A campus of The California State University

Office of the Academic Senate • One Washington Square • San Jose, California 95192-0024 •408-924-2440  Fax: 408-924-2451

                                                                                                                                    S03-7

At its meeting of May 5, 2003, the Academic Senate passed the following Policy Recommendation presented by Angela Rickford for the Instruction and Student Affairs Committee.

POLICY RECOMMENDATION

RESOLUTION ON HONOR CODE/ACADEMIC DISHONESTY

Whereas                     twenty CSU campuses have no explicit Honor Code, and

Whereas                     SJSU has no Honor Code or academic integrity policy per se, but the existing Academic Dishonesty policy as printed in the SJSU Student

                                    Handbook and the University Catalog serves the same purpose; and

Whereas                     an honor code really represents an ethical decision which students must

                                    assume of their own volition, and

Whereas                     with this orientation in mind, the SJSU Senate recommended (Fall 2002)

                                    that the existing Academic Dishonesty Policy be commuted to an Academic Integrity Policy by modifying the language contained therein, therefore be it

Resolved                   that the current SJSU Academic Dishonesty Policy be renamed the SJSU

                                    Academic Integrity Policy with the requisite modifications in language made to the narrative preamble only (see attached document), and be it

                                    further

Resolved                   that efforts be directed towards highlighting its existence and creating a heightened awareness of its potential enforcement by making it more visible to SJSU students (for example, by placing it at the front of the bulletin and other university publications on glossy paper), by focusing on its dissemination and by informing students of its contents and substance.

Vote:                            7-0-0

Date vote taken:          03-10-03

Members present:       Gonzalez, Jong, Hamill, Mir, Rickford, Sadhwani, Tsai.

Members absent:        Campsey, Mann, Prochaska

Financial Impact:         Minimal

SJSU POLICY ON ACADEMIC INTEGRITY

Academic honesty fosters ethical standards for all those who depend upon the integrity of the university, its courses, and its degrees.

Faculty should make every reasonable effort to foster honest academic conduct. Specifically, examinations should be appropriately proctored or monitored to prevent students from copying or exchanging information, and examinations and answers to examination questions should be secured in such in such a way that students cannot have prior access to them. If a faculty member believes that there is evidence that a student is in violation of the Academic Integrity Policy, it is the faculty member’s responsibility to take action against the student in accordance with this policy. Faculty members should apprise their classes of the ethical standards required in their courses, and the permissible procedures in class work and examinations. This information should be referenced in all course syllabi and outlines, and/or examination questionnaires. Any deviation from this policy on Academic Integrity should be included in course outlines.

Students at SJSU have the right to know what constitutes academic integrity in each course in which they are enrolled. Also, students should be informed of the consequences of violation of ethics standards, their rights of appeal, and the procedures to be followed in the appeal. Finally, it is the right and duty of all students at San Jose State University to foster academic integrity among their peers. The public is defrauded if faculty and students knowingly or unwittingly allow dishonest acts to be rewarded academically.

ACTION BY UNIVERSITY PRESIDENT:  Signed by President Robert Caret 5-15-03