1. Home
  2. Catalog
  3. Academic Misconduct

Academic Misconduct

Academic Misconduct Procedure 3.07

Labette Community College expects students to adhere to a strict code of academic behavior, honesty, and ethics.  Students should learn in an environment of integrity, free from the intrusion of any kind of dishonest conduct.

When an academic exercise is designed to result in a grade, any of the following activities constitute actions of academic dishonesty/misconduct and will be subject to disciplinary action (unless such actions are expressly authorized in advance by the instructor):

  1. Cheating on an examination, clinical, or the preparation of academic work. Any student who engages in any of the following shall be deemed to have engaged in cheating:
    1. Copying from another student's test paper, laboratory report, report, computer files, data, listings, and/or programs;
    2. Using, during a test, materials not authorized by the instructor (including when taking tests in the Student Success Center);
    3. Collaborating with another person, without authorization, during an examination, clinical, or in preparing academic work;
    4. Knowingly and without authorization, using, buying, selling, stealing, transporting, soliciting, copying, or possessing in whole or in part, the contents of coursework, an examination or quiz
    5. Substituting for another student, or permitting another student to substitute for oneself in taking an examination, clinical, or preparing academic work;
    6. Bribing another person to obtain an examination or information about an examination;
    7. Attempting to bribe any faculty/staff/student to alter a grade.

  2. Plagiarizing or appropriating another work or idea without properly acknowledging incorporation of that work or idea into one's own work offered for credit.

  3. Any forgery, alteration, or misuse of academic documents, forms or records.

  4. Fabrication including the intentional falsification or invention of any information.

  5. Collusion including any secret agreement among students who participate in any academically dishonest activity.

  6. Violating requirement and/or agreements associated with “academic work” including preparation for an essay, thesis, report, assignment, computer program, clinical or other project submitted and/or performed for purposes of evaluation/grade determination.”
  7. Students enrolled in online courses agree not to give their passwords, login information, or access to an online course to anyone. Any student who does so will be considered guilty of academic dishonesty and subject to the penalties described for such offenses.

PENALTIES FOR ACADEMIC MISCONDUCT

Being found guilty of academic misconduct will result in a zero grade for the paper, assignment, clinical, course trip/activity, or test on which the violation occurred.  Sanctions may also be applied to students who enroll in courses without prior approval for which they do not meet the prerequisites – including developmental courses.  Students in health care programs, in addition to receiving a zero for the class grade, will be removed from the program, but still allowed to enroll in another college program of their choice.

Should the act of academic misconduct occur while the student is taking an exam in the Student Success Center or at the Cherokee Center, the staff member who witnessed the act will complete a Behavior Misconduct Notification Form and give a copy to the student and then submit it to the instructor, with a copy being sent to the Dean of Instruction and the Vice President of Student Affairs. In addition, the student will not be allowed to complete the remainder of the exam.  The instructor will then need to complete the Academic Misconduct Form using the procedure.  Please note that students who have been caught cheating in the Student Success Center or at the Cherokee Center will not be allowed to take exams in the Student Success Center or the Cherokee Center for any courses again.

For the first violation of plagiarism, the instructor can refer the student to the Academic Misconduct Intervention Seminar offered through the Student Success Center. If a student completes this seminar, they will still receive the zero grade, but the violation will not be noted on their academic record unless a second violation occurs. If a second violation occurs, the original violation along with the second violation will both be placed on the student’s academic record.

ACADEMIC CONDUCT PROCEDURE

  1. Written Notification
    Should an instructor believe that a student has committed an act of academic misconduct while performing work under his or her supervision:

    • The instructor shall provide a written document to the student that will detail the alleged violation and the proposed penalty for that violation. The Academic Misconduct Notification Form can be found on the RedZone. This form is to be completed by the instructor, including signature.  It should be sent to the student’s email or presented in person. 
    • The student will then have five (5) working days to meet with the instructor to further discuss the allegation of academic misconduct, provide any evidence regarding the situation, and the proposed penalty to provide the student due process.
    • Whether the written documentation is provided in person or via email, should the student fail to meet with the instructor within five (5) working days, the penalty will be imposed and the matter considered closed.   The instructor should provide a copy to the Dean of Instruction and the Vice President of Student Affairs.

  2. Instructor/Student Meeting
    It is the student’s responsibility to arrange a meeting within five (5) working days of the written notification of the academic misconduct. Either party may choose to have a support person present at the meeting. The support person is not allowed to speak during the meeting. 
    If, after presenting the student with evidence of academic misconduct and allowing the student an opportunity to respond, the instructor determines that an act of academic misconduct did, in fact, occur, the instructor shall:

    • Advise the student of such fact and explain the penalty to be imposed.
    • The instructor will determine if referral to the Academic Misconduct Intervention Seminar should occur.
    • The issue will be considered resolved at this level if both parties’ sign an acceptance of the penalty imposed or if the student chooses not to appeal the decision in writing per the Student Grievance Procedure 4.081 within five (5) working days.

    Revised: 8/7/17, 8/14/18, 10/25/18, 8/11/22

Summary of Civil and Criminal Penalties for Violation of Federal Copyright Laws

Copyright infringement is the act of exercising, without permission or legal authority, one or more of the exclusive rights granted to the copyright owner under section 106 of the Copyright Act (Title 17 of the United States Code). These rights include the right to reproduce or distribute a copyrighted work. In the file-sharing context, downloading or uploading substantial parts of a copyrighted work without authority constitutes an infringement. Penalties for copyright infringement include civil and criminal penalties. In general, anyone found liable for civil copyright infringement may be ordered to pay either actual damages or “statutory” damages affixed at not less than $750 and not more than $30,000 per work infringed. For “willful” infringement, a court may award up to $150,000 per work infringed. A court can, in its discretion, also assess costs and attorneys’ fees. For details, see Title 17, United States Code, Sections 504, 505. Willful copyright infringement can also result in criminal penalties, including imprisonment of up to five years and fines of up to $250,000 per offense. For more information, please see the website of the U.S. Copyright Office at www.copyright.gov.