Academic dishonesty includes, but is not limited to, the following:
If an instructor* has reason to believe that a student may have committed an act of academic dishonesty, the instructor* shall notify the student suspected of academic dishonesty within 10 academic days** of discovery of the alleged incident by email to the student’s UB IT address.
If an individual other than the instructor*, including other students, faculty, or staff members, has reason to believe that a student may have committed an act of academic dishonesty, the individual shall notify the instructor* or the Academic Integrity Office within 10 academic days** of discovery of the alleged incident.
Once the alleged incident has occurred, the student may not resign from the course without permission of the instructor*. If the instructor* does not wish to allow the student to resign from the course, the instructor* will assign an incomplete grade while the incident is under review.
The instructor* will meet and consult with the student within 10 academic days** of the date of notification. During the consultation, the instructor* will inform the student of the alleged incident, and share a copy of the Academic Integrity Policy and Procedures with the student. Either party may request department note-takers (staff or faculty, but not teaching assistants) and/or an audio or video recording device may be used to record the consultation meeting. If the student fails to attend the consultative meeting, the instructor* has the authority to reach a decision without consulting the student directly.
If, after consultation with the student, the instructor* believes the student did not commit an act of academic dishonesty, no sanctions will be imposed, and the student will be notified of that finding by official university email. Procedures end.
If, after consultation with the student, the instructor* believes the student did commit an act of academic dishonesty, the instructor* has the authority to execute one or more of the following sanctions (see list below). Such sanctions will be assigned as “pending” status until the Academic Integrity Office receives notice from the instructor* of the sanction and confirms the case at hand is the student’s first Academic Integrity Infraction. If the student has a prior infraction(s), then the sanction may be revised by the Office of Academic Integrity.
Within 10 academic days** of the consultative resolution meeting, the instructor* shall notify the student of a decision, any sanction(s) imposed, and the student’s right to appeal that decision, in writing. This Decision Letter shall be sent to the student via email to the student’s UB IT address, with copies to the Academic Integrity Office, the department chair, and the School/College dean’s office. It is the instructor’s* responsibility to report the sanction, regardless of severity, to the Academic Integrity Office. A copy of the Instructor’s Decision Letter will be retained in a confidential file in the Academic Integrity Office. The student shall have access to their own confidential file.
Upon request and with the student’s permission Academic Integrity violations and sanctions may be reported by the Academic Integrity Office to an authorized body.
Remediation
A record of all but the most severe infractions can be cleared from an undergraduate student’s record in the Academic Integrity Office upon completion of UB’s Academic Integrity remediation assignment. Designed as an educational intervention to prevent repeated infractions, students must sign up for and complete the assignment within the time period specified by the Office of Academic Integrity and prior to graduation. Students who do not complete the assignment will have the confidential record maintained in the Academic Integrity Office which shall be reported upon authorized requests for student disciplinary records.
If the course instructor* believes that the infraction is serious enough to merit a waiver of the remediation process, the instructor* will indicate that judgment when reporting the infraction to the Academic Integrity Office. Such a judgment will trigger automatic review by the Adjudication Committee.
Students with repeat violations may be required by the Office of Academic Integrity to complete the remediation assignment, but in no instance can a repeat offender have infractions cleared from their record.
The student may appeal the instructor’s* findings. The student’s request for an appeal must be submitted in writing to the Academic Integrity Office within 10 academic days** after the instructor has notified the student of his or her decision. In the appeal the student articulates if they are appealing the original judgment of academic dishonesty, the resulting sanction(s)/recommended sanction(s), or both.
In cases where the student seeks to appeal an instructor* decision, the student and instructor* shall each provide evidence supporting his or her position, any relevant documentation, and the names of potential witnesses to the Academic Integrity Office (hereafter referred to as the Office). The Office will review all case materials.
If the Office finds no cause to further consider the circumstances of the case, the Office will notify the student, via email to the student’s UB IT address, and the instructor* within 10 academic days** of receipt of case materials, that the sanction(s) articulated in the instructor* Decision Letter will be enacted. Student appeal procedures end.
If the Office finds cause to further consider the circumstances of the case, the Office will notify the student, via email to the student’s UB IT address, and the instructor* within 10 academic days** of receipt of case materials, that an Adjudication Committee (herein referred to as the Committee) will be assembled.
The Academic Integrity Office will convene the Committee to a hearing. The student and the instructor* will be given at least 72 hours notice of the hearing, and all materials will be provided to the Committee, the student, and the instructor* within 72 hours of its occurrence. Hearings shall take place on academic days unless all principals agree otherwise.
At the hearing(s), the Committee will provide sufficient opportunity for both principals to present their positions and shall allow each principal the right to question those presentation(s) to the committee. The hearing(s) shall be conducted in a fair and expeditious manner, but shall not be subject to the rules governing a legal proceeding.
Each principal shall have the right to be present and to have one advisor present at all hearings. In no such case shall the advisor be an attorney, unless he or she is a member of the UB faculty who is not acting in a legal capacity on behalf of a principal. An advisor may not speak on behalf of a principal or otherwise address members of the hearing committee. Either principal may ask the Committee chair if they may participate in hearings remotely. In exceptional circumstances, such as where either party is considered to pose a physical threat to the other or to the Committee, the chair of the Committee may require that either principal participate remotely.
The technical and formal rules of evidence applicable in a court of law are not applicable at Academic Integrity Hearings, and the Committee may review all relevant and reliable information that will contribute to an informed final decision. The Committee shall only consider information relevant to the current alleged misconduct.
Information regarding a student’s formerly alleged or documented academic misconduct cannot aid in determining whether or not the student is responsible for violating academic integrity in the current case. However, such history may be introduced during the sanctioning phase of the case under review. At the conclusion of the hearings, the Committee will meet privately to deliberate the case. All Hearings and Committee meetings shall be confidential.
The Committee will provide the student, instructor*, the department chair, Academic Integrity Office and the school/college dean, with a written statement of findings and any sanctions assigned within 10 academic days** of the final meeting of the committee.
The decision made by the Committee may take one of three forms:
Appeal of Committee's Decision
The student or instructor* can appeal the decision of the Adjudication Committee to the Director of the Office of Academic Integrity within 10 academic days** of being notified of the Committee’s decision. Appeals are only considered on procedural grounds or if there is substantial new evidence. Appeals shall be determined by the Director of the Office of Academic Integrity who may elect to uphold the original decision or appoint a second Adjudication Committee following the procedure outlined above. In cases where the academic integrity penalty affects graduation, transfer status or eligibility, the student may request an expedited review of his/her appeal. The decision of the subsequent Committee or review is final, and no further appeal is available.
* For the purposes of this policy, the term “instructor” is defined as the instructor of record, a staff member, or their appropriate designee.
** Academic days are defined as weekdays, when classes are in session, not including the summer or winter sessions as defined by the University Academic Calendar. Days in the final exam period and reading days are not considered academic days. With the agreement of all principals and the Academic Integrity Office, proceedings may continue during non-academic days.