Student Behavior and Academic Integrity

Implementing student discipline is an opportunity to engage with students and assist them in understanding our expectations for appropriate student behavior, academic performance, and interacting with others. The goal of student discipline is to correct inappropriate behaviors by providing students with clear guidelines, expectations, and approaches and resources for making necessary changes. Helping the student identify the cause for the behavior, as opposed to just addressing the behavior as a symptom, is an effective way to engage the student in self-reflection.

Your syllabus should include specific expectations for acceptable classroom behavior and the potential consequences for failing to adhere to those expectations. Some faculty will utilize classroom time to discuss behavior and academic integrity and provide examples for students to review. Encouraging the class to develop standards of behavior collectively may enhance student buy-in.

Sometimes, the best efforts do not yield the best results for all students. In cases where you believe you have made your best effort to correct student behavior and still, there are limited or no results, referring a student to the next level of student discipline can be effective. The Student Discipline Officer (SDO) is appointed by the College President annually and is assigned the responsibility to carry out the scope of suspension as allowed in the Los Rios CCD Board of Trustee Regulation R-2441: Standards for Student Conduct; as an instructor, it is important that you understand the scope of your authority to discipline students and that you are familiar with this regulation.  It is also helpful to review Article 21 of the LRCFT contract to fully understand your scope of authority and the conditions surrounding the removal of a student from a class and, in some cases, the student’s return to class.  Please follow these steps to ensure effectiveness of the student discipline process:

1. Efforts to correct student behavior have been made and documented. Documenting that one or more efforts have been made to correct the behavior is important in substantiating the need to refer the student to the next level. Documentation may include a note to yourself that describes the date of the incident, the behavior, and efforts made toward correction. Another method is to e-mail the student a summary of the incident, how you addressed it, and your expectations for future class meetings. Communicating this information in a matter-of-fact way is best. If you believe a referral to the SDO is warranted, you must complete the Violation of Student Code of Conduct form (a.k.a. the pink form), available online or in your area office or from the Vice President of Student Services. You must then notify the student of the referral, the reason(s), the dates of the incidences, and any consequences or conditions you are requesting of the SDO. A referral can be made for both formal and informal discipline. Formal discipline is most often used after you have exercised your right to suspend for the current and next class session or when attempts to address academic dishonesty have not led to a change in behavior.

2. Informal disciplinary action is requested of the Student Discipline Officer. Instructors and students have the right to a learning environment that is free of distractions. Managing disruptive students can take time away from teaching and learning and becomes taxing for all involved. If it is the case that a student would respond best to an informal meeting with the SDO regarding behavior and classroom expectations, you may request this. Contact the Student Discipline Officer and complete a referral form indicating the specific behaviors and attempts for correction and what you would expect as an outcome from the meeting. Providing a copy of your class syllabus is also helpful. The focus of the meeting will be on the student’s behavior, the college’s expectations for classroom behavior, and consequences for failing to adhere to the class guidelines.

The Student Discipline Officer contacts the student and, along with a Counselor, will meet with the student and explain the need for the meeting, what has been identified as disruptive behavior, and why it is disruptive. The goal of the meeting is to inform the student of: what is considered appropriate behavior, how to make the appropriate behavior changes, and what future consequences will be for failing to change the behavior.

While the SDO focuses on the behavior, the Counselor identifies support services that may be helpful. For some students, addressing the cause of their behavior and developing an action plan leads to correction. For others, additional services, regular meetings with a Counselor, or referral to outside services may help. Once the meeting occurs, the instructor will be contacted and a summary of the meeting and recommendations is shared. The student will, in most cases, return to class with the understanding that any future misconduct could result in formal discipline that could lead to suspension.

3. Formal discipline is warranted. Once an instructor has documented persistent disruptive behavior or serious misconduct and efforts to correct the behavior have failed to bring about proper conduct, formal disciplinary action is warranted. You will need to provide documentation explaining the sequence of events and efforts made to correct the behavior. You must notify the student that you have made the referral and, they may not return to class until they have met with the SDO. Faculty may suspend a student from the current and next class session and must immediately notify the SDO of the suspension (LRCCD Board Regulation R-2441 speaks to this).

The formal discipline process includes a hearing or meeting with the SDO, and may include a Counselor. If a police report has been filed, one of our Police Officers will also be in attendance. The SDO addresses the behavior, consequences and college expectations. The Counselor may inquire if the student has had similar incidences or patterns of behavior, and whether services have been received, and if not, make recommendations for services on campus. The Police Officer will address the legal implications of the incident (charges filed with DA, etc.). The goal is to change the student’s behavior so that they can continue as a CRC student and be successful.

To begin the formal discipline process, please complete the Referral for Student Conduct Standards Violation Form.

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CRC values academic integrity (honesty, trust, fairness, respect, and responsibility). It recognizes that individuals can achieve their maximum potential and contribute appropriately to the well-being of the larger community only if they recognize the ethical dimensions of decisions and actions. The college assumes all members of the academic community will exhibit academic integrity supporting student access, academic quality, academic rigor, innovation and collegiality.

Definition of Plagiarism

Plagiarism is defined as representing the words, ideas, or work of another as one’s own in any academic exercise. Plagiarism consists of taking the words or substance of another work and either copying or paraphrasing without giving credit to the source. Plagiarism is applicable to written, oral, and artistic work. The following examples are only some of the many forms plagiarism may take:

1. Word-for-word copying of work written by someone else.
2. Failure to give proper credit for ideas, statements of facts, or conclusions derived by another.
3. Failure to use quotation marks when quoting directly from another, whether a paragraph, sentence, or phrase.
4. Close and extended paraphrasing of another work without acknowledging the source.

Definition of Cheating

Cheating is the act of obtaining or attempting to obtain credit for academic work through the use of dishonest, deceptive, or fraudulent means. The following are only some of the many forms cheating may take:

1. Copying another’s work on a test, paper, or project.
2. Using unauthorized materials in an exam or collaborating on work to be turned in for credit where the instructor disallows such collaboration.
3. Taking an exam for another student, purposely allowing another student to copy during a test, or providing coursework for another student to turn in as his or her own effort.
4. Fabricating, falsifying or misrepresenting data or results from experiments, interviews or surveys.
5. Submitting the same work in more than one class for credit without permission from the instructor.

CRC’s Honor Code serves as a bridge between the College Catalog’s formal treatment of academic integrity and the day to day decisions of the members of our academic community. Its focus is on core academic values, the appropriate expression of those values in behavior, and the way those values create and sustain our academic community. It is intended as a straightforward tool for communicating and clarifying the college’s fundamental expectations. It is also intended to be used frequently and easily.

Suggested Honor Code Uses:

Cosumnes River College Honor Code*

Approved by the Cosumnes River College Academic Senate on 10-26-07
Approved by the Cosumnes River College Executive Council on 3-27-08

I understand that Cosumnes River College (CRC) values academic integrity. Academic integrity requires:

• Honesty, which means:
      A commitment to truthfulness
      The refusal to steal or mislead, cheat or plagiarize
• Fairness, which means:
      The willingness to treat others as I would wish to be treated upon careful consideration
• Respect, which means valuing, in attitude and practice: 
      All human beings
      Myself
      My community at CRC and beyond
• Responsibility, which means: 
      Recognizing that the quality of a CRC education and the quality of the CRC student experience
        depend upon my behavior
      Accepting, at all times, the consequences of my actions

I understand that I, as a member of the Cosumnes River College community, am responsible for upholding this value, supporting academic quality, academic rigor, and an appropriate college atmosphere.

 * This code is modeled after that of Santa Monica Community College, Santa Monica, CA 

Please click on this link to print the Honor Code signature form to share with your students: 
Honor Code Form

Current college policies prohibit dishonesty, such as cheating, plagiarism, or knowingly furnishing false information to the college. Please see Student Discipline Process above. Course syllabi should reference the process.

1. Faculty members have the right to choose whether or not to pursue suspected cases of plagiarism and cheating.
2. When addressing plagiarism or cheating with reasonable evidence, the faculty member should notify the student of the concern.
3. Faculty members may consult with the Vice President for Student Services when determining whether plagiarism or cheating has occurred.
4. In situations where cheating or plagiarism has occurred, the faculty member is to determine consequences in compliance with board policy and regulations, which prohibit dropping a student from a course or failing a student for academic dishonesty. The consequences may be any of the following options:
   • giving the student a verbal or written warning
   • giving the student an additional assignment
   • giving the student a zero on the assignment
   • determining other appropriate consequences that comply with board policy and regulations
5. In situations where cheating or plagiarism has occurred, the faculty notifies the student that a “Referral for Student Code of Conduct Violation” will be filed with the Office of the Vice President for Student Services.
6. Students have the right to grieve an action that they feel violates their student rights.
7. The office of the Vice President for Student Services (VPSS) shall be responsible for maintaining records related to cheating, plagiarism, and student discipline.

Probation, suspension or expulsions are courses of action that may be determined by the Vice President for Student Services, in accordance with Los Rios Community College District policy.

As members of the CRC community, we are entitled to, and responsible for, creating a campus climate that supports excellence in teaching and learning, personal growth and development, and an atmosphere that is safe for, and respectful to, all students, faculty, and staff. Every member of our community must abide by guidelines, regulations, and agreements. Students are a vital part of the college and are expected to abide by guidelines, regulations, laws, and agreements. The college has expectations and standards for appropriate student behavior, often considered “common courtesies”. They include, but are not limited to:

• Respectful and appropriate use of campus facilities, resources, and services - the cafeteria, library, and any other gathering space on campus are shared spaces and require students to manage their language, volume, tone, and the content of their personal conversations. Students are expected to clean up after themselves, follow rules, and be respectful of others.
• Respectful interactions with faculty, staff, and students - While students may feel frustrated or angry, it is not appropriate to yell at, curse, insult, threaten or accuse others. Resolving conflict includes dialogue and requires understanding as well as patience. Students who are unsure of the appropriate steps to take in order to resolve an issue are encouraged to consult a CRC Counselor, the Dean of Counseling, Dean of Student Services, or Campus Police.
• Being a responsible student - Showing up to class on time, being prepared, completing assignments, communicating with the professor, and participating appropriately in class are all essential to being a responsible student on a college campus. Students must make every effort to be on time and to communicate to faculty when they will be late or unable to attend.

Please share these expectations with your students.

(Adapted from the American Association of University Professors' Statement on Professional Ethics)

1. Faculty members, guided by a deep conviction of the worth and dignity of the advancement of knowledge, recognize the special responsibilities placed upon them. Their primary responsibility to their disciplines is to seek and to state the truth as they see it. To this end they devote their energies to developing and improving their scholarly and teaching competence. They accept the obligation to exercise critical self-discipline and judgment in using, extending and transmitting knowledge. They practice intellectual honesty. Although they may follow subsidiary interests, these interests must never seriously hamper or compromise their freedom of inquiry.

2. As educators, faculty members encourage the free pursuit of learning in their students. They hold before them the best scholarly standards of their discipline. They demonstrate respect for the student as an individual and adhere to their proper role as intellectual guides and counselors. They make every reasonable effort to foster honest academic conduct and to assure that their evaluation of students reflects their true merit. They respect the confidential nature of the relationship between faculty member and student. They avoid any exploitation of students for their private advantage and acknowledge significant assistance from them. They protect their academic freedom.

3. As colleagues, faculty members have obligations that derive from common membership in the community of scholars. They respect and defend the free inquiry of their associates. In the exchange of criticism and ideas they show due respect for the opinions of others. They acknowledge their academic debts and strive to be objective in their professional judgment of colleagues. They accept their share of faculty responsibilities for the governance of their institution.

4. As members of their institution, faculty members seek above all to be effective teachers and scholars. Although they observe the stated regulations of the institution, provided they do not contravene academic freedom, they maintain their right to criticize and seek revision. They determine the amount and character of the work they do outside their institution with due regard to their paramount responsibilities within it. When considering the interruption or termination of their service, they recognize the effect of their decision upon the programs of the institution and give due notice of their intentions.

5. As members of their community, faculty members have the rights and obligations of any citizen. They measure the urgency of these obligations in light of their responsibilities to their disciplines, to their students, to their profession and to their institution. When they speak or act as private persons, they avoid creating the impression that they speak or act for their college or university. As citizens engaged in a profession that depends upon freedom for its health and integrity, faculty members have a particular obligation to promote conditions of free inquiry and to public understanding of academic freedom.

6. As members of a diverse, multicultural community, faculty members acknowledge a responsibility to cultural, gender and ability sensitivity that goes beyond tolerance and deference. Faculty members model these sensitivities in the classroom, on campus, and in the wider community.

7. The dual mission of the community college is to prepare students for success in both careers and participatory citizenship. Lowering standards to pass students along undermines their abilities to meet future challenges. Maintaining sound and fair standards while helping students to understand those standards together provide a realistic view of what can be expected in other educational institutions and in the larger society beyond the college campus.