INTEGRITY STATEMENT
Academic integrity is a basic guiding principle for all educational activities at SUNM and all members of the community are expected to adhere to this principle. Specifically, academic integrity is the pursuit of educational activity in an open, honest, and responsible manner. It includes a commitment not to engage in or tolerate acts of falsification, misrepresentation, or deception. These acts include plagiarism defined as “trying to pass work of another off as your own”. Acting in an unethical manner in either the online classroom or in person clinical setting may lead to dismissal from the program. Such acts violate the fundamental ethical principles of SUNM community and undermine the efforts of others. A student accused of academic dishonesty will either accept the accusation made by a faculty member or request a hearing before the Academic Integrity Ad Hoc Committee, who will make a decision on the accusation of academic dishonesty. In addition to academic sanctions imposed by the faculty, students found guilty of academic dishonesty also face consequences from the Academic Integrity Ad Hoc Committee ranging from attending a mandatory class in ethics to expulsion from SUNM.
DEFINITIONS
Academic Dishonesty: Any of the following acts, when committed by a student at SUNM shall constitute academic dishonesty.
Cheating: Cheating is defined as using unauthorized materials or receiving unauthorized assistance during an examination or other academic exercise. Examples of cheating include: copying the work of another student during an examination or other academic exercise (includes computer programming), or permitting another student to copy one’s work; taking an examination for another student or allowing another student to take one’s examination; possessing unauthorized notes, study sheets, examinations, or other materials during an examination or other academic exercise; collaborating with another student during an academic exercise without the Faculty’s consent; and/or falsifying examination results.
Plagiarism: Plagiarism is defined as the use of another’s ideas or words without appropriate acknowledgement. Examples of plagiarism include: failing to use quotation marks when directly quoting from a source; failing to document distinctive ideas from a source; fabricating or inventing sources; and copying information from computer-based sources, i.e., the Internet.
Unauthorized Possession or Disposition of Academic Materials: Unauthorized possession or disposition of academic materials may include: selling or purchasing examinations, papers, reports or other academic work; taking another student’s academic work without permission; possessing examinations, papers, reports, or other assignments not released by any faculty; and/or submitting the same paper for multiple classes without advance faculty authorization and approval.
Copyright Infringement: Dissemination, by electronic or paper means, of copyrighted material for use other than limited scholarly critique is an infringement of U.S. Copyright law and a violation of the Honor Code.
Fabrication: Falsification or creation of data, research or resources, or altering graded work without the prior consent of the course faculty.
Aid of Academic Dishonesty: Intentionally facilitating plagiarism, cheating, or fabrication.
Lying: Deliberate falsification with the intent to deceive in written or verbal form as it applies to 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 Academic Integrity violation.
Violations: Violations of Academic Integrity are acts of academic dishonesty and include but are not limited to: plagiarism, cheating, copyright infringements, fabrication, aid of academic dishonesty, lying to course faculty, lying to representatives of the Academic Integrity Ad Hoc Committee, bribery or threats pertaining to academic matters, or an attempt to do any of the aforementioned violations. A student accused of academic dishonesty will either accept the accusation made by a faculty member or request a hearing before the Academic Integrity Ad Hoc Committee, who will make a decision on the accusation of academic dishonesty. In addition to academic sanctions imposed by the faculty, students found guilty of academic dishonesty also face consequences from the Academic Integrity Ad Hoc Committee ranging from attending a mandatory class in ethics to expulsion from SUNM.
