Academic Honesty Policy

The purpose of this policy is to establish that academic integrity is an essential component of the Cal Poly Humboldt learning community and shall be upheld by all members of the University community.

This policy is intended to reflect the University's commitment to the principles, goals, and ideals described in the Cal Poly Humboldt Vision Statement and to its core values.

The University Community 

Cal Poly Humboldt is a community of learners bonded together by the search for knowledge; the pursuit of personal, social, cultural, physical, and intellectual development; and the desire for the liberating effects of advanced education. Cal Poly Humboldt has an academic culture shared with other universities and colleges across the nation. Integral to that culture is a set of values such as academic freedom, dedication to teaching and learning, diversity, civility toward others, and academic integrity.

Academic integrity is of central importance in the University community and involves upholding the values, the principles, and the code of behavior held to be central in our community. Integrity concerns honesty and implies being truthful, fair, and free from lies, fraud, and deceit. Inherent to the Cal Poly Humboldt community are the values of honesty, trust, fairness, respect, and responsibility. 

Scholastic Honesty 

The core of this University's integrity is its scholastic honesty. Honesty is valued across all cultures and is a fundamental value in the academic culture. There are, however, cultural differences with regard to the ownership of ideas and the importance of individual efforts. Nonetheless, the University expects all students and other campus members to document the intellectual contributions of others and to ensure that the work they submit is their own.

Academic Dishonesty 

Academic dishonesty is willful and intentional fraud and deception to improve a grade or obtain course credit. It includes all student behavior intended to gain unearned academic advantage by fraudulent and/or deceptive means.

Academic Dishonesty includes but is not limited to:

1. Cheating, which includes possessing unauthorized sources of information during examinations, copying the work of others, permitting others to copy their work, submitting work done by others, completing assignments for others;
2. Plagiarism, which includes taking the words, ideas, or substance of another and either copying or paraphrasing the work without giving credit to the source through appropriate use of footnotes, quotation marks, or reference citations;
3. Providing materials to another with the knowledge they will be improperly used;
4. Purchasing or acquiring academic work from other students or third parties in person, online, or through an intermediary and submitting it as the student’s own work;
5. Possessing another's work without permission;
6. Unauthorized recording, dissemination, or publication of academic work (including handwritten notes) for a commercial purpose (EDC § 66450, CSU Executive Order AA-2004-06);
7. Altering the work of another with the intent of deceiving;
8. Knowingly furnishing false or incomplete academic information;
9. Altering documents that make up part of the student record;
10. Forging signatures or falsifying information on any official academic document;
11. Altering work after grading and subsequently submitting it for re-grading without the instructor’s permission;
12. Submitting the same work for two or more classes without the permission of all the instructors involved;
13. Retaining materials that the student has been instructed to return to the instructor;
14. Inventing, dishonest adjusting, omitting, or otherwise misrepresenting data or falsifying an account of the method through which data were generated; and
15. Lying to an instructor or to a University official to improve a grade. 

Responsibilities of the Faculty 

Faculty will take measures to discourage dishonesty, adjust grades appropriately if dishonesty is discovered, and recommend that additional administrative sanctions be considered. Grading policies are the exclusive prerogative of the faculty. 

Plagiarism is considered a form of academic dishonesty and therefore must require notification of the Office of Student Rights and Responsibilities and possible disciplinary action. However, as there may be plagiarism as a result of poor learning or inattention to format, and there may be no intent to deceive, instructor discretion on the penalty in the classroom work is appropriate. Under such circumstances, the instructor may elect to work with the student to correct the problem at an informal level, which will not be considered a penalty.

In any case of a potential intentional violation that any penalty is applied, the student must be informed by the instructor of the event for which they are being penalized and the penalty within one week of discovery of the event.

When a faculty member discovers a potential intentional violation of the University’s policy of academic integrity, the faculty member is required to notify the Office of Student Rights and Responsibilities, in accordance with Executive Order 1098, and the student(s) involved to ensure that repeated violations do not go undetected if they occur in separate departments or with different faculty.

Faculty shall submit an Academic Dishonesty Referral to the Office of Students Rights and Responsibilities within one week of notifying the student of the discovery of the event for which they are being penalized and the penalty. At faculty discretion, a grade of “F” may be given for the assignment or examination, or another grade penalty may be applied at the discretion of the instructor. In the event that the academic dishonesty results in the failure of the course, the instructor will report a grade of “FD” to the Registrar’s Office. Additional disciplinary sanctions may be determined by the Dean of Students should the student have documented prior incidents of academic dishonesty that have been reported to the Office of Students Rights and Responsibilities. If a student is successful in their appeal through EO 1098, they may then contest the underlying charge of academic dishonesty through the Student Grievance Policy.

Responsibilities of the Students

1. Students are responsible for the integrity of their actions and must be willing to accept the consequences of these actions.
2. Students have the responsibility to be familiar with the University policies and to seek clarification with faculty if they are unclear about expectations for any assignment.
3. Students are also encouraged to report academic dishonesty.
4. In the sense that a university is a community, students should understand their own roles in the creation of a culture that encourages honesty and discourages academic dishonesty.
5. Students need not tolerate any action on the part of another that diminishes their own integrity or that of the University.

Responsibilities of the University

1. The Office of Student Rights and Responsibilities shall notify the student if a report is received within ten (10) working days of receiving the report.
2. The University is responsible for providing faculty with resources and training to deter and identify academic dishonesty.
3. The University is responsible for providing faculty with best practice guidelines for addressing academic dishonesty.
4. The University is responsible for providing students with resources and training opportunities to avoid committing academic dishonesty.
5. The University is responsible for providing students with clear and consistent guidance regarding their rights when charged with academic dishonesty.
6. The University may impose additional disciplinary sanctions may be determined by the Dean of Students should the student have documented prior incidents of academic dishonesty that have been reported to the Office of Students Rights and Responsibilities.

Disciplinary Sanctions

Disciplinary sanctions will be imposed by the Office of Student Rights and Responsibilities. Disciplinary sanctions may include, but not be limited to, the following:

1. A warning,
2. Educational and/or reflective assignment,
3. Having the assignment or course grade adjusted to an “F” (if the course grade is adjusted, it is not subject to Grade Forgiveness at the discretion of the instructor).
4. Disciplinary probation*;
5. Suspension**,
6. Permanent expulsion from the University and from the California State University system

*Disciplinary probation shall be noted on the student’s formal academic record only for the duration of the probationary period.

**Disciplinary suspension of more than one academic year and expulsion are a part of the student’s permanent record. 

The California State University Disciplinary Procedures 

Student enrollment is a voluntary entrance into the academic community of learners. By such entrance, the student voluntarily assumes, and is expected to assume, obligations of performance and behavior that are imposed by the University relevant to its lawful missions, processes, and functions. Cal Poly Humboldt reserves the right to discipline students to

Students who engage in academic dishonesty shall be charged with violating Title 5, California Administrative Code, §41301, under the Student Disciplinary Procedures for the California State University established by Executive Order EO 1098 by the Chancellor. A copy of these procedures may be obtained from the Office of Student Rights and Responsibilities and is available at www.calstate.edu/eo/EO-1098.html.

If there are any questions or concerns about this policy, please contact the Office of Student Rights and Responsibilities at osrr@humboldt.edu or calling the Dean of Students office at (707) 826 - 3504.

Last Updated September 2020