Process Pathways and Individual Consequences
Who Can See a Confidential Academic Record?
Process Pathways and Individual Consequences
Path One: “Faculty resolved”
A student who is suspected of academic misconduct in a class should be notified in writing by his or her instructor. The instructor and student can resolve the case together: usually, they will meet and the student will (1) admit or deny that misconduct has occurred and (2) accept or reject the instructor’s penalty, which might be as serious as failure of the assignment or of the course. Alternatively, the student and instructor may agree that no misconduct took place. The student is entitled to bring a friend or advocate to this meeting. Either the student or the instructor can opt to have the Office of Student Conduct and Community Standards handle the case directly.
If the student admits to misconduct and accepts the penalty, a written record of this resolution is sent to Office of Student Conduct and Community Standards (faculty can use this online form) and to the student. The instructor also may notify the Office of Student Conduct if he or she thinks further disciplinary action is warranted. Regardless, the incident will become part of the student’s confidential conduct record.
If the student does not agree misconduct has occurred, the case will be referred to the Office of Student Conduct and Community Standards. If the student does admit to misconduct, but doesn’t accept the penalty, the student may appeal the penalty to the instructor’s Department head or dean. The department head will review the case for extenuating circumstances that might warrant overriding the instructor’s penalty. In most cases, the instructor’s penalty stands.
Path Two: Office of Student Conduct and Community Standards
The student can opt to have the case heard in an administrative conference with a hearings officer, who determines whether academic misconduct has occurred. This judgment cannot be appealed. The student is entitled to bring a friend or advocate to this meeting and can request to see all documents regarding this case and his or her conduct record.
The hearings officer may impose educational sanctions such as requiring the student to complete an academic integrity seminar or to write papers demonstrating engagement with, for example, the university’s policies or citation practices. The hearings officer will assign the grade penalty determined by the instructor. As in Path One, the student may appeal the grade penalty to the instructor’s department head or dean. The incident is added to the student’s confidential conduct record.
Withdrawing from a course
If a student is found to have committed academic misconduct, he or she isn’t allowed to withdraw from a course or change its grading option. If a student changes his or her course enrollment status, the University Registrar will return the faculty-applied grade to that student’s record upon a finding of responsibility.
Alternatively, students who are exonerated may withdraw or change their grading option even after the deadlines, but no later than five business days after they receive official notice that the proceedings have been concluded and no sanction imposed. If the student is exonerated but no longer feels comfortable returning to class, the Office of Student Conduct and Community Standards will help the student attempt to remove the “W” from his or her transcript.
Who can see a confidential conduct record?These records can be accessed by UO faculty and administrators only when they have “legitimate educational interests.” For example, it’s possible that this record would be consulted if the student was involved in another misconduct case, or if he or she were applying to UO honor societies, scholarships, or study abroad programs. Moreover, certain government jobs—for example, the U.S. Department of State or Central Intelligence Agency—or postgraduate programs like law schools or military academies, sometimes ask for certification from the University attesting to a student’s good character. This is referred to as a “Dean’s Certification” or a “Dean’s Letter”; the student’s signature is required for release of this certification. How any particular school, program, or employer interprets these records varies. The Office of Student Conduct and Community Standards suggests that students be open about any misconduct incident in their record if they’re asked. Student Conduct Records are retained by the University per the Oregon State Records Retention Policy from five to 75 years, depending on the case. Students can request to view their own records at any time. This page is for informational purposes only. Visit the Office of the Registrar’s Web site for additional resources, FAQ’s and other privacy policy information. |