Procedures for Academic Misconduct

The following outlines the College of Engineering procedures to augment the academic misconduct section of the Student Code of Conduct. http://studenthandbook.nmsu.edu/student-code-of-conduct/academic-misconduct/. The following procedures should be followed by instructors.

• If you suspect a student(s) of academic misconduct, the you must document the incident and ask the student to come to your office to hear the allegation. Allow the student to defend the allegation. If you are satisfied, verbally let the student know that the case is closed and dismiss the student. Document the discussion. If you are not satisfied with the student’s explanation, tell the student you will be sending them a memo, copying college officials, and dismiss the student. The memo should include the facts of the allegation, the penalty, and information about the academic discipline and appeal process. Copy the department head, associate dean of academics, and the assistant dean of students (1^st documentation). The incident is reported in a spreadsheet managed by the associate dean of academics.
• If the student does not appeal, the case is closed and your penalty holds. Typical penalties include a zero grade for the work in question, or a zero grade for the course.
• If the student appeals, the process must follow the policy outlined in the Student Handbook. To summarize:

1. 1. Student appeals to instructor in writing. If instructor is satisfied with explanation, the case is closed in favor of student. If instructor disagrees, instructor writes memo to student denying appeal and re-stating penalty (2^nd documentation). Instructor informs student he/she may appeal to department head.
   2. If the student does not appeal to department head, instructor penalty holds. If student appeals to department head, and department head agrees with student, then case is closed in favor of student. If department head finds student guilty, then department head writes memo to student denying appeal, and copies instructor and associate dean of academics (3^rd documentation). Department head informs student that he/she may appeal to the associate dean.
   3. Hopefully it ends here, or…. the student appeals to the associate dean. The highest level of appeal is the dean whose decision is final.

• The dean sends student final finding and copies all parties involved (4^th documentation).
• At any time in the process, when the instructor’s penalty or appeal findings are not challenged, the student will obtain a strike.
• If this is the second strike, the dean sends the student a suspension letter.

The Student Handbook gives the timing for these actions. In some cases, an academics appeals board may be formed. Please refer to the Handbook.