Standards for Academic Integrity
The College expects students to understand and adhere to basic standards of honesty and academic integrity. These standards include but are not limited to the following:
In projects and assignments (including homework) prepared independently, students never intentionally represent the ideas or the language of others as their own, examples include but are not limited to plagiarism, failing to use citations, unapproved use of artificial intelligence and resubmitted personal work for another course.
Students do not destroy or alter either the work of other students or the educational resources and materials of the College.
Students neither give nor receive assistance with examinations.
Students do not represent work completed for one course as original work for another or deliberately disregard course rules and regulations.
In laboratory or research projects involving the collection of data, students accurately report data observed and do not alter or fabricate data for any reason
Reporting Violations of the Academic Honesty Policy
When a faculty member believes that a student has violated the Pomona College academic standards, they must submit a complaint directly to the Vice-President of Student Affairs/Dean of Students.
Bringing forward an academic dishonesty charge
If a faculty member believes a student has violated the academic honesty policy, they will contact the Vice President of Student Affairs. Faculty reporting ensures that all students receive the same process and protections as outlined in the handbook.
1) The faculty member will contact the Vice-President to confirm that it is the student’s first violation.
All charges must be brought within ten (10) academic days of the discovery of the alleged violation by the faculty member. For example, when papers or tests are graded.
The Vice-President of Student Affairs will confirm whether this is the student’s first reported incident. If it is the first, the incident will proceed through the first violation/acceptance of responsibility process. If it is not the first incident, it will automatically proceed to a hearing panel.
The Vice-President of Student Affairs is also available to answer questions about process and precedent.
2) The Vice-President will then email the student and inform them of the charge(s), inform them of their rights, and schedule a meeting with the student and the faculty member:
The student will be notified that they can have any 5C faculty, staff, or administrator serve as an advisor during the process, such as the class dean or liberal arts advisor (Students and attorneys may not serve as advisors.)
Advisors can attend all meetings during the process and meet with respondents prior to the meeting and hearing.
The student and faculty are notified that the meeting is preliminary and both parties have the right to move to a hearing if they so choose.
3) During the meeting the Vice-President of Student Affairs’ role will be to provide information on process and procedure. The faculty member will be asked to share any evidence of alleged academic dishonesty. The student does not have to plead responsible or not responsible during this meeting. This is not a hearing. The academic honesty process will be outlined for both student and faculty. Possible sanctions will be shared as well.
Any sanctions must be course-specific—such as a failing grade on an assignment.
Note: If the violation and resulting penalty could lead to failing the course, the incident should be referred to a hearing panel. This is to ensure all impacts of a failing grade are taken into account by the hearing panel – including probation for pace, preventing a student from graduating, etc.
4) The student is then given five academic days to decide on a next step
If the student accepts responsibility, the previously discussed sanctions are put in place, a note is placed in the student’s record and the case is closed. Following the meeting the student and faculty will be sent a letter outlining the sanction within three (3) academic days.
Sanctions may not be appealed
5) If the student does not accept responsibility or does not agree with the sanction an academic hearing panel will be scheduled by the Vice-President of Student Affairs as outlined below
The student may ask at any time for a hearing
If a student accepts responsibility but disagrees with a sanction, they can ask for a hearing solely to determine the appropriate sanction. The hearing will stipulate the facts of the violation, but the deliberation will be solely focused on the sanction for said violation
Academic Discipline Boards will only use evidence, statements from the respondent and complainant, and precedent. There will be no witnesses for a sanction-only hearing.
Additional violations/egregious violation/student denies responsibility
If the alleged violation meets any of these qualifications, the case will be sent to an Academic Discipline Board for resolution:
The student denies responsibility for the violation
The faculty member believes that the possible violation is especially egregious, such as affecting more than the individual respondent, or likely to lead to failing course grade.
The student has had any previous violation of the academic honesty policy (in any course on any 5C campus)
The Academic Discipline Board (ADB) is composed of two faculty members (none from the same department as the faculty bringing charges) from either the Academic Procedures Committee (APC) and the Faculty Grievance Committee (FGC). The chair of the ADB is a non-voting position and is filled by the Faculty Chair of the APC, or their designee if the faculty member is unavailable or non-tenured.
In addition, the ADB shall have two students total. These students will be selected from the Student Affairs Committee (SAC), Judicial Council, and/or ASPC’s Vice-President for Academic Affairs. The Judicial Council members are chosen by Judicial Council Chairs.
The Vice-President of Student Affairs, or their designee, will advise the Board throughout the hearing but has no vote.
Procedures for Academic Dishonesty Hearings
Pre-Hearing Procedures
If this is a first offense, the student (respondent) or faculty (complainant) will notify the Vice-President of Student Affairs that an ADB is requested (see above for process to request an ADB) by the student or faculty
If this is a repeat violation of academic honesty a hearing is required.
The Vice-President of Student Affairs confirms with all parties that the case has been referred to an Academic Discipline Board.
Within 48 hours of the notice of a hearing, the faculty member will provide the Dean with a written account of the violation including evidence of the alleged violation and any witnesses that may be relevant. (The faculty member will not include any proposed sanctions at this time.)
The Vice-President will also notify the student’s academic advisor and the Dean of the College.
The Vice-President of Student Affairs prepares a comprehensive written charge sheet specifying the portions of the Academic Honesty Policy that the student is alleged to have violated and outlining the evidence of dishonesty. In the letter the Vice-President of Student Affairs will also:
Offer to meet again with the student to go over the charge letter.
Remind the student that they may have an advisor, any faculty or administrator from the 7C community, throughout the process.
If the student does not have an advisor, one can be suggested from an advisor pool consisting of faculty and staff who have been trained for the role. A person may not serve both as an advisor and witness in the same case.
Provide the student with a link to the Student Handbook and specifically the Academic Honesty Policy and the student’s rights under that policy are outlined in the Student Handbook.
Within three (3) academic days of the charge letter the student must submit a written statement of their version of events, any evidence and/or a list of witnesses and the reason for their attendance.
The Vice-President contacts the presumed Chair for the Academic Discipline Board, the appropriate faculty committees, SAC, Judicial Council and the ASPC Vice-President for Academic Affairs to assemble the panel.
Hearings must be convened within fifteen (15) academic days of notifying the student of the hearing. If there is a delay, the student must be informed as soon as possible.
Convening Hearings of the Academic Discipline Board
Once the panelists are confirmed, the Chair of the ADB shall convene the hearing, notify the committee members, respondent, complainant, and witnesses of the time and place of the meeting, and conduct the hearing. (If the Chair is unable to serve, the Vice-President of Student Affairs shall, in concert with the original chair, designate a tenured faculty member of the Board to serve as the hearing panel chair.)
Violations that occur with less than 15 academic days in the semester may be heard in the following semester.
Students abroad will have their hearings over a video call.
Seniors must have their hearing prior to commencement no matter when the violation occurs.
Seventy-two (72) hours before the hearing, the student respondent will be sent a list of the convened board members.
The respondent may challenge up to one faculty and one student member of the hearing panel, excluding the Chair. These challenges shall be emailed to the Vice-President of Student Affairs by the respondent at least 48 hours before the scheduled hearing. The respondent does not need to provide a reason for the challenge. The Chair will replace challenged members, but this could delay the hearing.
The Chair will invite those individuals whom the faculty member and/or the respondent requests as well as other faculty, staff, and students of Pomona College who have relevant information to offer the Board.
Pertinent records, exhibits, and written statements may be accepted as evidence for consideration by the hearing panel at the Chair's discretion. All such material must be approved by the chair 72 hours before the hearing starts. The student respondent and faculty member have the right to review such evidence at least 48 hours before the hearing starts. The Chair, with assistance from the Vice President of Student Affairs if needed, shall exclude evidence that does not meet College standards. Evidence shall be limited to:
Facts pertinent to the charge.
Arguments addressing the applicability of the regulation on which the charge is based on the case's facts.
Circumstances or attitudes that might affect the severity of any sanction imposed.
Physical and/or electronic evidence associated with the violations (exams, papers, lab reports, etc.)
All information upon which the determination of responsibility for violating the Academic Honesty Policy is to be based shall be introduced into evidence in the presence of the respondent at the hearing.
Sanction-only hearing
If the respondent chooses, they may accept responsibility for the academic honesty violation and have the panel only deliberate on appropriate sanction(s).
The complainant can submit an impact statement and recommendation of sanction.
Evidence would be available to the panel but no witnesses are called
The respondent would provide a written statement, be given the opportunity to make an opening and closing statement in the hearing and also answer questions from the hearing panel.
Clear and Convincing Evidence Standard
The Academic Discipline Board uses “clear and convincing” standard to determine responsibility for violations of the Academic Honesty Policy. “Clear and Convincing” means that the evidence being presented by the faculty member must be “highly” and substantially more probable to be true rather than untrue.
Standard Hearing Rules
All Academic Discipline Board hearings are conducted in private in-person or online and will be kept confidential by all hearing panelists and attendees.
In addition, faculty who have brought forward charges must make every effort to preserve the student respondent’s anonymity prior to and following the hearing, including, but not limited to not sharing information about the student with colleagues in the department, and not sharing hypotheticals about the case in classes
Persons who are appropriately present at all hearings are: The student respondent, the faculty member bringing the complaint, the Chair, the hearing panel members, and the Vice-President of Student Affairs or their designee. The student respondent and the faculty member bringing the complaint may have an adviser at the hearing, who is a member of the 5C faculty, staff, or administration (Students and attorneys may not serve as advisors.)
Neither the respondent nor the complainant is required to attend the hearing. However, that might affect the panel’s decision as they would be unable to question parties to determine facts or impact of a violation.
The advisor to the student respondent is prohibited from addressing the hearing panel and may speak only to the student respondent. However, the student respondent or their advisor may ask the Chair for a recess at any time during the hearing for the advisor to ask a question of the Chair or consult with the respondent.
Other attendees of the hearing could include witnesses or signed witness statements. The Chair has the discretion to ask any member of a hearing to leave, with the approval of the full hearing panel in a confidential vote.
All ADB hearings are recorded by Pomona College. Deliberations of responsibility and any discussions of sanctions, if necessary, are not recorded.
The recording of the hearing will be kept in the Office of the Vice-President of Student Affairs. If the case is appealed, the student, the faculty member bringing the complaint, the student’s advisor, the Chair, the President, the chair of the appeal hearing and the appeal board members, and the Vice-President of Student Affairs may listen to the tape. Only the named individuals can hear a tape recording of a Pomona Board of Academic Discipline hearing.
The recording is the property of Pomona College. Those authorized to hear the recording may do so with the written approval of the Vice-President of Student Affairs. Recordings may not be copied or downloaded. The recording will be kept for one calendar year following the end of an appeal.
A respondent’s previous Academic Conduct Record shall not be made available to the panel until after the decision concerning whether the respondent violated the Policy has been reached. The panel will also have access to recommended sanctions from the faculty member complainant at this time.
Academic Discipline Hearings Procedures
The Chair presides over hearings and shall conduct the hearing to ensure the fair presentation of all pertinent evidence and witnesses. At the opening of the hearing, the Chair shall:
Describe the procedures under which the hearing will be conducted.
Read the charges and remind the respondent of their rights.
Ask the respondent whether they plead “responsible” or “not responsible” to the charges presented.
Indicate the order in which evidence and testimony will be presented.
Discuss the standard of judgment to be applied to the case, ensuring that all panel members understand the College’s standard of clear and convincing evidence and presumption of innocence in contested hearings. (see above for definition of “Clear and Convincing”)
Indicate that all decisions must be based solely on information presented at the hearing.
Remind the student respondent and their advisor and the faculty complainant that they may, at any time, request a brief break. The panel may also ask for a break at any time.
If either the complainant or the respondent do not attend the hearing without giving notice, the hearing will proceed without the party present. The panel will make decisions based on the information available to them at that time.
The Chair will first call on the faculty member, if present, bringing the complaint to make a statement and present evidence of the violation of the Academic Honesty Policy.
The faculty member may not comment on the student’s character or policy violations that are unrelated to the current case, including any earlier violations of the Academic Honesty Policy
The student respondent, if present, shall then make an opening statement and address questions to the faculty bringing the complaint.
Panel members, the panel Chair, and the Vice-President of Student Affairs or their designee, have the right to question the faculty member bringing the complaint, student respondent and all witnesses.
Questions of the complainant and respondent may be asked directly of each other, or either party can submit questions directly to the chair who will read the question for the parties.
Witnesses shall appear one at a time in an order determined by the Chair.
Witnesses must be vetted for relevance prior to the hearing by the Vice-President for Students Affairs and chair of the Academic Discipline Board (at least 48 hours before) and may only address facts in the case. Witnesses may not discuss a student respondent’s character or previous violations of policy (social or academic).
The faculty member shall have the opportunity to make a final statement during the hearing.
The student respondent shall have the opportunity to make the final statement during the hearing.
Deliberations
After the hearing has been concluded, the panel and chair shall go into closed deliberations to determine whether the respondent has violated the Academic Honesty Policy. This phase of the proceedings shall not be recorded. All witnesses, the faculty member bringing the charge, the student respondent and advisor shall not be present for deliberations and are dismissed.
Sanctions may not be discussed until after the decision of responsible or not responsible
No prior actions of the respondent or complainant may be discussed during the deliberations
The hearing panel shall first consider the question of whether the student respondent has violated the Policy. A majority of voting members are required for the panel to reach a finding – if there is a tie, the chair will then be required to vote.
If a respondent is not responsible for a violation of the policy, all records associated with the charges and hearing shall be destroyed, except exams, papers, or other assignments the student asks to be returned.
If the respondent is found not responsible for a violation, they have the following options:
Withdraw from the class without penalty or notation on the transcript
Complete the course under another faculty member's supervision by finishing all course assignments and examinations in a comparable time frame.
Re-take or re-submit the assignment to another professor in the department (or, if an option, another faculty member in a relevant 5C department)
Selection among alternatives shall be arranged by the Vice-President of Student Affairs or the Chair of the Hearing panel and a written record of the resolution shall be filed with the Office of Student Affairs and the office of the Dean of the College.
Remain in the course
If a respondent is found responsible for a violation of the policy, this panel shall then review relevant precedents and consider sanctions.
The respondent’s previous academic conduct record shall be considered in assessing a sanction. That record will be provided to the hearing panel by the Vice-President of Student Affairs, or their designee.
The sanction recommendations of the complainant/faculty member
A majority of voting members is required for the panel to assign a sanction – if there is a tie, then the chair will be required to vote.
Regardless of the outcome, the Chair shall inform the student respondent, the faculty member who brought the complaint, and the Vice-President of Student Affairs of the results of the hearing in writing within five (5) academic days
The written opinion for the Vice-President of Student Affairs will summarize the findings of the panel and the sanction(s) assigned, if any, and explain the reasons for the decision. The Vice-President of Student Affairs shall issue an official letter of notification to the respondent.
When the hearing is concluded the Vice-President of Student Affairs shall inform the Dean of the College of the outcome.
The Office of Student Affairs shall maintain a permanent, public precedent file which consists of case abstracts specifying charges, facts, case disposition and sanctions, if any. The precedent file shall be furnished to Boards of Academic Discipline prior to the point in the hearing at which sanctions are discussed.
Sanctions
When assigning sanctions, the hearing panel shall consider the severity of the offense, precedent, the attitude of the respondent, the respondent’s previous academic conduct record, and the conditions under which the offense was committed.
Sanctions that may be imposed include, but are not limited to:
Academic Sanctions:
Lower grade on an assignment
Loss of credit on an assignment
“F” on an assignment
“F” in the course
Assignment of make-up or additional work
Other Sanctions:
Suspension from the College
Loss of College honors (ex. summa cum laude)
Expulsion from the College
Appeals
A student respondent may appeal a decision of the Academic Discipline to the Dean of the College. Such a request must be filed by email with the Dean of Students office within five (5) academic days of the date of the letter providing official notification of the sanction.
There are three grounds for filing an appeal:
Improper Procedure. The respondent may appeal if the procedures outlined in the handbook are violated. The Dean of the College shall consider:
Whether policies and processes were violated in such a clear manner as to deny the respondent consideration of their position during the hearing.
Whether the hearing panel, through negligence or lack of impartiality, overlooked or flagrantly ignored information which would have led to a different finding concerning the alleged violation.
New Evidence. Normally, sufficient time is allowed to gather all available evidence. However, in extraordinary cases the respondent may appeal if new evidence becomes available. The Dean of the College must find both that:
The evidence was genuinely unavailable and could not have been made available through the appellant’s diligent efforts at the time of the original hearing and
The evidence would have led to a different conclusion had it been available.
Inappropriate Sanctions. The Dean of the College shall consider whether the sanctions imposed were disproportionate to the gravity of the violation(s) for which the respondent was found responsible.
After reviewing the case, the Dean of the College may uphold the Board’s decision or remand the decision to the Board and may include comments or issues to be considered further by the Board. In egregious situations, the Dean of the College, in consultation with the Ombudsperson, may reconstitute the hearing panel including replacing panel members After further deliberation about the Dean’s concerns, the Board shall reaffirm or alter their decision. At this point, the decision of the Board is final.
Sanctions
When assigning sanctions, the hearing panel shall consider the severity of the offense, precedent, the attitude of the respondent, the respondent's previous academic conduct record, and the conditions under which the offense was committed.
Sanctions that may be imposed include:
Academic Sanctions:
Lower grade on an assignment
Loss of credit on an assignment
"F" on an assignment
"F" in the course
Assignment of make-up or additional work
Other Sanctions:
Suspension from the College
Loss of College honors
Expulsion from the College
Appeals
A student respondent may appeal a decision of a Board of Academic Discipline to the Dean of the College. Such a request must be filed with the Dean of Student's office within five days of the date of the letter providing official notification of the sanction.
After reviewing the case, the Dean of the College may uphold the Board's decision, or remand the decision to the Board and may include comments or issues to be consider further by the Board. After further deliberation about the Dean's concerns, the Board shall reaffirm or alter their decision. At this point, the decision of the Board is final.