Skagit Valley College exists to expand opportunities and horizons for students and to improve the communities in which they live. We achieve this by welcoming and valuing diverse learners, providing quality education and support, and contributing community leadership and service. Skagit Valley College values include:
Skagit Valley College provides a welcoming and supportive climate in which all people are respected and differing ideals and opinions are valued. A sense of mutual trust is critical to achieving such a community. Lying, cheating, and other acts of academic dishonesty are not acceptable in the Skagit Valley College community of trust. The community should not suffer due to the dishonest acts of its members.
The presence of an academic honor code is vital to achieving the college's mission and values. An academic honor code establishes a fundamental social contract within which the college community agrees to live. Each member of the college community is expected to uphold the values of the honor code. Alleged honor code violations will be investigated through the procedures in the Code of Student Conduct and other college disciplinary policies.
Prevention and Detection of Academic Dishonesty
The prevention and detection of academic dishonesty depends upon the collaboration of SVC community members. Educating all community members about academic dishonesty, the unethical nature of such actions, and their consequences will deter dishonesty and promote the academic success of all students. The prevention of academic dishonesty is often accomplished by applying safeguards when assigning class work, homework, or proctoring exams.
Academic dishonesty includes, but is not limited to, the following behaviors in both on-ground and on-line courses:
Plagiarism: Presenting as one's own, intentionally or not, someone else's words, ideas, conclusions, images, or data, without specific acknowledgement. This includes, but is not limited to presenting the source's language without quotation marks (with or without citation); paraphrased language that is not cited; and/or language that is cited, but insufficiently paraphrased;
Cheating:
Fabrication: Falsification or creation of data, research, or resources, or altering graded work without the prior consent of the course instructor;
Lying: Deliberate falsification in written or verbal form;
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 a conduct violation;
Aid of Academic Dishonesty: Intentionally facilitating any of the above behaviors.
Procedures for Students
If it is determined that a student violated the Academic Honor Code, s/he can receive a failing grade for the assignment. S/he will fail the course in which the violation occurred if the course instructor determines that the violation is repeated or serious in nature. In these cases, a student has the right to appeal the course grade via the student complaint process found at http://www.mysvc.skagit.edu/complaint.
Since academic dishonesty is a violation of the Code of Student Conduct, all incidents on which an instructor takes action are reported to the office responsible for student discipline. The college may take disciplinary action in addition to any academic penalty assigned by instructors. If a student is found responsible for repeated or serious academic dishonesty violations, s/he may be suspended or expelled from the college in accordance with the Code of Student Conduct, WAC 132D-150-070. More information about the Code of Student Conduct can be found at http://www.mysvc.skagit.edu/conduct
A student may report an alleged Academic Honor Code violation to an instructor. If this occurs the instructor will approach the student with the alleged code violation and forward the allegations and any accompanying documents to the student conduct officer who will investigate it further.
Procedures for Faculty
Instructors are responsible to familiarize themselves with the tenets and procedures of the academic honor code and incorporate the following statement in each of their syllabi:
Academic Honor Code
"All students of Skagit Valley College are responsible for knowing and adhering to the Academic Honor Code of this institution found at http://www.mysvc.skagit.edu/honorcode. Violations of this code include: cheating, plagiarism, aid of academic dishonesty, fabrication, lying, bribery, and threatening behavior. All incidents of academic misconduct are reported to the student conduct officer. Students found to be in violation of the Academic Honor Code are subject to academic consequences up to and including failure of the course. Students may also be subject to college disciplinary sanctions up to and including expulsion from the College."
Instructors may add additional course-specific clarifications and definitions to their syllabi as needed.
When an instructor determines that a student has violated the Academic Honor Code:
A student may report an alleged Academic Honor Code violation to a faculty member. If this occurs the instructor will approach the student with the alleged code violation and forward the allegations and any accompanying documents to the student conduct officer who will investigate it further.
Disciplinary action may not be taken against a student based solely on an anonymous report. If an instructor receives one, s/he may choose to investigate further, address the issue to the class in question, or wait for more concrete information.
For information regarding disciplinary processes contact:
Mount Vernon Campus/Business Resource Center
Dean of Students Office
360-416-7663
[email protected]
Whidbey Island Campus/San Juan Center/South Whidbey Center
Office of the Vice President, Whidbey Island Campus
360-679-5331
For information regarding grading procedures consult the following:
Significant portions of this code were adapted with permission from the Academic Honor Code of the University of Colorado-Boulder.