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Our office has an open-door policy for anyone who wishes to consult about academic misconduct policies and the accountability process, discuss resolution options or discuss possible sanctions.
The information provided below is intended to provide guidance and be general. For a consultation about a specific incident, to discuss any concerns you may have, and to make suggestions of additional resources we can share, please get in touch with the Office of Student Rights and Responsibilities at StudentRR@tamusa.edu or by phone at (210) 784-1353.
Promote Academic Integrity
Academic Integrity Syllabus Statements
Why include an Integrity Statement?Instructors who explain their expectations about integrity (as well as the consequences for not meeting them) help students better understand integrity and its value in academic work. Your statement can be short or long but should explain your expectations about virtue and the consequences.
Of course, including this statement is only a first step. Discussing expectations during class and before every paper or exam is helpful. Discussing issues that sometimes confuse students, such as what constitutes an acceptable paraphrase and good collaboration, can also be excellent practices for promoting integrity.
Sample Statements:
- Students are expected to be familiar with and comply with A&M-SA's Code of Conduct, which is available in the Student Handbook. I generally have a zero-tolerance policy for cheating, and all violations will result in substantial penalties. If you have any doubts or questions about what constitutes academic misconduct, please do not hesitate to contact me.
- Intellectual development requires honesty, responsibility, and doing your work. Taking ideas or words from others -- plagiarizing -- is dishonest and will result in a failing grade on the paper or assignment and possibly other disciplinary actions. If you are unsure about what constitutes plagiarism, please ask me or consult the Student Handbook.
Electronics Policy on Syllabus
To help further prevent academic dishonesty in the classroom, we recommend that all professors and instructors make a statement regarding policies for using electronics in their classrooms. These can be statements regarding the school's electronics (phones, tablets, laptops, etc.) and how and when they should and should not be utilized.Guide to Addressing Academic Misconduct
Faculty FAQs
I don't want to refer this case to OSRR because I don't like the student to get in trouble. What should I do?
Understand that we ask you to report every incident of academic misconduct to assist us with identifying behavior patterns with individual students and across our student body. Identifying these patterns provides OSRR, and other departments, valuable insight into services our students may not be utilizing and information that helps us provide our student body with appropriate resources.
While OSRR will follow up on each case of academic misconduct reported by providing students with resources to help make them more successful in the future, we may not adjudicate every claim. Incidents that are most likely to lead to further adjudication under the Code of Conduct include incidents that are particularly egregious, involve many students, or incidents involving students with a conduct history.
I believe a student is cheating, but I cannot definitively prove it. What can I do?
Contact a member of OSRR and provide details as to why you believe an act of academic misconduct is occurring. Once we know the details, we can advise you on the best and most appropriate action plan.
I sent a student notice of their academic misconduct, and they have not attended/scheduled a meeting with me. What should I do?
When you contact students, we recommend including a reasonable date and time by which the student should respond. The Office of Student Rights and Responsibilities (OSRR) uses five business days as our standard. If, after a reasonable period, the student has not communicated back to you, please complete the Academic Misconduct Form without the student. There is an option that indicates the student did not attend the meeting.
Understand that we ask you to report every incident of academic misconduct to assist us with identifying behavior patterns with individual students and across our student body. Identifying these patterns provides OSRR, and other departments, valuable insight into services our students may not be utilizing and information that helps us provide our student body with appropriate resources.
While OSRR will follow up on each case of academic misconduct reported by providing students with resources to help make them more successful in the future, we may not adjudicate every claim. Incidents that are most likely to lead to further adjudication under the Code of Conduct include incidents that are particularly egregious, involve many students, or incidents involving students with a conduct history.
I believe a student is cheating, but I cannot definitively prove it. What can I do?
Contact a member of OSRR and provide details as to why you believe an act of academic misconduct is occurring. Once we know the details, we can advise you on the best and most appropriate action plan.
I sent a student notice of their academic misconduct, and they have not attended/scheduled a meeting with me. What should I do?
When you contact students, we recommend including a reasonable date and time by which the student should respond. The Office of Student Rights and Responsibilities (OSRR) uses five business days as our standard. If, after a reasonable period, the student has not communicated back to you, please complete the Academic Misconduct Form without the student. There is an option that indicates the student did not attend the meeting.
Additional Resources
This website is considered a "live document" and will be updated frequently. If there are additional resources OSRR can provide that you do not see on our website, please email StudentRR@tamusa.edu.