Honor Code - St. Petersburg College expects students to be honest in all of their academic work. By enrolling at the College, students agree to adhere to the high standards of academic honesty and integrity and understand that failure to comply with this pledge may result in academic and disciplinary action, up to and including expulsion from the College. As members of the College community, students also have an ethical obligation to report violations of the SPC academic honesty policies they may witness.

All students have an ethical obligation to adhere to the Honor Code and are required to abide by the following Academic Honesty Policies:

1. Each student is required to subscribe to the Policies upon registration each semester by signing the following pledge which is contained on the Registration and Drop/Add Form:
   
   

• I understand that SPC expects its students to be honest in all of their academic work. I agree to adhere to this commitment to academic honesty and understand that my failure to comply with this commitment may result in disciplinary action, up to and including expulsion from College.



2. The conduct set forth hereinafter constitutes a violation of the Academic Honesty Policies. Those adjudged to have committed such conduct shall be subject to discipline up to expulsion. Legitimate collaboration between a student and a tutor shall not be considered a violation of the College's academic honesty policy. However, students who receive assistance from a tutor must ensure that any work submitted in class is the student's own. Violations of the Honor Code and Policies include but are not limited to the following:
   
   

1. Cheating – the improper taking or tendering of any information or material which shall be used to determine academic credit. Examples include, but are not limited to the following:
   

1. Copying from another student's test or homework paper.

2. Allowing another student to copy from a test or homework assignment.

3. Using unauthorized materials during a test, such as the course textbook, notebook, formula lists, notes or crib sheets, including those stored in a calculator.

4. Collaborating during an in-class or take-home test with any other person by giving or receiving information without authority.

5. Having another individual write or plan a paper, including those bought from research paper services.

6. Submitting the same paper/project in more than one class.
    

2. Plagiarism – The attempt to represent the work of another, as it may related to written or oral works, computer-based work, mode of creative expression (i.e., music media or the visual arts), as the product of one’s own thought, whether the other’s work is published or unpublished, or simply the work of a fellow student.
   When a student submits oral or written work for credit that includes the words, ideas, or data of others, the source of that information must be acknowledged through complete, accurate, and specific references, and , if verbatim statements are included, through use of quotation marks as well. By placing one's name on work submitted for credit, the student certifies the originality of all work not otherwise identified by appropriate acknowledgements. A student will avoid being charged with plagiarism if there is an acknowledgement of indebtedness. Examples include:

1. Quoting another person's actual words.

2. Using another person's idea, opinion, or theory, even if it is completely paraphrased in one's own words.

3. Drawing upon facts, statistics, or other illustrative materials – unless the information is common knowledge.

4. Submitting a paper purchased from a term paper service as one's own work.

5. Failing to accurately document information or wording obtained on the World Wide Web

6. Submitting anyone else's paper as one's own work.

7. Violating federal copyright laws, including unauthorized duplication and/or distribution of copyrighted material.

8. Offering, giving, receiving or soliciting of any materials, items or services of value to gain academic advantages for yourself or another.

3. Bribery – The offering, giving, receiving, or soliciting of any materials, items or services of value to gain academic advantage for yourself or another. This does not apply to College-approved or sponsored tutoring or supplemental instruction.





4. Misrepresentation – Any act or omission with intent to deceive an instructor for academic advantage. Misrepresentation includes using computer programs generated by another and handing it in as your own work unless expressly allowed by the instructor; lying to an instructor to increase your grade; lying or misrepresenting facts when confronted with an allegation of academic dishonesty.





5. Conspiracy – The planning or acting with one or more persons to commit any form of academic dishonesty to gain academic advantage for yourself or another.





6. Fabrication – The use of invented or fabricated information, or the falsification of research or other findings with the intent to deceive for academic professional advantage; also the falsification or misrepresentation of experimental data, and violating the professional ethics that are established in clinical activities, science labs, research projects or internships.

1. Citing information not taken from the source indicated.

2. Listing sources in a Works Cited or reference not used in the academic exercise.

3. Inventing data or source information for research or other academic exercise.

4. Submitting any academic exercise as one's own (e.g. written or oral work, sculpture, computer program, etc) prepared totally or in part by another, including on-line sources.

5. Taking a test for someone else or permitting someone else to take a test for you.




7. Collusion – The act of working together on an academic undertaking for which a student is individually responsible. Unless working together on an individual assignment has been prior approved, it is not allowed. On group projects, students must stay within the guidelines set by the instructor and this Rule. If the instructor provides additional guidelines, they must be followed. Failure to do so also constitutes a violation of these Polices and Rule.





8. Duplicate Submission – Submission of the same or substantially the same paper/project in more than one class unless prior permission has been obtained from the current instructors if the paper/project is being used in two classes in the same term or from the subsequent instructor if being used in a subsequent term.





9. Academic Misconduct - The intentional violation of college policies by tampering with grades or taking part in obtaining or distributing any part of a test, quiz, or graded assignment. Examples include:

   1. Stealing, buying, downloading, or otherwise obtaining all or part of a test and/or test answers.

   2. Selling or giving away all or part of an unadministered test and/or test answers.

   3. Asking or bribing any other person to obtain a test or any information about a test.

   4. Misrepresenting the truth, including handing in computer programs or using computer programs generated by another as one's own work; lying to an instructor to increase a grade; and lying or misrepresenting facts when confronted with an allegation of academic dishonesty.

   5. Changing, altering, or being an accessory to changing and/or altering of a grade in a grade book, on a computer, on a test, on a “change of grade” form, or on other official academic records of the college which relate to grades.

   6. Continuing to work on an examination or project after the specified time has elapsed.

   
   

10. Improper Computer/Calculator Use
    Examples of improper computer and/or calculator use include but are not limited to:

1. Unauthorized access, modification, use, creation or destruction of calculator-stored or computerstored data and programs.

2. Selling or giving away all or part of the information on a calculator, computer disk or hard drive, which will be used as graded material. NOTE TO STUDENTS: Never save information on the hard drive of a SPC computer.

3. Sharing a calculator or computer while leaving answers on display or in memory.

4. Submitting a duplicate computer printout with only the student's name changed. This applies to homework and tests.
    

11. Improper Online, TeleWeb and Blended Course Use include:

1. Having or providing unauthorized outside help when completing online quizzes or assignments.

2. Obtaining access to confidential test materials or questions before quizzes or assignment.




12. Disruptive Behavior - Each student's behavior in the classroom or Web course is expected to contribute to a positive learning/teaching environment, respecting the rights of others and their opportunity to learn. No student has the right to interfere with the teaching/learning process, including the posting of inappropriate materials on chatroom or Web pages sites. The instructor has the authority to ask a disruptive student to leave the classroom, lab, or Web course and to file disciplinary charges if disruptive behavior continues. Cell phones and beepers must not disturb class. Turn off these devices when entering the classroom.





13. Right to Confidentiality - The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 provides that any information related to an alleged violation of SPC's disciplinary policy or the outcome of a disciplinary hearing be treated as strictly confidential by faculty members. Further information about STUDENTS' RIGHTS AND RESPONSIBILITIES may be found in the official Student Handbook and the college catalog.



3. Faculty Determination Process:




1. When a student is alleged to have violated the Academic Honesty Policies, the faculty member involved should meet with the student and attempt to determine if a disciplinary proceeding is warranted. The faculty member can request that the department chair or other appropriate College official attend this meeting as a witness. The faculty member may impose the sanction of requiring an appropriate educational assignment and/or a Reduced or Failing Grade on the test, assignment or for the course if:

1. The violation is the first offense and the faculty member believes there are no circumstances that require the imposition of a sanction other than a discretionary education assignment and/or a Reduced or Failing Grade and:

2. The student and faculty member reach a written agreement as to the sanctions. No further action is required other than the faculty member forwarding a copy of the written agreement to the associate provost.





2. The student shall not be permitted to drop the class once informed of a suspected academic honesty violation. Any class that is dropped in violation of this restriction shall be reinstated until the charges are resolved.





3. The student’s agreement to a sanction shall constitute a waiver of all other available adjudicatory procedures or appeals.





4. The faculty member shall forward a copy of the agreement with the student or the imposed sanctions(s) given by the instructor to the associate provost. If the student does not agree that a violation of the Academic Honesty Policy has occurred or that the imposed sanction(s) are appropriate, the student may within 7 days of the imposed sanctions, have the matter reviewed as a grievance by filing a petition pursuant to BOT Rule 6Hx23-4.36(F) alleging arbitrary and capricious actions of the faculty member and stating the reasons or grounds thereof. If the student fails to file a petition within the time set forth above, the sanctions(s) shall become final and shall constitute a waiver of all other adjudicatory procedures or appeals.





4. The faculty member involved may refer the student to the associate provost rather than take action, if the instructor believes disciplinary action may be warranted, and it appears that:





1. The violation would not be a first offense; or





2. In the judgment of the faculty member, a sanction such as Probation, Suspension or Dismissal, or expulsion would be warranted.





The associate provost shall then review and handle the matter in accordance with BOT Rule 6Hx23-4.35.



5. A student who is charged with an academic honesty violation by a faculty member and who does not agree to accept the faculty member’s sanction or for whom the faculty adjudication process is not appropriate, as stated above, or when the student denies the violation, the student shall meet with the assistant provost to be advised of the hearing procedures and the student’s rights and possible sanctions.





6. The associate provost may assist the faculty member and student in reaching an acceptable agreement.

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Last revised May 29, 2008
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