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If it is your first offense and it is not particularly egregious, you may be offered an expedited sanction and review.  If you take responsibility for your actions, you will be allowed to accept the sanctions outlined in the expedited review form and be done with your case.  The sanctions will always include a letter of reprimand if you were found in violation, a penalty in the course (could be as simple as re-writing an assignment up to a zero on the assignment for a first offense), and usually a sanction that is designed to help prevent future violations (e.g. meeting with someone in the writing center to go over the rules of plagiarism).  However, if you do not agree with the findings of the investigative office, you may request a hearing where a panel of two faculty, two students, and a dean’s representative will review the evidence and make a recommendation to the Academic Integrity Director.  The sanction guidelines used by the hearing board will be the same as those used in determining the initial expedited sanction offer, so that a hearing should not be requested in the hope that the sanction will be decreased.  Rather, it is intended for a student who truly believes in their innocence and who has additional information that they wish to have considered by a full board that was not available during the original investigation.

It is possible that your offense was more egregious than that of your friend. Alternatively, if you have a previous offense on your record you will always be required to attend a hearing. You should be aware that on a second offense a student will receive a much stronger penalty such as an F or ADW in the course, and perhaps suspension or expulsion if the offence was egregious.

Hearing Board members use the same sanctioning guidelines that were used in the initial expedited offer. Therefore, unless there are special circumstances that were not made apparent in the initial investigation, your sanction will likely stay the same. In fact, the Hearing Board members may make it more harsh if they feel you are not taking responsibility for your actions when your violation is clear.

You can always re-watch the Academic Integrity tutorial. The link for the tutorial is located in the upper right corner on your home D2L page. You can navigate the tutorial menu and click on the particular section you’d like to review. Additionally, ÏòÈÕ¿ûÊÓƵ has many great resources for its students. The Norman H. Ott Memorial Writing Center has representatives you can work with to help you with any stage of your writing process, including how to properly paraphrase and cite your sources to help avoid plagiarism. Find out how to schedule an appointment or find their hours for a walk-in appointment.

Check out our resources to avoid plagiarism page for additional resources.

You, the student, have the following rights during an academic misconduct hearing:

• The student is entitled to be present throughout the hearing but not during the deliberation.
• The student is entitled to remain silent (i.e., not to testify against him/herself), but if silence is maintained, the case will be decided on the evidence presented.
• The student may object to a member of the Hearing Board for reasons of official or personal conflict of interest.  Any such objection must be submitted to the Academic Integrity Director at least two working days prior to the hearing date.
• The student is entitled to present pertinent evidence and the testimony of witnesses to substantiate his/her case and to comment upon and respond to the charges against him/herself.
• The student is entitled to bring a support person to the hearing, who does not prompt the student, but solely supports by their presence.
• The student is entitled to make a written appeal of the disciplinary decision within five working days from the date notification of the Hearing Board decision.