College of Arts and Sciences

Academic Regulations

Academic Dishonesty Policy Statement

1. Definitions

Academic dishonesty is an all-encompassing term involving any activity that seeks to gain credit for work one has not done, or to deliberately damage or destroy the work of others. It includes plagiarism (the misrepresentation, either by intent or negligence, of another’s ideas, phrases, discourse, or works as one’s own), cheating (the act, or attempted act, of giving or obtaining aid and/or information by illicit means in meeting any academic requirement, including examinations), fabrication (intentional and unauthorized falsification or invention of any information or citation in an academic sense in any academic exercise), and facilitating academic dishonesty (intentionally or knowingly helping or attempting to help another to commit an act of academic dishonesty). Examples of such cases include, but are not limited to:

• copying from the Internet or worldwide web and representing it as one’s own thoughts or work;
• copying from another student’s paper, laboratory report, or other report, or computer files or listing and representing it as one’s own thoughts or work;
• using, during a test or laboratory experiment, material and/or devices not authorized by the instructor in charge;
• without the instructor’s permission, collaborating with another, knowingly assisting another or knowingly receiving the assistance of another in writing an examination or in satisfying any other course requirements;
• incorporating into written assignments materials written by others without giving them credit, or otherwise improperly using information written by others (including that which might be stored on computer disks or other technological devices), or submitting commercially prepared papers as one’s own;
• submission of multiple copies of the same or similar papers without prior approval of the several instructors involved;
• claiming as one's own work that which was done by tutors or others with no mention of credit to or the assistance of those persons;
• deliberately damaging or destroying another's laboratory experiments, computer work or studio work;
• knowingly obtaining access to, using, buying, selling, stealing, transporting, or soliciting in its entirety or in part, the contents of a test or other assignment unauthorized for release;
• substituting for another student, or permitting another student to substitute for oneself, to take a test or other assignment or to make a presentation;
• intentional and unauthorized falsification or invention of any information or citation in an academic exercise;
• forgery, alterations, or misuse of University documents;
• falsifying information submitted or failure to reveal relevant information in any University application form or offering any false information in any University disciplinary proceeding. Each instructor reserves the right to further clarify and define his/her expectations of academic integrity orally or in written form, such as through the course syllabus.

2. Penalties

The penalty for cheating or plagiarism will vary from incident to incident, depending upon the scope and magnitude of the offense and the circumstances in which it occurred; upon the prior record of the person being penalized; and upon evidence suggesting the existence or absence of a pattern of academic dishonesty in the academic performance of the person committing the offense. Possible penalties include a reprimand, grade penalty, dismissal from the course and a recommendation for dismissal from the University. Responsibility for dealing with cases of academic dishonesty begins with the faculty member who identifies an instance of academic dishonesty.

3. Appeals

Not later than fourteen (14) days after an alleged Academic Integrity Policy violation comes to his/her attention, the instructor shall:

• provide the student with written notice describing the alleged violation and
• make a good faith effort (normally, both an e-mail and a phone mail message during the academic year; and an e-mail and a regular U.S. letter during the summer or winter break) to meet with the student to discuss the alleged violation. After the meeting, or after it becomes clear that the student refuses to meet, the instructor shall exercise professional judgment in selecting his/her course of action. A student may appeal an instructor’s decision regarding a violation of the Academic Integrity Policy by notifying the dean or the associate/assistant dean within ten (10) working days of notification of the penalty(s) imposed by the instructor. The dean’s office will refer the issue to the chair of the Academic Integrity and Appeals Committee to schedule a hearing. The chair of the Academic Integrity and Appeals Committee will notify the student and the instructor in writing at least ten (10) working days prior to the hearing date. The notification shall include the alleged Academic Integrity Policy violation giving rise to the hearing, hearing procedures, the date, time, and location of the hearing, copies of documents that the committee intends to use at the hearing and the name of the chair. Specific details regarding the hearing process and rights therein will be provided to the student when he or she notifies the dean or the associate/assistant dean of a potential appeal. The Academic Integrity and Appeals Committee will present a verdict. The student or the instructor may appeal the decision(s) of the Academic Integrity and Appeals Committee to the dean. A written notice of appeal must be delivered to the office of the dean within ten (10) working days from the receipt of the hearing report from the committee. Written details pertaining to this final appeal process are available in the college office. The dean’s decision on appeal is final.

Adjustments to Academic Regulations

Students who seek adjustments to the academic regulations of the college may do so by filing an Academic Petition. Students wishing to petition for adjustments should secure the appropriate forms in the college office, obtain the approval of their academic adviser(s) and, if necessary, department chair, and then submit their petition to the associate/assistant dean.

Appeals of Academic Evaluations

A student who wishes to challenge the grading practices of an instructor of the college may appeal for a change of grade. The student must initiate the appeals procedure with the instructor on or before the third Wednesday of the semester following the issuance of the grade in question (excluding summer terms). First, the student must meet with the instructor involved in an attempt to resolve the problem. If the matter remains unresolved, the student must request a meeting at which the department chair (or the program director), the instructor, and the student are present. The student must make this request to the department chair (or program director) by the fifth Wednesday of the semester following issuance of the grade in question (excluding summer terms). The student shall be given the opportunity to explain his/her position and present relevant documentation to the department chair (or program director). The department chair (or program director) shall prepare a written summary of the issues, his/her findings of fact, and a proposed resolution to be presented to the student and the instructor. If the proposed resolution of the chair or director is not satisfactory to the student, he/she may appeal in writing to the dean or associate/assistant dean, who will refer the appeal to the Academic Integrity and Appeals Committee. All appeals must be delivered to the college office within ten (10) working days of presentation of the proposed resolution to the student and instructor. Absent a timely appeal by the student, the proposed resolution of the chair or director becomes final. Upon receipt of the appeal the committee shall invite the instructor to submit a written response to the appeal. The committee will decide whether a hearing is or is not necessary. Written details pertaining to the hearing process are available in the college office.

Credit/No Credit Regulations

Arts and Sciences students may take a maximum of 12 hours of coursework on a credit/no credit basis as provided by the general academic regulations of the University. Courses that students elect to take on a credit/no credit basis may be counted toward the fulfillment of the total 124 hours required for graduation and the requirement of 40 upper-division hours, but may not be counted toward other college requirements. Courses offered on only a credit/no credit basis are not included in the 12-hour maximum nor excluded from counting toward a college requirement.

Probation and Suspension

Arts and Sciences students are governed by the University policies regarding probation, suspension and satisfactory progress found in the academic regulations section of this catalog. Additional probationary conditions may be imposed by the dean.

Transfer of Non-Drake Credits

The following govern the applicability toward the Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Science degree of credit hours earned other than at Drake University:

1. The College of Arts and Sciences complies with all Drake University regulations relating to transfer of college credits.
2. A maximum of 94 hours of transfer credit may be applied to the Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Science degree.
3. The Drake College of Arts and Sciences accepts up to 66 credit hours of transfer credit applicable to the Associate of Arts degree from a regionally accredited community or two-year college as any part of the first 94 credit hours toward a bachelor’s degree. All transfer students must successfully complete their last 30 credit hours in residence at Drake to satisfy degree requirements.
4. Credit earned by examination may not be counted as Drake credit toward fulfillment of the requirement that the last 30 credit hours of a student’s program be completed in residence courses on Drake’s campus.
5. To ensure transfer of credit, students planning to pursue a program at a university or college overseas must consult their advisers regarding the course of study they will follow. The completed program must be signed by the adviser and the associate/assistant dean of the college. Copies of the program must be filed with the dean and the overseas study adviser.

Student Responsibility

Each student must be familiar with the academic regulations of the college and is responsible for completing all requirements for graduation.

Withdrawal Policy

The College of Arts and Sciences follows the withdrawal policy outlined in the front section of the catalog under the heading Curricula Modification. Ordinarily the college permits no exceptions to the official University withdrawal policy. However, under extraordinary circumstances a student may, with adviser concurrence, petition the dean for permission to withdraw late from a course.

Academic Advising

The goal of academic advising in the College of Arts and Sciences is to provide an ongoing and dynamic relationship between each student and adviser to facilitate the student’s adjustment to and development within the academic environment.

Upon matriculating, each student is assigned a faculty adviser related to the student’s areas of interest. Students and advisers work together to develop a program that challenges the student to build upon strengths and overcome deficiencies while meeting educational and professional goals.

The faculty recognize that new interests develop rapidly during the first and sophomore years and that changes of intent are common. Students should consult their advisers frequently as they shape their educational goals.

Transfer students are particularly encouraged to review the evaluation of credit transferred to Drake University and to seek an explanation of how that work is distributed among the requirements of the College of Arts and Sciences. Transfer students are assigned faculty advisers who work closely in planning the completion of degree programs.

Students enrolled on a part-time basis as degree candidates, either as first-year students or transfers, also are assigned faculty advisers. Part-time students are especially urged to see their academic advisers to make long-range plans for their academic programs.

Adviser assignments are usually made by the Office of the Dean. Students may request a specific faculty member or may request a change of advisers. All inquiries regarding evaluation of credit, distribution of credit hours, adviser assignments and changes should be initially directed to the Office of the Dean.

Additional School of Fine Arts Academic Regulations

The following regulations must be observed by students enrolled in the Drake University School of Fine Arts:

1. Students are assigned faculty advisers who guide them in their program selection. However, the student alone is ultimately held responsible for the selection of the proper course in the proper sequence to fit the selected degree program.
2. A fine arts student may take a maximum of 12 hours of work on a credit-no credit basis. For details, see the Credit-No Credit Program.
3. Thirty hours of credit by examination may be applied toward degrees in the School of Fine Arts. These credits may be for any University course within the fine arts degree program except for major area courses, defined as art for the art major, music for the music major or theatre arts for the theatre arts major. The final 30 hours of any degree must be in coursework completed at Drake University.