Rules and Disciplinary Procedures for Students

Conduct that is incompatible with the purpose of an academic community is prohibited. The NSHE Board of Regents have established rules of conduct and disciplinary procedures for all students in the NSHE system: Title 2, Chapter 10 of the NSHE Code. Should there be any inconsistencies between this catalog and the NSHE Code, Title 2, Chapter 10, the NSHE Code will govern.

TMCC Academic Dishonesty Regulations

Academic Dishonesty: A student may receive academic and disciplinary sanctions for an intentional act of
lying, cheating, plagiarizing, or other attempts of obtaining or earning grades under false pretenses.
Academic Negligence: Academic negligence allows for faculty to assess situations of academic
dishonesty with questions of intent. For students who commit minor violations of the academic
dishonesty policy, there is punitive flexibility. These lapses in ethical behavior might be the result of
inexperience, misunderstanding the principles of academic integrity, inadequate pre-college
preparation, cultural differences, etc. Faculty are responsible for evaluating these situations to
ensure there was no malicious intent, and the violations should be limited in extent. A student
should not receive more than one notice of academic negligence. Multiple reports may lead to a
charge of academic dishonesty.

Definitions
Plagiarism: defined as: (1) the appropriation of another person's ideas, processes, results, or words without
giving appropriate credit; (2) the submission of ideas, processes, results or words not developed by the
student specifically for the coursework at hand without the appropriate credit being given; or (3) assisting
in the act of plagiarism by allowing one's work to be used as described above.
Collusion: an agreement by two or more people to commit an act of academic dishonesty. TMCC will
sanction students who cheat or plagiarize and those who assist in such actions. A student who assists
another in the act of cheating or plagiarism is subject to disciplinary action for violation of academic
integrity.
Sabotage: the disruption or destruction of another person's work to prevent said person from completing
an academic activity successfully. This could include, for example, destroying another person's written
work, artwork, experiment, or design. Failure to contribute to a required team project can also be
considered academic sabotage.
Cheating: For purposes of this policy, cheating is defined as:

1. Unauthorized copying, collaboration, or use of notes, books, or other materials on examinations or
   other academic exercises including:
   1. Sharing information about an exam with a student who has not taken that exam;
   2. Obtaining information about the contents of a test the student has not taken;
   3. Unauthorized use of technology;
   4. Text messaging or other forms of communication during an exam;
2. Having others complete coursework, write papers, or take tests/quizzes for you, thus representing
   another’s work as your own;
3. Fabricating or altering data to deliberately mislead. For example, changing data to get better
   experiment results;
4. Unauthorized collaboration on an assignment;
5. Turning in the same work in more than one class (or when repeating a class), unless permission is
   received in advance from the instructor;
6. Unauthorized use of translation software and/or assistance from native speakers or advanced-level
   students in foreign language classes and presenting work as your own;
7. Falsely citing a source or attributing work to a source from which the referenced material was not
   obtained;
8. Taking an examination for another student;
9. Unauthorized or inappropriate file sharing and use of Internet and computer resources;
10. Sharing your TMCC username/password with others, allowing them to log into TMCC systems as
    you, or logging in under another person’s username;
11. Altering or changing test answers after submitted for grading;
12. Altering or changing grades after grades have been awarded;
13. Altering or changing other academic records once these are official;
14. And/or facilitating or permitting any of the above-listed items.

For purposes of this definition of cheating, the term "unauthorized" is defined as not obtaining direct or
explicit approval of the course instructor.

Sanctions for Violation of Academic Standards

1. A student charged with academic dishonesty may not withdraw from the course in question to
   avoid the charge or sanction. A student who does so will be reinstated in the class.
2. A student found responsible for violating the academic dishonesty policy may not utilize the "grade
   replacement or grade appeals policies" for that course.
3. Sanctions for violations of TMCC academic standards for class misconduct may include academic
   and/or disciplinary sanctions. Academic sanctions for class misconduct may include temporary
   removal from the class by the faculty member or being dropped from the class. Dropping a student
   from a class must be approved by the dean. The student shall not receive a refund for course fees
   or tuition.
4. Sanctions for violations of TMCC academic standards for academic dishonesty may include
   academic and/or disciplinary sanctions. Academic sanctions for students may include: filing a final
   grade of "F", reducing the student's final course grade one or two full grade points; giving a reduced
   grade or zero on the coursework; or requiring the student to retake or resubmit the coursework.
   The academic sanction is to be determined by the extent of the dishonesty, based on the detailed
   criteria for academic dishonesty.
5. A student may also be subject to disciplinary action for violating TMCC academic standards
   depending upon the provisions of the TMCC Student Code of Conduct. Disciplinary sanctions may
   include the following: warning, reprimand, restitution, probation, suspension, expulsion, or
   revocation of degree. Students who violate this policy by helping others to cheat in a course in
   which they are themselves not currently enrolled are subject to disciplinary sanctions.

Disciplinary Procedures

Disciplinary procedures for all NSHE students are fully outlined in Board of Regents Handbook, Title 2,
Chapter 10.

Levels of Academic Dishonesty
Academic Dishonesty Level 1

1.  Violations: Instances where the student's actions constituted academic dishonesty to a modest
   degree
2. Examples: Level 1 violations may include, but are not limited to:
   1. Improper documentation of quoted text.
   2. Improper documentation of quoted text.
3. Sanctions: Either of the following sanctions shall be applied for a Level 1 Charge:
   1.  Retake the exam or resubmit the assignment.
   2. Reduced grade or zero on the assignment.

Academic Dishonesty Level 2

1. Violations: Instances where the student's actions constituted substantial academic dishonesty.
2. Examples: Level 2 violations may include, but are not limited to:
   1.  Multiple instances of failure to document quoted text.
   2. Inappropriate paraphrasing of others' written work.
   3. Falsely signing another student in as present in class.
   4. Submitting the same assignment for two different courses without instructor permission.
   5. Copying another student's answers or coursework.
3. Sanctions: The sanction for a Level 2 charge is a Level 1 sanction and the following:
   1. Reducing the student's final course grade by one or more letter grades.

Academic Dishonesty Level 3

1. Violations: Instances where the student's actions constitute severe and egregious acts of academic
   dishonesty.
2. Examples: Level 3 violations may include, but are not limited to:
   1. Presenting work written predominantly by another as one's own.
   2. Obtaining or distributing an exam without the instructor's permission.
   3. Submitting coursework completed by another person, or completing coursework for another
      person.
   4. Copying answers, using cheat sheets, notes, books, or any type of unauthorized information
      during exams when expressly prohibited by instructor.
   5. Falsification or fabrication of data.
3. Sanctions: The following sanction shall be applied for a Level 3 Charge:
   1. Reducing the student's final course grade to an F in the course.

Emergency Removal for Disciplinary Procedures

Board of Regents Handbook, Title 2, Chapter 10, Section 10.4.10.

The President, or the student conduct officer, or coordinator may impose an immediate emergency removal (hereafter, “removal”) prior to the resolution of a charge of violation of the rules of conduct on the charged student. This removal includes the immediate exclusion from the institution and all of the institution’s campuses, sites, locations, and property of a student for an interim period whenever the president determines that this is required to:

1. Ensure the safety and well-being of members of the institution’s community;
2. Protect institution property; 
3. Prevent the student from posing an ongoing threat of disruption of, or interference with, the normal operations of the institution; or
4. Protect any student from discrimination, including sexual harassment or retaliation for the report of  discrimination, incluidng sexual harassment.

10.4.11 Conditions of Emergency Removal and Hearing

When an emergency removal is imposed, the charged student shall be denied access to the institution, including classes and all other institutional activities or privileges for which the student might otherwise be eligible, as the President or the student conduct officer may determine to be appropriate. During the time of the removal from the institution, the student may not come onto institutional property for any reason other than meeting with the appropriate official(s) regarding resolution of the emergency removal of the student conduct violation. The student conduct officer may permit the student to participate in distance learning classes that do not include entering onto institutional property and provide adequate protections to prevent any of the conditions of a, b, c, or d above, from occurring.

Any student so removed shall be afforded an opportunity to a hearing on the emergency removal no later than fourteen calendar days following the removal unless the student agrees to delay the hearing to a later time. A hearing officer shall hold the hearing under the hearing procedures of the rules of conduct where those may be applicable. The student conduct hearing officer shall make a recommendation to the President. The President’s decision upon the hearing officer’s recommendation shall be final. The removal does not replace the regular disciplinary process, which shall proceed under this chapter.