Academic Honor Code

Academic Integrity

Students are responsible for proper conduct and integrity in all scholastic work. This includes following a professor’s instructions as to the completion of tests, quizzes, homework, and laboratory reports, and asking for clarification if the instructions are not clear. Students should not give or receive aid when taking exams, unless the professor specifies that this practice is appropriate. In addition, students should complete work within the time limitations specified by the professor. Described below are violations of these basic academic expectations and their consequences. Certain academic divisions reserve the right to set even more stringent standards of academic integrity. In addition, students have the responsibility to review and abide by syllabi for all courses.

Cheating: Cheating is the use of any unauthorized source in the completion of assignments or tests. Students must complete all tests and examinations without help from any unauthorized source; they may not use, offer, or solicit unauthorized information, materials, or help without the explicit consent of the professor. Cheating offenses include, but are not limited to, looking at another student’s paper, an open textbook, a notebook, online, or a “cheat sheet” during a test; talking to another student during a test; the sharing of information between students who have taken a test and students who have not; and using or soliciting unauthorized test copies as study aids. Collusion--working together in an unauthorized or fraudulent way--is also cheating. Students may not collude on homework, papers, tests, or any other type of classwork without the express consent of the instructor(s). The student who knowingly shares information or supplies material to another student has also committed an offense and can be charged under this section. These rules apply to take-home exams as well as any other assignments unless the professor explicitly says otherwise. Students must check with the professor and syllabus to clarify what is acceptable. Cheating also includes the use of an instructor’s copy of a textbook. Those textbooks are not allowed in any class. The professor also has the right to confiscate any and all unauthorized materials used in the completion of academic work.

Plagiarism: Plagiarism, according to Hodges’ Harbrace Handbook, 14th ed., is “the use of another writer’s words or ideas without acknowledging the source. Akin to theft, plagiarism has serious consequences and should always be avoided” (788). Plagiarism can be blatant or incidental. Blatant plagiarism includes copying a passage without giving proper credit to the source, downloading all or part of a paper from the Internet, summarizing or paraphrasing another’s ideas without indicating where they came from, or submitting someone else’s work as one’s own. Incidental plagiarism includes careless omission of quotation marks around a passage that was copied word for word and otherwise cited correctly, or minor errors in documentation when quoting, summarizing, or paraphrasing another’s words or ideas. Both forms of plagiarism are serious. A student must avoid both kinds of plagiarism. Any student who does not understand how to paraphrase or document appropriately should see his or her professor or make an appointment or email the Student Resource Center.

Academic Misrepresentation: Any act of dishonesty committed for academic advantage is misrepresentation. Violations include, but are not limited to, lying about reasons for absences or late work, forging an academic document (e.g., a drop/add form), or submitting work not prepared by the student.

Multiple Submissions of Work: Students may not, without the prior consent of all instructors involved, submit the same work for credit in two or more courses or for a repetition of the same course, nor may they submit work previously completed at any other institution without the prior written consent of the current instructor.

Failure to Comply with the Honor Code or Honor Council: Members of the College community who are notified of Honor Code action which involves them and who fail to attend a scheduled meeting or hearing may be subject to disciplinary action at the discretion of the Honor Council. Witnesses are required to testify when called. Students convicted of an Honor Code violation who fail to comply with any penalties set by the Council may be subject to further disciplinary action. Cooperation consists of telling the truth. Failure to do so may produce additional honor code violations.

Guidelines for Assigning Consequences for Above Actions

Below are guidelines the Honor Council uses in assigning consequences for the academic violations described above. The Honor Council has the authority to change any sanction to fit the severity of the offense as deemed necessary. For more information including a full discussion of Policies and Procedures, see MMC Student Handbook, 2020-2021.