A commitment to academic integrity is at the heart of Saint Xavier's mission as an intellectual community, dedicated, in the words of the University Philosophy Statement, to the examination of fundamental questions of human concern, respectful dialogue in the context of diverse points of view and experience, as well as the search for truth and justice. For faculty and students alike, the scholarly enterprise requires clear and rigorous argument, acknowledging the sources of our ideas, the quality of the evidence that supports them and taking responsibility for the errors we have made.
The efforts of students to cultivate these academic skills and intellectual virtues in turn requires formative evaluation, accurately and justly assessing student progress. In order to achieve this, instructors must be certain that students' work is their own and that all records of accomplishment are authentic and reliable. In this context, when students misrepresent their knowledge or abilities, they are more than simply breaking the rules of academic conduct. Such behavior undermines not only the student's own academic progress, but the integrity of academic evaluation itself. For that reason, it may result in failure for the assignment, failure for the course, suspension from the University or permanent dismissal from the University.
The principles of academic integrity should govern all forms of academic work, from the content of papers, projects and presentations to one's conduct before and during examinations. These principles -- and thus the very possibility of honest evaluation -- can be jeopardized by a number of actions, including but not limited to:
- Cheating on an examination, including but not limited to, using cheat sheets or unauthorized materials, copying from peers or obtaining copies of tests through unauthorized means, taking an online exam outside the assigned test time and location;
- Unauthorized collaboration with one's peers on assignments, exams, projects or presentations;
- Plagiarizing, which may include:
- using AI generated content, which is never allowed, unless explicitly stated, and must be properly cited;
- copying phrases or sentences word for word from a source without enclosing the copied words in quotation marks and indicating the actual source;
- changing the wording of a source slightly, but still incorporating all the ideas of the source without indicating the source;
- altering the wording significantly but still incorporating the main ideas from other sources without indicating, through standard forms of documentation, which sources have been used, thereby implying that the ideas are one's own;
- Unacknowledged and unauthorized resubmission of work completed in other courses or altering original submissions;
- Unauthorized sharing of instructional materials, including but not limited to, posting instructor materials to websites, sharing with other students, selling online;
- Using unauthorized or falsified instruments of identification with the intent of academic fraud; supplying false academic records (transcripts, grade reports, etc.) to any official of the University; forging, altering or making unauthorized use of University records or documents;
- Hindering one's peers by removing, misplacing or defacing library or other instructional materials.
Faculty and administrators who discover such violations should compile evidence sufficient to document the incident and may impose penalties appropriate to their purview.
The following are a list of disciplinary penalty options:
- An oral reprimand;
- A written reprimand presented only to the student;
- An assignment to repeat the work, to be graded on its merits;
- A lower or failing grade on the particular assignment;
- A lower grade in the course;
- A failing grade in the course;
- Removal of the student from the course in progress;
- A written reprimand to be included in the student's disciplinary file;
- Disciplinary probation; or
- Suspension or expulsion from the university.
If this instructor or administrator decides to impose a penalty which affects the student's grade and/or academic standing (i.e., items d-j), the instructor or administrator must prepare a written report stating the following:
- A description and evidence of the misconduct;
- Specification of the sanction recommended;
- Notice of the student's right to request a course grade grievance; and
- A copy of the institutional procedures adopted to implement this section.
The written report shall be delivered to the student via institutional email, with copies of the report provided to the dean of the college in which the course resides, the provost, and others authorized by institutional procedures. A copy of the written report will be stored in the student's record. If a student acquires more than one academic misconduct report, throughout their time at the University, the deans and provost can review the reports to determine if further disciplinary action is warranted by the established pattern of behavior.
Students who believe they have been wrongly accused and penalized may initiate a Course Grade Grievance, as described in the Course Grade Grievance Procedure.