & Conduct and the Procedures for Bloomington Campus if they have questions about the academic misconduct process and procedures. The Student Advocates Office and the Office of International Services (for international students) are also helpful resources for students dealing with academic misconduct issues.

Questions
If you have questions about the policies and procedures, or questions rellated to specific incidents of academic misconduct, please contact the College's Office of Undergraduate Academic Affairs for assistance:

Terri Greenslade, Assistant Dean for Undergraduate Education
tgreensl@indiana.edu; 812-855-1647

Nathan Hendershott, Senior Associate Director of Undergraduate Retention and Achievement
nahender@indiana.edu; 812-855-1647