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CSM BRUNTON

STUDENT HONOR CODE AND ACADEMIC INTEGRITY

Student Honor Code
Academic Integrity

Student Honor Code

Preamble: The students of Colorado School of Mines (Mines) have adopted the following Student Honor Code (Code) in order to establish a high standard of student behavior at Mines. The Code may only be amended through a student referendum supported by a majority vote of the Mines student body. Violations of the Student Honor Code should be reported to the Vice President for Student Life and Dean of Students Office for referral to the Student Judicial Panel for a hearing.

Code: Mines students believe it is our responsibility to promote and maintain high ethical standardsin order to ensure our safety, welfare, and enjoyment of a successful learning environment. Each of us, under this Code, shall assume responsibility for our behavior in the area of academic integrity.

As a Mines student, I am expected to adhere to the highest standards of academic excellence and personal integrity regarding my schoolwork, exams, academic projects, and research endeavors. I will act honestly, responsibly, and above all, with honor and integrity in all aspects of my academic endeavors at Mines. I will not misrepresent the work of others as my own, nor will I give or receive unauthorized assistance in the performance of academic coursework. I will conduct myself in an ethical manner in my use of the library, computing center, and all other school facilities and resources. By practicing these principles, I will strive to uphold the principles of integrity and academic excellence at Mines. I will not participate in or tolerate any form of discrimination or mistreatment of another individual.

Academic Integrity

The faculty, administration and students of the Colorado School of Mines support the principle that all individuals associated with the academic community at CSM have a responsibility for establishing, maintaining and fostering an understanding and appreciation for academic integrity at Mines. This is particularly important in consideration of the unique requirements of an undergraduate education in professional disciplines.

The protection of academic integrity requires clear and consistent standards and definitions, as well as confrontation and sanctions when individuals intentionally violate those standards. The most important of the definitions is that of academic dishonesty - the intentional act of fraud, in which an individual seeks to claim credit for the work and efforts of another without authorization, or uses unauthorized materials or fabricated information in any academic exercise. Academic dishonesty also includes, but is not limited to, forgery of academic documents, intentionally impeding or damaging the academic work of others, or assisting others in acts of academic dishonesty. Some examples of specific acts of academic dishonesty include:

1. Intentionally or knowingly representing the words or ideas of another as one’s own in any academic exercise (commonly referred to as “plagiarism”). The following definition of plagiarism has been synthesized and modified from those given in Black’s Law Dictionary (1951) and Ballentine’s Law Dictionary (1969):

"Copying or adopting the scientific, literary, musical, or artistic composition or work of another and producing or publishing it as one’s own original composition or work. To be liable for ‘plagiarism’ it is not necessary to exactly duplicate another’s work: it is sufficient if unfair use of such work is made by lifting of substantial portion thereof, but even an exact counterpart of another’s work does not constitute ‘plagiarism’ if such counterpart was arrived at independently.”

2. Intentionally using or attempting to use unauthorized materials, information materials, information or study aids in any academic exercise; e.g. copying from another’s examination, looking at notes when specifically instructed to the contrary, or obtaining assistance on a take-home paper or examination when specifically instructed not to do so.

3. Taking material from the library that is there for the use of all students and is not to be removed without permission.

4. Intentionally or knowingly helping or attempting to help another to commit an act of academic dishonesty.

5. Unauthorized use of another’s computer program, disk or tape.

If an individual in the CSM academic community becomes aware of an act of academic dishonesty and fails to take appropriate action, the absence of such action threatens the climate of academic integrity at CSM. Such behavior must not be condoned by any member of this community. Appropriate actions include making the other individual aware that his act has been observed, exercising some form of social sanction and reporting the act to individuals in positions of responsibility. Seeking to remain anonymous undermines the integrity of the community and prevents those charged with maintaining standards from doing so.

Inevitably, acts of academic dishonesty will occur. When they do, appropriate members of the academic community must understand and use established procedures for determining the facts and, if there has been academic dishonesty, deciding on the degree of dishonesty and the sanction(s) that should be imposed.

At the Colorado School of Mines, students who observe or are aware of an incident of apparent academic dishonesty should report the matter to a faculty member, the appropriate head or the Vice President for Student Life/Dean of Students. The information is then provided to the faculty member concerned. The faculty member may personally determine whether academic dishonesty has occurred, confront the student(s) with the charge and, if guilt is admitted, impose a sanction such as a grade of zero on a paper or an F in a course, depending on the severity of the offense. All of this information must be transmitted to the Vice President for Student Life and Dean of Students Office.

If, after confrontation, the student does not admit to committing the offense, the charges and evidence is submitted to the Student Judicial Panel through the Vice President for Student Life’s Office for resolution. In most cases, substantiated charges of academic dishonesty will result in a grade of F in the course. However, in consultation with the faculty member, a lesser penalty may be assessed. In cases where no penalty is assessed, the faculty member has the option of not reporting the incident to the Vice President. In instances where a penalty is imposed, however, the Vice President’s office must be notified for recording on the official institutional record. As a general rule, the presumptive disciplinary action in serious instances or second offenses is an F in the course, suspension and a notation of same on the student’s transcript; the burden of convincing the Vice President that there are specific and significant mitigating factors which should result in a lesser penalty is the student’s.