Academic Integrity Board Procedures

Section I. Mandate

The Academic Integrity Board supports the educational mission of Smith College by upholding a rigorous standard of academic integrity defined by Smith’s Academic Integrity Statement. The Board considers all cases of suspected violations of academic integrity by students, following procedures that ensure fairness and transparency for all involved, including reported students and reporting parties. The Board’s mission is for its interactions with students and faculty to be educational for reporting parties, reported students, and the Board itself. The Board maintains confidentiality in all cases and requires all those involved in a particular case to respect the obligation of confidentiality.

Section II. Membership, Duties, and Panel

The Academic Integrity Board shall consist of a non-voting chair and a pool of voting faculty members and students.

Membership
1. Chair: The Associate Dean of the College serves as the non-voting ex officio chair, with the following duties:
  1. holds initial fact-finding meetings with reported students, reporting parties, and others who may have relevant information;
  2. when necessary, facilitates communication between reported students and reporting parties;
  3. presides over meetings and hearings of the Academic Integrity Board; and
  4. issues formal Board communications to reported students and reporting parties.
2. The pool of voting members includes:
  1. no fewer than four faculty members; with representation from Divisions I, II, and III; to be appointed by the dean of the college for three-year terms; and
  2. no fewer than four students, who must apply and be appointed by the dean of the college for one-year terms with the option of extending the term when that option is desired by both the student and the Board.
Panel
1. A panel of voting members is drawn from the pool of voting members for each Academic Integrity Board hearing.
2. Members with conflicts of interest must recuse themselves. While it is not possible to list all potential conflicts of interest, common examples include the following situations:
  1. a member of the Academic Integrity Board serves as the reported student’s academic adviser,
  2. a member of the Academic Integrity Board serves as the reported student’s honors thesis adviser,
  3. a member of the Academic Integrity Board previously reported the given reported student to the Board, and/or
  4. a member of the Academic Integrity Board has a personal relationship with the reported student.
3. Each panel shall consist of the following voting members:
  1. three faculty members representing Divisions I, II, and III; and
  2. four students.

Section III. Reporting a Suspected Violation of the Academic Integrity Statement

For instructors who suspect a violation of the Academic Integrity Statement: Before reporting, the instructor should speak privately with the student whose work is in question. An instructor who suspects unauthorized collaboration on an exam or other assignment should speak to the students involved individually. The instructor should remain open-minded and convey a nonjudgmental manner when discussing concerns with the student(s). If, after speaking with the student(s), the instructor still suspects a violation has occurred, the instructor should report the suspected violation. The instructor should submit all supporting materials at this time.
All Smith College students have the responsibility to report a suspected violation.
All reports should be submitted by completing an Academic Integrity Board Reporting Form.
Complaints must be filed within a reasonable time frame, normally no longer than 10 days from learning of the suspected violation. Since the goal of the Academic Integrity Board is to engage in an educational process with students, the time between a violation and the outcome of a report should be as short as possible.

Section IV. Determining the Appropriate Type of Review for Suspected Violations

The chair reviews the report and meets with the reported student and the reporting party, either together or separately, depending on the circumstances, to determine the appropriate next step: Administrative Settlement, Full Board Hearing, or Administrative Hearing.
1. Administrative Settlement: When a student takes responsibility for the violation, has received no previous sanction from the Academic Integrity Board, and the violation itself is deemed to be minor, the student is eligible for an Administrative Settlement. A student participating in an Administrative Settlement signs an agreement waiving the possibility of a hearing and an appeal process. All reported students have the right to a hearing and can decide not to accept the offer if they prefer to have a hearing.
2. Full Board Hearing: A panel of three faculty members, four students, and the chair meets with the student and, if necessary, the reporting party, and/or any other community members who have relevant information.
3. Administrative Hearing: The Board may conduct a hearing with the chair and two voting members in the following situations:
  1. when a suspected violation is reported outside of the regular academic year (i.e., summer or January), or
  2. when a full panel cannot be assembled within a reasonable timeframe.

Section V. Administrative Settlement: Procedures, Deliberations, Sanctions, and Notification

Meeting with the chair: The reported student meets with the chair to discuss the situation and review materials submitted by the reporting party. The reported student shares any additional relevant materials with the chair.
The reported student signs an Administrative Settlement agreement form.
The reported student must submit a written statement to the Academic Integrity Board explaining the situation from their perspective, including a clear explanation of how the student violated the Academic Integrity Statement.
Deliberation: In consultation with at least one voting member of the Board, the chair determines the appropriate sanction, if any.
Outcome: The Administrative Settlement cannot result in recommendations for dismissal with the possibility for readmission or permanent separation from the College.
Notification: Normally, the Board notifies both the reported student and the reporting faculty member of its decision in writing within 7 to 10 days of the deliberation. (Note: Reporting students are not notified of the outcome to preserve reported students’ privacy.) The letter will include the following information:
1. a summary of the supporting material,
2. a description of how the student violated the Academic Integrity Statement, and
3. the sanction(s) issued by the Board.

Section VI. Full Board and Administrative Hearings: Procedures, Deliberations, Sanctions, and Notification

Prior to the Hearing:
1. Hearing Notification: The reported student and reporting party receive notice of the time, date, and location of the hearing. The notice also informs the reported student of their right to present supporting materials, which must be submitted at least two business days prior to the hearing.
2. The reported student must meet with their class dean prior to the hearing to discuss the situation and receive guidance about how to write an effective written statement. The student is responsible for scheduling this meeting.
3. The reported student must submit a personal statement to the Academic Integrity Board explaining the situation from their perspective, including a clear explanation of whether and how the student violated the Academic Integrity Statement. The statement must be submitted at least two business days before the hearing.
Hearing Procedures:
1. The chair presides over the hearing to ensure fair treatment of the reported student and efficient operation.
2. Any members of the Academic Integrity Board who have conflicts of interest will be removed from the case or shall recuse themselves. Members of the Board and/or reported students should alert the Board to a potential conflict of interest.
3. If the Board deems it necessary, the reporting party attends the beginning of the hearing to answer questions about the situation from their perspective and/or submitted materials. The Board may ask the reporting party questions about the situation and/or submitted materials. The reporting party and the reporting student do not attend the hearing at the same time.
4. Next, the reported student meets with the Board to give their account of the situation. The Board may ask the reported student questions about the situation and/or submitted materials. The Board shares any new supporting materials that were submitted after the student’s meeting with the chair. The student also may ask questions of the Board.
5. The student’s class dean attends the hearing to support the student. Students are not allowed to have additional support people at the hearing, including but not limited to attorneys.
6. All hearings are closed to the public, and all information disclosed during the hearing must remain confidential. For recordkeeping, a transcript of the hearing will be generated and stored in the files of the Academic Integrity Board.
7. In the event that a student called before the Academic Integrity Board fails to appear at a scheduled hearing, the Board shall proceed with deliberations.
Deliberation:
1. After the hearing, the Board deliberates in private to determine whether the reported student has violated Smith College’s Academic Integrity Statement.
2. The Board makes a determination based on the "preponderance of the evidence" standard, meaning that it is more likely than not that the violation occurred.
Sanctions:
1. While it is not possible to provide a complete list of sanctions for every type of violation, the following list indicates the scope of authority for the Board:
  1. Formal warning: Written notice that being found responsible for a subsequent violation of the Academic Integrity Statement will result in a harsher penalty in said subsequent violation. Note that a formal warning is an official sanction from the Board.
  2. Lowered (or failing) grade on assignment or exam: The Board notifies the instructor that the grade on the assignment or exam in question should be lowered by a specified amount, and the instructor should calculate the final grade accordingly and report it to the Registrar’s Office.
  3. Lowered (or failing) final grade for the course: The Board notifies the instructor that the final grade for the course should be lowered by a specified amount, and the instructor should report the final grade to the Registrar’s Office. Note: A sanction may include both a lowered grade on the assignment or exam in question and an additional reduction in the final grade for the course after the lowered assignment or exam grade is taken into account.
    1. Students found in violation of the Academic Integrity Statement are not allowed to drop or change the grading option for the course in question.
    2. If a student fails a course as a result of violating the Academic Integrity Statement, the student may not use AP/IB or prematriculation credit to make up any credit shortage created by that failure.
    3. If a student taking a course with the S/U grading option is found to have violated the Academic Integrity Statement egregiously, the Board reserves the right to change the grading option to a letter grade.
  4. Dismissal: The individual is no longer a student at Smith College and must leave the campus. The individual may apply to return to Smith but should not expect the request to be considered for one full semester after dismissal. The individual may be expected to provide evidence satisfactory to the college indicating readiness to resume their college career and fulfill standards of academic integrity. The student is restricted from campus and all college activities during their dismissal.
  5. Permanent separation: The individual is no longer a student at Smith College and must leave the campus. The student is not eligible to return to Smith. The student is restricted from campus and all college activities.
Notification: Normally, the Board notifies both the reported student and the reporting faculty member of its decision in writing within 7 to 10 days of the hearing. (Note: Reporting students will not be notified of the outcome to preserve the privacy of the reported student.) The letter will include the following information:
1. a summary of the supporting materials;
2. the determination of whether the reported student has violated the Academic Integrity Statement; and
3. for students found in violation, the sanction(s) issued by the Board.

Section VII. Appeals Process (Full Board Hearings and Administrative Hearings)

Grounds for appeal: The reported student may appeal the decision based on the following grounds:
1. procedural errors that significantly impacted the outcome,
2. discovery of new supporting materials that were not reasonably available at the time of the hearing that could affect the outcome, or
3. evidence of biased treatment of the reported student that affected the outcome.
Appeals Committee: A three-person panel, consisting of the dean of the college (chair) and two voting members of the Board.
Appeal procedure:
1. The appeal must be submitted in writing to the Appeals Committee chair within 7 days of the date of the decision letter.
2. The Appeals Committee reviews any new evidence provided by the party pursuing the appeal along with the evidence presented to the Board and the transcript of the original hearing. The Committee may take additional steps it deems necessary to review the case fairly according to the permissible grounds for appeal.
3. The Appeals Committee reviews the case and issues a decision, which will result in confirmation of the original decision, modification of the sanctions, or a new hearing.
4. Notification: Both the reporting faculty member and reported student will be notified of the decision in writing within 7 to 10 days of the appeals hearing. All appeal decisions are final.

Section VIII. Student Member Application Process

A student wishing to apply to serve as a voting member of the Academic Integrity Board must submit an application to the Board.
Eligible students must meet the following criteria:
1. have completed at least two semesters at Smith,
2. have a cumulative GPA above 2.0, have no credit shortage,
3. have never been placed on academic probation,
4. have never been found responsible for violating the Statement of Academic Integrity by the Academic Integrity Board, and
5. have never been found responsible for a conduct violation by the Community Standards Board.
  1. The members of the Board and a representative from SGA choose which applicants to appoint to a term on the Academic Integrity Board as voting members.

Section IX. Records and Documentation

Recordkeeping: All records, including hearing records, supporting materials, and decisions, are kept confidential and maintained by the Class Deans Office.
Retention of Records: Records are kept for a period of time as specified by institutional policy, typically 7 years following a student’s graduation.
Annual Publication of Deidentified Data: The Academic Integrity Board is committed to the principles of transparency and confidentiality. To meet both of these commitments, the Board will publish the following general information about its annual operations on its website:
1. number of reports received,
2. number of reports resolved by administrative settlements,
3. number of reports resolved by hearings, and
4. number of sanctions by type.