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Academic Policies
H A N D B O O K
Please reference the Lipscomb University Under- graduate Catalog for a full listing of information on ac- ademic policies.
STUDENT GRIEVANCE/COMPLAINT
PROCESS
A student wishing to lodge a written complaint about any university office or service is invited to follow the same procedures outlined in the Disciplinary Appeals Process in the Student Handbook on page 22. If the com- plaint or grievance is related to a specific course or in- structor, the matter should be addressed first with the instructor. If that interaction is unsatisfactory, the student should take the complaint to the department chair. Should the concern remain unresolved, the student may
directly contact the office of the dean of the college in which the department resides. Following the above procedure, any appeal of a course grade must be filed in the Provost’s Office within 60 days following posting of the grade to the student’s record. In no case may a student appeal a grade that has been recorded on the transcript for as long as twelve months. As to academic freedom, students are encouraged to examine all pertinent data, question assumptions, and guided by the evidence of research, freely study the sub- stance of each academic discipline. Any student who perceives that this right has been violated may file a for- mal grievance through the Provost’s Office.
Academic Integrity Policy
A Community of Faith
“God has made us what we are. He has created us
in Christ Jesus to live lives filled with good works
that he has prepared for us to do.” — Ephesians
L
ipscomb University is a community of scholars and learners committed to the teachings of Jesus Christ. Our core values of Christlikeness, truth, excellence and service integrate our Christian faith with the practice of academic pursuits. As citizens of this community, stu- dents, faculty and staff share the responsibility for pro- moting a climate of integrity. As a distinctively Christian university, the desire is for each member of the community to grow in Christ’s image. The pursuit of truth is a constant goal of the Chris- tian life and lays the foundation for lifelong integrity. In every facet of our work, we seek excellence in the pursuit of knowledge and the courage to make difficult choices even at personal cost. In our service in this community, our actions should reflect the second great command “to love your neighbor as yourself.” This command compels us to respect others, to treat others fairly and honestly, and to assume personal responsibility. The life of the Christian is built on the foundation of serving others and living in truth. A community built on these principles cannot accept cheating, lying, fraud, theft, and other dishonest behav- iors that jeopardize the rights and welfare of the commu- nity and diminish the worth of academic integrity of the community. The Community of Faith sets out broad principles. From these broad principles flow policies and practices for mem- bers of the Lipscomb University Community. The Judicial Code identifies specific definitions of academic integrity in- fractions, provides a listing of sanctions which students may face, and identifies the specific steps in the process.
WHY ACADEMIC INTEGRITY “The very nature of a distinctively Christian university de- mands honesty and one’s best efforts in every endeavor. Dis- honesty, in any context is destructive to the individual and contrary to the nature of the God we serve. At Lipscomb, dis- honesty compromises the very nature of who we are. We want to provide a strong academic program to prepare students for faithful, capable Christian service. Honesty must be the cor- nerstone of that effort.” — P ROVOST C RAIG BLEDSOE
FACULTY AND ACADEMIC INTEGRITY
As citizens of the Lipscomb community of scholars and learners, faculty, along with the students and staff, share the responsibility of maintaining a climate of integrity. Providing an environment for students to grow in Christ’s image de- mands that in every facet of academic work and campus life, the pursuit of truth, knowledge, and excellence is paramount,
even when that pursuit demands personal sacrifice. It is the personal responsibility, therefore, of each faculty member to treat student learners respectfully, fairly, and honestly—to re- fuse to accept cheating, lying, defrauding, or stealing--thus committing to an academic integrity which will serve as the foundation for lifelong integrity.
THE LIPSCOMB UNIVERSITY FACULTY COMMIT-
MENT TO INTEGRITY
I affirm my commitment to uphold the values of the Lip- scomb University community:
- I will not lie, cheat, or steal in my academic endeav- ors, nor will I condone the actions of those who do.
- I will investigate and properly pursue acts of suspected academic integrity violations.
- I will conduct myself responsibly and honorably in all my activities as a Lipscomb University faculty mem- ber. TThhee AAnnnnuuaall RReeaaffffiirrmmaattiioonn At the beginning of each academic year, the faculty will have an opportunity to reaffirm the Commitment to In- tegrity.
HHaannddlliinngg SSuussppeecctteedd CCaasseess ooff AAccaaddeemmiicc IInntteeggrriittyy VViioollaa-- ttiioonnss Students and faculty are equally responsible for main- taining Lipscomb’s culture of academic integrity. If an in- structor suspects that a student in one of his or her classes has committed an academic integrity violation or if the in- structor receives a report from someone else to that ef- fect, the instructor is obliged to take appropriate action in order to determine, as far as possible, the truth of the mat- ter and to apply appropriate sanctions when reasonably confident that a violation has occurred. Refer to the Ju- dical Code for definitions of academic integrity violations and specific procedures to follow.
STUDENTS AND ACADEMIC INTEGRITY
As citizens of the Lipscomb community of scholars and learners, students, along with the faculty and staff, share the responsibility of maintaining a climate of integrity. Growing in Christ’s image demands that in every facet of academic work and campus life, the pursuit of truth, knowledge, and excellence is paramount, even when that pursuit demands personal sacrifice. It is the personal responsibility, therefore, of each student to treat his fellow scholars and learners re- spectfully, fairly, and honestly—to refuse to cheat, lie, de- fraud, or steal--thus committing to an academic integrity which will serve as the foundation for lifelong integrity.
TThhee LLiippssccoommbb UUnniivveerrssiittyy SSttuuddeenntt CCoommmmiittmmeenntt ttoo IInn-- tteeggrriittyy I affirm my commitment to uphold the values of the Lipscomb University community:
- I will not lie, cheat, or steal in my academic endeav- ors, nor will I accept the actions of those who do.
- I will conduct myself responsibly and honorably in all
H A N D B O O K
FFaaccuullttyy PPoolliicciieess ffoorr HHaannddlliinngg SSuussppeecctteedd CCaasseess ooff AAcc-- aaddeemmiicc IInntteeggrriittyy VViioollaattiioonnss The Academic Integrity Flowchart (on page 39) illus- trates the process for a case of academic integrity viola- tion. Below is an explanation of the general procedures that instructors should follow when they have reason to suspect that a violation has occurred. Instructors should act with due respect for confidentiality throughout this process.
SScceennaarriioo AA:: FFaaccuullttyy MMeemmbbeerr OObbsseerrvveess oorr DDiissccoovveerrss AAccaaddeemmiicc IInntteeggrriittyy VViioollaattiioonn When a faculty member directly observes or discovers a possible violation in the classroom, during an assignment, or in the grading process:
- The instructor should privately confront the stu- dent with the apparent violation, present whatever evidence there may be to demonstrate that a vio- lation may have occurred, explain the severity of the apparent violation, and ask the student to re- spond. Instructors should document in writing the content and results of this meeting along with whatever evidence there is to support the allega- tion.
- If the instructor decides that no violation has oc- curred, or if the student satisfactorily explains sus- picious actions or evidence, the matter should be dropped—no further action is necessary.
- If the instructor decides that a violation worthy of sanction has in fact occurred— either because the student admits the violation or because the student denies the allegation without providing a satisfac- tory explanation—the instructor should complete and sign Section A of the “Faculty Disposition of Academic Integrity Violation” form and have the student complete and sign Section B of that form (http://academics.lipscomb.edu/content.asp?CI D=5329=SID=12).
- The completed form should be sent immediately to the Chair of Integrity Council in a sealed enve- lope.
SScceennaarriioo BB:: AA TThhiirrdd PPaarrttyy NNoottiiffiieess tthhee IInnssttrruuccttoorr ooff AAccaaddeemmiicc IInntteeggrriittyy VViioollaattiioonn When a third party alleges to an instructor that vio- lation has occurred:
- The instructor should attempt to gather evidence either confirming or refuting the allegation. Alle- gations brought by students should never be ig- nored, even if they seem difficult or impossible to prove. To do nothing is to abdicate one’s profes- sional responsibility to one’s students and one’s university.
- If the instructor cannot develop evidence to sup- port the allegation, the instructor should meet pri- vately with the accuser, describe what steps were taken in response to the allegation, and explain why sanctions were not administered. The in- structor should also describe what steps will be taken, if possible, to prevent the alleged behavior
from taking place in the future.
- If evidence of impropriety does surface, the in- structor should privately confront the student with the apparent violation, present whatever evidence there may be to support the allegation, explain the severity of the apparent violation, and ask the stu- dent to respond. Instructors should document in writing the content and results of this meeting along with whatever evidence there is to support the allegation.
- If the instructor decides that a violation worthy of sanction has in fact occurred— either because the student admits the violation or because the student denies the allegation without providing a satisfac- tory explanation—the instructor should complete and sign Section A of the “Faculty Disposition of Academic Integrity Violation” form (http://aca- demics.lipscomb.edu/content.asp?CID=5329=SI D=12) and have the student complete and sign Section B of that form.
- The completed form should be sent immediately to the Chair of Integrity Council in a sealed envelope.
INTEGRITY COUNCIL
The Integrity Council becomes involved in the process of an academic integrity violation in three ways:
- When the instructor and the student cannot reach a resolution, the case is forwarded to the Integrity
H A N D B O O K
violation witnessed by^ Academic integrity instructor
Instructor confront'sstudent with evidence and sanctions
agrees toStudent sanctions?
appropriate form withInstructor files Central Reporting Office
Is this student's1st time?
are enforced. Student'sInstructor's sanctions academic integrity file isupdated to include incident report filed byinstructor.
yes
yes
Case referred to AcademicHonor Council for hearing
Instructor's sanctions areenforced plus additional Honor Council; findingssanctions imposed by Academic Integritynoted in student's record
found to beViolations true?
sanctions imposed;No additional student's Academicfindings noted in Integrity record
no
no
no
appropriate form withInstructor files Central Reporting Office
yes
Instructor's Responsibilities
H A N D B O O K
Council for a hearing. The Integrity Council will determine if the student is guilty of the charge of an academic integrity violation. The ruling of the Integrity Council is final. a. If the student is found guilty, the Integrity Council will impose the suggested punish- ment noted by the faculty member in Section A of the “Faculty Disposition of Academic In- tegrity Violation” form. b. If the student is found not guilty, no penalty will be assessed and no further action is nec- essary.
- When the Chair of Integrity Council receives a properly processed “Faculty Disposition of Aca- demic Integrity Violation” form, the chairperson will search to see if this student has committed a pre- vious academic integrity violation offense. If there is a previous offense, the student’s file is automati- cally forwarded to the Integrity Council for a hear- ing. The Integrity Council will consider the student’s file in its entirety and may impose addi- tional sanctions in light of the number of academic integrity offenses committed by the student and the severity of the cases. The ruling of the Integrity Council is final.
- When the instructor has made the appropriate con- sequences within the class, but feels that further sanctions might be needed.
CCoommppoossiittiioonn ooff tthhee IInntteeggrriittyy CCoouunncciill The Integrity Council will be composed of the follow- ing members:
- Two voting faculty members
- Two voting student representatives
- The Provost or designated appointee (voting only in a tie)
- One faculty member alternate
- One student representative alternate
- The provost or provost’s representative will serve as chair for the Integrity Council. The faculty members will be elected by the Faculty Senate and will serve a two-year term. The student rep- resentatives will be elected by the student body from a list of students nominated by the faculty. Alternates will replace members of the Integrity Council who have a conflict. Student representatives must meet the following qualifications for nomination:
- Maintained a minimum 2.5 GPA.
- Completed at least 75 hours at the end of the se- mester in which they are nominated.
- Declared a major.
- Approved for nomination by at least 90% of the fac- ulty in their first declared major area. The panel of students nominated will be presented to the student body for a vote in April. The students with the two highest vote tallies will serve on the Integrity Council for one year, beginning in August of the next academic year. Student representation may include one graduate student.
The Provost is a standing member of the Integrity Council. The Provost may designate a member of the administration or the faculty to be his representative on the Integrity Council. IInntteeggrriittyy CCoouunncciill OOffffiicceerrss The Integrity Council will select two officers. a. The president will be the Provost or his desig- nated appointee. The president will be responsi- ble for organizing the other council members and conducting the meetings. The president po- sition is permanent unless stated otherwise. b. A secretary will be elected to take minutes of In- tegrity Council meetings and to keep detailed and accurate records of council proceedings. The sec- retary will be chosen from the student representa- tives. In the case that no student wants to serve as secretary then one of the faculty members will be chosen to serve as secretary. The secretary posi- tion will be chosen each year and will be voted on by the council members using a secret ballot. The vote will be regulated by the president. IInntteeggrriittyy CCoouunncciill VVaaccaanncciieess In the event that there is a student vacancy on the In- tegrity Council for any reason, the sitting members of the council shall nominate an eligible student to fill the vacancy. The nominee shall be subject to the faculty de- partment vote within the student’s first declared major area. In the event of a faculty vacancy, the Faculty Senate will nominate and choose an eligible faculty member. If the president chooses to abdicate his/her position, then the Provost will select a new president to preside. If the Provost serves as the president and decides to step down then he/she will choose a replacement. If the In- tegrity Council finds the administrator to ever be in conflict of the statutes of the school, then the council can report these wrong doings to the Provost for proper dismissal.
AAddmmiinniissttrraattiivvee PPrroocceedduurreess ffoorr tthhee IInntteeggrriittyy CCoouunncciill Should an honor code violation be reported during the summer sessions, the president will call upon the newly elected Integrity Council to carry out the neces- sary procedures. If a student or faculty member posi- tion on the Integrity Council cannot be represented by a voting member or an alternate, the president and the provost may select temporary or ad hoc Integrity Coun- cil members to hear the single pending case. However, all duly elected council members should if at all possible be present. Should any member of the Integrity Council be placed on academic or disciplinary probation for any reason, he/ she must vacate his/ her council seat. In the event of a suspected academic integrity viola- tion by a council member, that member will be sus- pended from the council until the investigation of his/ her case is completed. If the council member is not guilty of the charge, he or she will be immediately reinstated to the council. If he or she is guilty, then he or she will be expelled from the council permanently and normal disci-
