Policy Statement on Academic Standards of the Biological Chemistry Program:
The Biological Chemistry Program is responsible for recruitment and acceptance of graduate students, and for directing their first year of graduate studies. Detailed information regarding the requirements of the first year is provided during recruiting and at the fall orientation meeting. At the end of the first year, students choose a laboratory in one of the participating departments, and enter the graduate program of that department for completion of the Ph.D. degree. It is the responsibility of the Biological Chemistry Program to monitor the academic performance of first year students and assure that all requirements have been satisfactorily completed.
Occasionally, unacceptable or incomplete performance will require assessment of the student, and appropriate action, during or at the end of the first year. Examples of situations requiring attention are: 1) failure to pass all core courses (grade of B- or better); 2) GPA of less than 3.0; 3) unsatisfactory completion of laboratory rotations; and 4) academic dishonesty such as cheating as defined by the National Academy of Sciences, the University of Utah (the “University”) Student Code (the “Student Code”), or this Policy Statement. Copies of these definitions appear at the end of this document. Cheating or other academic misconduct shall be grounds for academic action under this Policy Statement and for academic sanctions under the Student Code. Other behavior may also require action under this Policy Statement and under the Student Code. This document states the Biological Chemistry Program’s policy and procedure in cases of failure to meet academic standards and in cases of academic or other misconduct. The Student Code states the University’s policy and procedure in such cases.
In cases of failure to meet academic standards, such as examples 1, 2 and 3 above, appropriate action may include, without limitation, dismissal from the Program or a designated probation. The student, the student’s advisor, the chair of the Advising committee, and the Program Director, will be notified by the Program Office of perceived failures to meet the academic standards. The student’s advisor and/or the chair of the Advising committee will decide on an appropriate action and submit their recommendation to the Director of the Biological Chemistry Program for approval; the Director’s decision will be reported to the student, and in cases requiring dismissal from the Program, the Dean of the Graduate School will also be notified. In the latter situation the student will be given an opportunity to appeal the decision to the Academic Appeals and Misconduct Committee of the College of Science which is the administrative home of the program.
Cases of academic misconduct will require additional procedures. At the beginning of each academic year, the Directors of the Molecular Biology and Biological Chemistry graduate programs will appoint a four member Ad Hoc Committee for Academic Standards (the “Academic Standards Committee”), one of whom should be a senior level graduate student in one of the participating departments. The Academic Standards Committee should be notified of any perceived instance of academic misconduct that occurs during the year. Course leaders, other faculty, academic advisors, students, or the Program Director should notify the Academic Standards Committee of such issues. It will be the responsibility of the Academic Standards Committee to notify the student involved, in writing, of the issue and to give the student an opportunity to respond. The student’s advisor will also be notified so that they can consult with and appropriately advise the student; in cases where the student’s advisor has a conflict of interest, an alternate faculty member will be appointed to serve as the student’s advocate. There will be an opportunity for open discussion of the situation by all involved faculty and students in the presence of the Academic Standards Committee. The student will be present and have the opportunity to hear and comment on all issues discussed at a meeting to be held within a one month period from the incidence in question. Based on this discussion, the Academic Standards Committee will deliberate and recommend appropriate action to the Program Director. Preferably within 5 business days after notice of the committee’s recommendation, the Program Director must provide the student and committee with written notice of the Program Director’s decision. The Program Director may 1) dismiss the case, 2) have the instructor impose an academic sanction, or 3) have the student dismissed from the Program and/or University. Academic sanctions might include, but are not limited to: 1) having the student rewrite a paper(s) or retake an exam(s), or 2) assigning the student a lower or failing grade. As required by the Student Code, the Dean will be informed if the student is assigned a failing grade due to academic misconduct. If the Program Director decides to have the student dismissed from the Program, then the instructor and the Program Director will file a formal complaint with the Dean of the College of Science which is the administrative home of the Program. The complaint will include documentation of the misconduct and a recommendation for dismissal. The Dean may act immediately upon the recommendation or may request further investigation, in accordance with the policies and procedures of the college. The student will have the right to appeal any action to the college’s Academic Appeals and Misconduct Committee.
Students will receive a copy of this Policy Statement document during the fall orientation meeting. At this time, expectations for satisfactory academic performance will be discussed, as will the appropriate procedures for individual completion of take-home examinations. Students will be reminded that academic misconduct, such as cheating, plagiarism or collusion on examinations is not permissible, and may likely result in a complaint seeking dismissal. Collaboration on certain problem sets and homework assignments may be permitted, but only as specified by the course instructor. If any doubt exists, students must ask the instructor for clarification.
Definitions:
National Academy of Sciences Definition of Misconduct in Science
Misconduct in science is defined as fabrication, falsification, or plagiarism, in proposing, performing, or reporting research. Misconduct in science does not include errors in the recording, selection, or analysis of data; differences in opinions involving the interpretation of data; or misconduct unrelated to the research process.
Excerpts from the Student Code.
(See the University of Utah General Catalog or http://www.admin.utah.edu/ppmanual/8/8-10.html for complete document)
V. DEFINITIONS
As used in the Student Code:
A. "Academic action" means the recording of a final grade (including credit/no
credit and pass/fail) in a course, on a comprehensive or qualifying examination, on
a culminating project, or on a dissertation or thesis. It also includes a decision by
the appropriate department or college committee to place a student on academic
probation, or to suspend or dismiss a student from an academic program because
the student failed to meet the relevant academic standards of the discipline or
program. Academic action does not include academic sanctions imposed for
academic dishonesty or for specific violations of professional and ethical
standards of the profession or program for which the student is preparing.
B. "Academic dishonesty" includes, but is not limited to, cheating, misrepresenting
one's work, inappropriately collaborating, plagiarism, and fabrication or falsification
of information, as defined further below. It also includes facilitating academic
dishonesty by intentionally helping or attempting to help another to commit an act of
academic dishonesty.
1. "Cheating" involves the unauthorized possession or use of
information, materials, notes, study aids, or other devices in any
academic exercise, or the unauthorized communication with
another person during such an exercise. Common examples of
cheating include, but are not limited to, copying from another
student's examination; submitting work for an in-class exam that
has been prepared in advance; violating rules governing the
administration of exams; having another person take an exam;
altering one's work after the work has been returned and before
resubmitting it; violating any rules relating to academic conduct of a
course or program.
2. Misrepresenting one's work includes, but is not limited to,
representing material prepared by another as one's own work;
submitting the same work in more than one course without prior
permission of both faculty members.
3. "Plagiarism" means the unacknowledged use or incorporation of
any other person's work in, or as a basis for, one's own work
offered for academic consideration or credit, or for public
presentation. Plagiarism includes, but is not limited to, representing
as one's own, without attribution, any other person's words,
phrasing, ideas, sequence of ideas, information or any other mode
or content of expression. It does not include honest error.
4. "Fabrication or falsification" includes reporting experiments or
measurements or statistical analyses never performed;
manipulating or altering data or other manifestations of research to
achieve a desired result; falsifying or misrepresenting background
information, credentials or other academically relevant information;
and selective reporting, including the deliberate suppression of
conflicting or unwanted data. It does not include honest error or
honest differences in interpretations or judgments of data and/or
results.
C. "Academic misconduct" includes academic dishonesty, violations of the
professional or ethical standards for the profession or discipline for which the
student is preparing or other specific misconduct that demonstrates unfitness for
such profession or discipline.
D. "Academic sanction" means a sanction imposed on a student for engaging in
academic misconduct. It may include, but is not limited to, requiring a student to
retake an exam(s) or rewrite a paper(s), a grade reduction, a failing grade,
suspension or dismissal from the program or the University. It may also include
notification of the appropriate professional or licensing body of the profession or
discipline for which the student is preparing.
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I acknowledge that I have received a copy of the Policy Statement of Academic Standards of the Biological Chemistry Program and that it is my responsibility to read and understand this statement and to follow the rules described. I further acknowledge and agree that it is my responsibility to ask questions about anything I do not understand.
Student Signature: ______________________
Date: ______________________
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I pledge to follow the Honor Code and to obey all rules for taking exams and performing homework assignments as specified by the course instructor.
I understand that when asked to follow the Honor Code on exams or homework assignments I must follow the rules below.
- When following the Honor Code a student must work entirely alone.
- When following the Honor Code a student may not share information about any aspect of the exam with other members of the class, other faculty members, or other scientists.
- When following the Honor Code a student must direct all questions concerning the exam or homework assignment to the course instructor or teaching assistant.
- When following the Honor Code it is the student’s responsibility to obtain clarification from the instructor if there are questions concerning the requirements of the Honor Code.
Student Signature: ______________________
Date: ______________________
6/05