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The Center for Student Conduct at UVM recognizes faculty are essential partners in ensuring student success. The information on this page aims to help keep you informed about expectations of students in the classroom as well as provides you resources regarding the Academic Integrity conduct process. Also included is information about how to refer Academic Integrity concerns.

Our Collective Obligation

Any University of Vermont student, staff, or faculty member can report a perceived violation of the Code of Academic Integrity to the Center for Student Conduct office. Upon receipt of a report (referral) from any source, the Assistant Director for Academic Integrity will determine whether the report, if true, would constitute a violation of the Code of Academic Integrity [PDF]. If the reported alleged behavior would violate a University academic integrity expectation, the student conduct process will begin. Any member of the University community that has observed behavior, or has information that reasonably leads to the conclusion that such a violation has occurred or has been attempted, has a responsibility to share that information with the Assistant Director for Academic Integrity in the Center for Student Conduct.

Why Refer?

Due Process
Reporting an alleged violation to the Center for Student Conduct provides students with due process to respond to the allegations and participate in the formal academic integrity process.

Consistency
All incidents referred to the Center for Student Conduct will be resolved through the academic integrity process, providing consistency in process, procedures, and range of sanctions.

Prior Incidents
The Center for Student Conduct maintains records of prior violations of academic integrity and sanctions may be increased for students with prior violations. Therefore, it is important for faculty to refer all alleged violations to the Center for Student Conduct in order to track multiple violations by students.

Making a Referral

Within two weeks of discovery, the referring party should submit an Academic Integrity Referral Form. The referral should include a narrative description of the incident including all relevant details. All supporting documents should be included with the referral and can be uploaded/attached directly to the form. Supporting documents might include tests, papers, syllabus, answer keys, assignment instructions, etc.

  • Referring parties submitting referrals must also provide a copy of the report to each student referred.
  • Faculty members submitting a report for a student in their class may recommend a sanction. The recommended sanction will be taken into consideration, however, the final decision is made by the Assistant Director for Academic Integrity or the Academic Integrity Council.
  • Both Technical and Deliberate violations (see below) should be submitted via the Academic Integrity Referral Form. For Technical violations please clearly indicate it's being referred as such and any subsequent outcome.
  • For alleged plagiarism cases, please submit original articles and indicate with highlights, or some other method, the corresponding concerns in the student paper.
  • For details regarding the resolution process for alleged violations, please see the "Procedures" section of the Code of Academic Integrity [PDF].
  • Should the referring party desire further consultation prior to submitting the referral form or memo, please contact the Assistant Director for Academic Integrity or any other staff member at the Center for Student Conduct at (802) 656-4360.
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    Technical Violations vs. Deliberate Violations

    Technical Violations

    • If an instructor does not perceive the student intended to gain an academic advantage (e.g., inadvertent citation errors), the incident may be considered a technical violation.
    • In such cases, the Assistant Director for Academic Integrity will send a follow-up letter to the student, acknowledging the technical violation and outlining the imposed sanction.
    • Students have the right to appeal the outcome imposed by the faculty member in a technical violation. Appealing a technical violation results in the alleged violation being resolved through an Academic Integrity Council Meeting.

    Deliberate Violations

    • A deliberate violation is one with a perceived intent to achieve an academic advantage.
    • All suspected deliberate violations of academic integrity (plagiarism, fabrication, collusion, or cheating) must be reported via the Academic Integrity Referral Form.
    • If the alleged behavior is a violation of the Code of Academic Integrity [PDF], the Assistant Director for Academic Integrity will send a letter notifying the student of a scheduled pre-council meeting.
    • In the pre-council meeting, the student has the option to accept responsibility for the violation(s) and agree to the recommended sanction or to go forward to an Academic Integrity Council Meeting.