The Illinois College community is founded on the principles of excellence, integrity, respect and communication in pursuit of developing students committed to achieving high levels of scholarship, leadership and service in the liberal arts.
Academic integrity is the completion of course tasks with one’s own ideas and/or accurately acknowledging sources. Violations of academic integrity include the following acts: plagiarism, cheating, falsification, bribery and collusion.
View the entire Code of Integrity here
Code of Integrity Pledge
Professors have been encouraged to require students to write and sign the following Academic Integrity Pledge on appropriate assignments: As a member of the Illinois College academic community, I hereby confirm that this assignment is entirely my own work, except where I have cited other sources.
Procedure
When a professor finds a student who has violated the Honor Code, she or he will follow this process:
- She or he will contact the Office of Academic Affairs to determine whether this is the student’s first violation. If so, they will execute a consequence that seems appropriate. They will submit documentation or evidence of cheating and their punishment to the Office of Academic Affairs within five (5) class days.
- If the incident is not the student’s first offense, the faculty member will submit the evidence of cheating to the Office of Academic Affairs, which will investigate the incident and mete out an appropriate punishment. This may include suspension or dismissal.
- If a student accepts the finding of cheating and the punishment, no further action is needed.
Appeals Process
If a student wishes to appeal the finding of cheating and/or the severity of the punishment, they must make an appeal in writing to the Office of Academic Affairs within five (5) class days of receiving notification of the accusation of cheating and punishment.
The Office of Academic Affairs will organize a meeting of the Honor Board to hear the student’s appeal within five (5) class days. The Honor Board will consist of two students and two faculty members.
The Office of Academic Affairs will report the Board’s decision to the student as quickly as possible and must do so within five (5) class days.
Can a student withdraw from a class after being found guilty of an honor code violation?
If the incident is the student’s first Honor Code violation and the punishment is a zero (0) on the test or assignment, the student may withdraw from the class as long as they do so before the withdrawal deadline.
If the incident is the student’s first Honor Code violation and the punishment is an F in the class, the student may not withdraw from the class.
If the incident is not the student’s first Honor Code violation, they may not withdraw from the class.
If the student began the appeal process before the deadline but the Honor Board had not issued a ruling before the deadline, the deadline for that student to withdraw from the class will be extended to the date of the hearing plus six (6) class days.
Other Information
The Honor Board’s decision is final.
All materials related to Academic Integrity Hearings will be retained by the Office of Academic Affairs for one year after the student graduates and then will be destroyed.
