Student Activities - w w w . t a m u k . e d u / s a s s

Texas A&M University-Kingsville is deeply committed to the development of its students and the promotion of personal integrity and self-responsibility in the campus culture. This university recognizes the student as an adult pursuing an education. Students enrolling in Texas A&M University-Kingsville become citizens of the university community and are entitled to enjoy the privileges and are expected to assume the responsibilities and obligations associated with this affiliation. Students are also subject to the expectation of satisfactory academic performance and social behavior consistent with the lawful and educational purposes of the university. Because honor and integrity are integral to the education process, promoting and protecting academic integrity is the responsibility of every member of the campus community. Control of academic dishonesty cannot be accomplished by the threat of punishment alone. Ultimately, the most effective deterrent is a multi-faceted approach emphasizing a commitment to academic integrity within the student peer group. Only by giving students genuine responsibility in a collaborative effort with faculty and staff can such a commitment be fostered and maintained.

Principle, Purpose, Pledge, and Definitions

Academic integrity is a commitment, even in the face of adversity, to five fundamental values: honesty, trust, fairness, respect, and responsibility. From these values flow the principles of behavior that enable academic communities to translate ideals into action (The Center for Academic Integrity[1]).

The purpose of the Honor Code at Texas A&M University-Kingsville is to create and maintain an environment in which academic integrity, and the resulting behavior, can flourish. The importance of honesty, trust, fairness, respect, and responsibility are clearly articulated in the Honor Code to affirm these values as a defining part of the Texas A&M University-Kingsville campus culture.

As a student of Texas A&M University-Kingsville, I pledge to uphold honorable and high standards in all academic work and pledge to adhere to all of the tenets of conduct set forth in the Javelina Honor Code.

a. Academic Dishonesty: Any of the following acts, when committed by a student at Texas A&M-Kingsville, shall constitute academic dishonesty:

Cheating: Using unauthorized notes or study aids, allowing another party to do one’s work/exam and turning in that work/exam as one’s own; getting help from another party without the instructor’s consent; or submitting the same or similar work in more than one course without permission from the course instructors;

Fabrication: Falsification or creation of data, research or resources, or altering a graded work without the prior consent of the course instructor;

Lying: Deliberate falsification with the intent to deceive in written or verbal form as it applies to an academic submission;

Bribery: Providing, offering, or taking rewards in exchange for a grade, an assignment, or the aid of academic dishonesty;

Threat: An attempt to intimidate a student, staff, or faculty member for the purpose of receiving an unearned grade or in an effort to prevent the reporting of an Honor Code violation.

Aid of Academic Dishonesty: Intentionally facilitating any act of academic dishonesty;

b. Faculty: All references to faculty includes, but are not limited to, full, associate, or assistant professors, instructors, lecturers, appointed staff members, adjunct faculty, graduate teaching assistants, graduate part-time instructors, graders, proctors, and undergraduate teaching assistants.

c. Student: Includes anyone taking courses at or from the university, both full and part-time. It also includes student organizations. People who are not officially enrolled for a particular term, but who have a continuing relationship with the university are considered “students”.

d. Academic Sanctions: Academic sanctions are applied only by the faculty, not by the Honor Council. These include, for example, assignment grades, course grades, and additional assignments.

Non-Academic Sanctions: Non-academic sanctions are recommended to the Dean of Students by the Honor Council or Hearing Panel upon a finding of an Honor Code violation. These include, for example, letters of warning, Academic Ethics Seminars, probation, suspension, and expulsion.

Violations of the Honor Code

Violations of the Honor Code are acts of academic dishonesty and include but are not limited to: plagiarism, cheating, fabrication, aid of academic dishonesty, lying to course faculty, lying to representatives of the Honor Code Bodies, bribery or threats pertaining to academic matters, or an attempt to do any of the aforementioned violations.

Authority to Establish the Honor Code

A representative group of faculty, staff, and students worked together to develop the Honor Code. The Honor Code is affirmed by the Faculty Senate, the Student Government Association, and authorized by the President of Texas A&M University-Kingsville.

Jurisdiction of the Honor Code

All students of Texas A&M University-Kingsville are subject to the Honor Code for academic matters. This includes, but is not limited to, the main campus in Kingsville , and all affiliated off-campus sites.

Faculty Support

Faculty are expected to support and promote academic integrity and honor within their classrooms. They are encouraged to refer to the Honor Code on all pertinent materials including syllabi, tests, and other assignments. Faculty are encouraged to discuss the Honor Code periodically in class as it applies to their courses, and to ask students to pledge that the work submitted is their own.

Statement of Confidentiality

1. All members of the Javelina Ethics Committee, Honor Council, Hearing Panel, and Appeals Board are required to maintain absolute confidentiality. The guidelines for confidentiality are outlined in the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA). Breach of confidentiality by a member of an Honor Code Body will result in automatic removal of that member from the Javelina Ethics Committee, Honor Council, Hearing Panel, or Appeals Board and may also result in other appropriate action.

2. Other individuals (with the exception of the accused) involved in the hearing process are subject to the same requirements regarding confidentiality.

A. Honor Code Bodies

Composition: The Committee shall be composed of at least one faculty member designated by the Faculty Senate, one staff member designated by the staff council, one staff or faculty member appointed by the Provost, student representatives from each academic college, including Graduate Studies[2], and the Honor Council Advisor. Members of the Honor Council shall sit on the committee as ex-officio members. The chair of the Honor Council shall sit as the chair of the Javelina Ethics Committee.

Duties: The Committee provides input, recommendations, and ideas pertaining to the Honor Code; advises faculty as to academic integrity; and promotes the discussion of honor and integrity at Texas A&M University-Kingsville. Specifically, the Javelina Ethics Committee will present information about the Honor Code to all new students.

Composition: The Council shall be composed of four students in the roles of Chair, Adjudication Director, Education Liaison, and Student Liaison to Faculty, as well as the Faculty Representative and the Honor Council Advisor.

Duties: The Council is responsible for the maintenance and oversight of all Honor Code operations and procedures including, but not limited to, accusations and appeals. The Council will consider student and faculty concerns and implement those ideas where appropriate.

a. Composition: The Panel shall be comprised of at least four students and one faculty or staff member. The Hearing Panel will be selected from members of the Javelina Ethics Committee and will be trained by the Honor Council Advisor. Student representation on the Hearing Panel is required from both the accused student’s college, and the college where the alleged violation occurred. The Adjudication Director will chair the Hearing Panel and will vote only in the case of a tie.

b. Duties: The Panel resolves accusations of Honor Code violations and determines appropriate sanctions if a violation is found. Conducts non-academic sanction reviews.

Composition: The Judicial Appeals Board is comprised of faculty, staff, and students and is appointed annually by the Vice President of Student Affairs.

Duties: The Board hears appeals submitted by students or faculty members of decisions made by the Hearing Panels.

B. Notification to Honor Council

1. All Report Forms may be obtained in the Honor Code office or from the Honor Code website. Report Forms may be turned in to the Honor Code office via hand-delivery, fax, or campus mail.

2. Violation Report Forms: If the student accepts responsibility or if the student does not accept responsibility for the violation and sanction, the faculty member is expected to submit a Violation Report Form detailing the finding and any sanctions issued. After receipt of a Violation Report Form the Honor Council may submit the offense to a Hearing Panel for consideration of non-academic sanctions.

3. Accusation Report Forms: If a student accuses another student of a violation, or a student denies a faculty accusation, the accuser is expected to submit an Accusation Report Form.

4. The Honor Council Advisor will notify the accused student upon receipt of a Violation Report Form or an Accusation Report Form.

C. Reporting of Violations

Students are expected to submit an accusation form to the Honor Council when they have direct first-hand knowledge of academic dishonesty.

Conscientious Retraction: A student who has committed an act of academic dishonesty may report himself/herself to the faculty member in whose class the violation occurred. If the student notifies the faculty member involved before the faculty member confronts the student, conscientious retraction may be considered by the faculty member in determining academic sanctions. The Honor Council will defer to the faculty member the issuance of academic sanctions and will consider the suitability of non-academic sanctions, convening a Hearing Panel for that purpose if necessary. The Hearing Panel will consider conscientious retraction as a mitigating circumstance prior to the issuance of any non-academic sanctions. The option of a conscientious retraction is only available to the student if he/she has never before attempted a conscientious retraction, and if he/she has never been found responsible for any violation of the Honor Code.

Faculty members should submit a report to the Honor Council detailing any finding of violation along with any issued academic sanctions.

The dean and faculty of the college where the offense occurred continue to have jurisdiction over all academic sanctions.

In any case upon which a faculty member has direct knowledge of the facts, that faculty member is expected to participate in the corresponding hearing as a witness.

If the faculty member confronts the student and the student accepts responsibility for violation, the faculty member may issue an academic sanction at his or her discretion. After any such confrontation, the faculty member will submit a record to Honor Council detailing the type of violation and any academic sanction issued. If the student has multiple Honor Code violations on file, the matter will be referred to a Hearing Panel for determination of non-academic sanctions.

If the faculty member confronts the student and the student denies the violation, the faculty member may issue an academic sanction at his or her discretion. The faculty member will then submit the case to the Honor Council for an investigation and a hearing.

Faculty members may defer the issuance of academic sanctions pending determination by a Hearing Panel of whether or not a violation occurred. If the faculty member chooses this option, he or she is expected to issue a sanction that is consistent with the finding of the Hearing Panel.

Upon receipt of a violation report, the Honor Council will determine if the case should be submitted to a Hearing Panel for consideration of non-academic sanctions.

1. The Hearing Panel has the authority to determine appropriate non-academic sanctions. Non-academic sanctions are those sanctions that are separate from the grading process in which the academic violation occurred. Culpability, seriousness of offense, mitigating and aggravating circumstances, and prior record will be considered in determining non-academic sanctions. Non-academic sanctions for violations of the Honor Code may include:

2. Upon a finding of violation or no violation, the Dean of Students shall send a written letter to the student describing the findings of the Hearing Panel and notice of any action taken.

a. A sanction review shall commence if a student does not comply with the non-academic sanctions given by the Hearing Panel. This review shall serve to ensure students are held accountable for their actions and are abiding by the Hearing Panel decision.

b. A Hearing Panel will review cases of non-compliance. The student will be given an opportunity to discuss his or her situation, as it pertains to the requirements set forth by the original Hearing Panel.

c. The non-academic sanction review could result in additional non-academic sanctions, including but not limited to, a hold being placed on the student’s educational records, or removal from the University, either temporarily or permanently.

All incoming students will participate in an Honor Code educational session. Information will be presented to all new faculty and staff relative to the Honor Code and their roles in the implementation of the code.

F. Operating Guidelines

Guidelines for execution of the Honor Code are detailed in the “Javelina Honor Code Operating Guidelines.”

G. Revisions of the Honor Code

1. After final approval of the Honor Code revisions must be first approved by a majority vote of the Student Government Association. The Faculty Senate and Deans Council also must approve the revisions by a majority vote of the members present at the meeting.

2. Academic Sanctions: As currently provided for in the Honor Code, academic sanctions remain within the purview of the faculty. The deans and faculty of each college/school must approve any Honor Code revision that proposes to reallocate authority over academic sanctions.

[1] The Center for Academic Integrity is based at Duke University and is devoted to the fundamental principles of academic integrity that are so innate in honor codes: “The Center for Academic Integrity provides a forum to identify, affirm, and promote the values of academic integrity among students” www.academicintegrity.org .

[2] Each College will have one representative for every 300 students enrolled in the college on the 12^th class day in the fall semester of the previous year.

Preface