Any faculty member may bring a charge against a student enrolled in their course. Students may also self-report their own violations, or students or employees may bring suspected violations to the attention of a faculty member.
Initial Review
When a faculty member suspects or learns of a violation, the faculty member communicates directly with the student. Ideally, this will take place during an in-person meeting, but if that is not possible, the faculty member may communicate with the student via virtual meeting or e-mail. The faculty member will explain why the violation of College, course, or assignment policy interferes with the learning process, hear from the student, and answer the student’s questions. If faculty and student agree that no violation occurred, the matter ends.
Faculty Determination: Level of Concern
If the faculty and student agree that a violation occurred, the faculty member will determine what level of academic concern to report to the Academic Dean, and any corresponding course sanction. Faculty are not responsible for knowing or incorporating into their determination the fact that a student may have had a prior violation. Sometimes a faculty member may have direct experience with a prior violation, but otherwise it is the student’s right to keep information about any previous violation private, and it is the responsibility of the Dean to use information of previous violations only as required to determine whether the level of concern should trigger a hearing and what type, and as part of the ACC Hearing discussion on sanctions.
Where student and faculty agree in cases of Low Concern or Concern, and the student does not have any previous notices of concern, there is no need for a hearing, though the Dean will record the outcome in the Academic Conduct File. At the level of Concern, the student will meet with the Academic Dean to discuss the seriousness of the matter and understand the process in case of another violation.
Disagreement or Appeals
If the faculty member and student do not agree that a violation occurred, or about the level of concern, the faculty member reports the matter to the Academic Dean, and the Academic Dean will have an initial consultation with the student to hear their perspective and explain the process.
At the level of Low Concern, the student may request a Dean’s Hearing to contest the faculty determination or sanction. A Dean’s Hearing is not a court of law and does not adhere to rules of procedure or evidence followed in a state or federal courtroom. A Dean’s Hearing determination shall be based on the preponderance of the evidence: whether it is more likely than not that the student respondent violated the academic policy, and therefore the determination of Low Concern is warranted.
At the level of Concern, if the student does not agree that a violation occurred, or does not agree with the level of concern, the student may request an ACC Hearing. Note that if the Concern results because the faculty’s determination of Low Concern represents the second Low Concern in the Academic Conduct File for that student, the student may request an ACC Hearing to dispute the level of concern ultimately recorded in the Conduct File.
High Concern
In any case of High Concern, whether because of multiple recorded violations or because of the egregious nature of the alleged violation, an ACC Hearing is automatically required, because of the seriousness of the possible consequences.
Institutional Records
Student information in the Dean’s Academic Conduct File is maintained for seven years, in accordance with Earlham’s policy on records retention. The exception is a determination of High Concern, which is maintained in perpetuity and, in cooperation with the Registrar, is communicated in response to an inquiry by a graduate program or other institution requesting information on student academic conduct as part of due diligence.