Academic Honesty
Policy Changes For Undergraduate Students
This is the current policy as of Fall 2015.
Need the old policy? Applies to classes taken during and before Summer 2015.
The following is a very concise summary of key changes only. Please refer to the policy document for complete information.
New starting Fall 2015, all undergraduate students will copy and sign this Honor Pledge on all examinations: "I affirm that I will not give or receive any unauthorized help on this exam, and that all work will be my own."
Several new violations of academic honesty have been added to the Policy, which are now categorized by "minor," "moderate," or "major." These categories determine the range of penalties that will be applied for a violation, including two new sanctions: XE and XF grades on student transcripts, and the requirement to complete an Academic Honesty tutorial. Here are resources to help undergraduate students achieve academic honesty.
Instructors (and staff) now have three options for reporting suspected academic dishonesty:
- A new option is the Instructor Resolution Warning Letter process. This may be used at the instructor’s discretion when the suspected academic dishonesty falls in the minor category and is judged to be due to inexperience.
- The Instructor Resolution With Penalty option is similar to the former “Academic Dishonesty Short Form Incident Report.”
Both of the Instructor Resolution processes require that the instructor meet with the student to present the evidence of suspected dishonesty, after which the student has the option to accept responsibility or choose to go to a hearing before the Board.
- The Board Resolution process requires that the instructor submit a report of the suspected dishonesty to the Board on Academic Honesty, after which a hearing is scheduled for the student. All Board hearings will now be audio recorded, and if an appeal is made, the appeal officer will listen to the recording.
All decisions (Instructor Resolution Warning Letter, Instructor Resolution with Penalty, and Board Resolution) and the penalties recommended are reviewed by the Chair of the Board.
There are new guidelines for Board on Academic Honesty records to be shared within and outside the University of Rochester. The reporting person (usually an instructor) is required to keep the information confidential. A report of a student’s findings of responsibility will be provided only when the request is authorized by a waiver form signed by the student, or when the student submits the request directly.