Academic Honesty - the principles of truth and honesty are recognized as fundamental to a community of teachers and scholars. The University expects that both faculty and students will honor these principles and in so doing will protect the integrity of all academic work and student grades. Students are expected to do all work assigned to them without unauthorized assistance and not to give unauthorized assistance. Faculty has the responsibility of exercising care in the planning and supervision of academic work so that honest effort will be positively encouraged.
There are certain forms of conduct that violate this community's principles. ACADEMIC DISHONESTY (CHEATING) is a broad category of actions that use fraud and deception to improve a grade or obtain course credit. Academic dishonesty (cheating) is not limited to examination situations alone, but arises whenever students attempt to gain an unearned academic advantage. PLAGIARISM is a specific form of academic dishonesty (cheating) which consists of misuse of published or unpublished works of another by claiming them as one's own. It may consist of handing in someone else's work, copying or purchasing a composition, using ideas, paragraphs, sentences, or phrases written by another, or using data and/or statistics compiled by another without giving citation. Another example of academic dishonesty (cheating) is the SUBMISSION OF THE SAME, or essentially the same, PAPER or other assignment for credit in two different courses without receiving prior approval.
When a faculty member discovers a violation of the community's principles, the faculty member is required to give a failing grade to the student for the course. In addition to assigning the final grade, the faculty member also notifies in writing the Dean of Students and the relevant school dean that an act of academic dishonesty has occurred and a grade of F has been assigned. The student receives a copy of this letter.
The letter becomes part of the student's permanent file. If a second act of academic dishonesty occurs, the student is administratively dismissed from CSUB.
Under the Student Academic Grievance Procedures, a student may appeal any sanction employed by faculty or the University based on an allegation of academic dishonesty. The initiation of the grievance must occur within fifteen (15) school days after notification of grade is mailed or personally given to the student. Copies of these procedures are available in the offices of the school deans.
Academic Freedom - Freedom to pursue truth and to achieve personal and intellectual development is essential to CSUB's community of scholars. The University is firmly committed to such freedom for both students and faculty.
For the achievement of academic freedom, a necessary condition for such pursuit is an acceptance of spirit of inquiry and appreciation of diverse ideas, viewpoints, cultures, and lifestyles. Acceptance must be present both in the classroom and in other areas of the campus. The achievement of academic freedom, however, must occur within a respect for law and the protection of the opinion of others.
Classroom Conduct - The classroom is essential for the achievement of academic freedom, the pursuit of truth, and the development of students. Because of its importance, students as they enter the classroom must exhibit respect for the view of others, the professionalism of the instructor, and the goals of academic freedom.
Faculty are obligated to recognize and respect student diversity and opinion. Yet they have a fundamental responsibility to uphold the integrity of the learning environment. When confronted by unreasonable disruption of the classroom, faculty are expected to initiate actions to correct such conditions. Such actions can result in disciplinary action ranging from removal from the classroom to suspension from the campus.