Academic Integrity
As members of the Clemson University community, we have inherited Thomas Green Clemson's vision of this institution as a "high seminary of learning."  Fundamental to this vision is a mutual commitment to truthfulness, honor, and responsibility, without which we cannot earn the trust and respect of others.  Furthermore, we recognize that academic dishonesty detracts from the value of a Clemson degree.  Therefore, we shall not tolerate lying, cheating, or stealing in any form.
I.  Academic Integrity Policy
A.  Any breach of the principles outlined in the Academic Integrity Statement is considered an act of academic dishonesty.
B.  Academic dishonesty is further defined as:
    1.  Giving, receiving, or using unauthorized aid on any academic work;
    2.  Plagiarism, which includes the intentional or unintentional copying of language, structure, or ideas of another and attributing the work to one's own efforts;
    3.  Attempts to copy, edit, or delete computer files that belong to another person or use of Computer Center account numbers that belong to another person without the permission of the file owner, account owner or file number owner;
C.  All academic work submitted for grading contains an implicit pledge and may contain, at the request of an instructor, an explicit pledge by the student that no unauthorized aid has been given or received.
D.  It is the responsibility of every member of the Clemson University community to enforce the Academic Integrity Policy.
II.  Academic Integrity Committee
The power to hear cases of academic dishonesty is vested in an Academic Integrity Committee.
A.  Structure
The Academic Integrity Committee is composed of twenty members as follows:
    1.  Ten tenured members of the faculty; two members from each college as elected by their respective collegiate faculties.  Faculty members will be elected for a staggered term basis, serving for a period of two years after initiation of staggered terms.  Terms commence with Fall Semester registration.
    2.  Ten members of the undergraduate student body; two from each college.  Student members are nominated by the Student Body President, through an application and interview process in the Spring semester, approved by the Student Senate, and appointed by the Provost for terms of two years.  Students must have a 3.0 GPR at the time of appointment and must have completed 30 hours by the end of the Spring semester.  Nominations will be made in the Spring semester with terms of service commencing with the Fall semester registration.
    3.  The Committee is divided into four standing boards, hereafter referred to as hearing boards, which will hear the cases of academic dishonesty.  Hearing boards convene on a weekly, rotational basis unless there are no cases to be heard.  For summer sessions, the Associate Dean of Undergraduate Studies must maintain at least one hearing board to hear cases.
    4.  Hearing boards are comprised of two faculty members, two students, and one chairperson.  Quorum, for a hearing board, is one student, one faculty member, and a chairperson.  Decisions by the hearing board will be by majority vote.
    5.  Chairpersons will be elected from within the Committee's membership.  Two chairpersons are selected from the faculty membership and two from the student membership.
    6.  Before hearing any cases, a new member of the Committee must undergo a training session(s) with the Associate Dean of Undergraduate Studies.
    7.  The Associate Dean of Undergraduate Studies is the administrative coordinator of the Academic Integrity Committee.
B.  Procedures
    1.  When, in the opinion of a faculty member, there is evidence that a student has committed an act of academic dishonesty, the faculty member shall make a formal written charge of academic dishonesty, including a description of the misconduct, to the Associate Dean of Undergraduate Studies.  At the same time, the faculty member may, but is not required to, inform each involved student in private of the nature of the alleged charge.
    2.  When, in the opinion of the student, there is evidence that another student has committed an act of academic dishonesty, the student should contact the faculty member for the course to discuss the incident.  After being contacted, if, in the opinion of the faculty member, there is evidence that a student has committed an act of academic dishonesty, the faculty member shall make a formal written charge of academic dishonesty, including a description of the misconduct, to the Asssociate Dean of Undergraduate Studies.  At the same time, the faculty member may, but is not required to, inform each involved student in private of the nature of the alleged charge.
    3.  When the Associate Dean of Undergraduate Studies has received a formal charge of an alleged violation, the involved student will be contacted, in private, to notify him/her of the charge and at the same time will provide the student with a copy of the charge and a copy of the procedures that the Academic Integrity Committee has adopted, pursuant to No. 6 below. If, after multiple attempts, the student fails to reply to requests to schedule a meeting regarding the charge, that student will automatically waive his/her right to a hearing, thus being found in violation of the academic integrity policy, and accepting the required penalty. The student may not withdraw from the course in which he/she was charged unless he/she is exonerated of the charge. If a student receives a grade of D or F in the course in which he/she was charged, that student may not redeem that grade under the Academic Redemption Policy.
    4.  After informing an involved student, the Associate Dean of Undergraduate Studies will convene one of the boards of the Academic Integrity Committee within 14 calendar days of being notified of an alleged violation.  All students will be presumed not in violation of a charge until found in violation of the charge by a hearing board.
    5.  A charge of academic dishonesty in a course must be made within 30 days after the beginning of the next term.  If an I (Incomplete) is given in a course, the grade in the course is considered to be final when the I (Incomplete) is made up.
    6.  The Academic Integrity Committee will adopt its procedures, to be followed by all hearing boards, prior to the first case heard by a hearing board.  In addition to providing the student with a copy of the procedures, as stated in No. 3 above, the Associate Dean of Undergraduate Studies will provide a copy of the procedures to the involved faculty member and also the hearing board members.  The Associate Dean of Undergraduate Studies will also retain copies of these procedures.  The procedures must afford both faculty and students the opportunity to present their cases and the opportunity for rebuttal.
    7.  In cases where the student is found in violation of the charge, the faculty member may consult with the Associate Dean of Undergraduate Studies to consider any past precedent established regarding academic penalties levied in similar cases.  Faculty members must inform the Associate Dean of Undergraduate Studies of the academic penalty for a student found in violation of the charge by a hearing board.
    8.  The Associate Dean of Undergraduate Studies is responsible for notifying the registrar and all other appropriate university personnel if the student is found in violation of the charge and the academic penalty.  The Associate Dean of Undergraduate Studies retains all records of academic dishonesty cases and their findings in accordance with the University's Records Retention Policy.
C.  Penalties
    1.  Upon a finding of "Not in Violation" by a hearing board, the student's record will not reflect the incident.
    2.  Upon a finding of "In Violation" by a hearing board, the Associate Dean of Undergraduate Studies will notify the student and faculty member of the decision immediately.  If the offense is the first for the student, then the faculty member has the ability to determine the academic penalty, which shall not exceed a grade of "F" for the course.
    3.  If the finding of in violation is not the student's first offense, the student will receive a grade of "F" for the course, will be suspended from the University for one or more semesters and may be permanently dismissed from the University.  The hearing board will determine the period for which the student will be suspended, or, if applicable, permanently dismissed. If the student waives their right to a hearing, the penalty will be determined by the Associate Dean of Undergraduate Studies.  Suspension or dismissal requires the approval of the President of the University.
D.  Appeals
    1.  Students do not have the option to appeal a decision of in violation rendered by the hearing board, whether it is the first, second or any subsequent offense.  Students do not have the option to appeal the penalty determined by the faculty member for first offenses or to appeal the grade of "F" for the course given for second offenses.
    2.  For offenses resulting in suspension or permanent dismissal, students have the option to present written information to the Dean of Undergraduate Studies in their defense to appeal the length of the suspension or to appeal a decision of permanent dismissal.  Students must present information in their defense, as allowed in this paragraph, to the Dean within 5 working days after receipt of written notification of the suspension or dismissal.  However, as stated in No. 1 above, students cannot appeal a decision of in violation rendered by the hearing board.