VII. Undergraduate Degree Regulations and Procedures

Academic Misconduct

Guidelines for Penalties for Academic Misconduct

With the finding of academic misconduct, there is a mandatory penalty of Official Warning which will stay on the student’s record until graduation. In addition, one or more other penalties may be assessed. Following are guidelines used by the Vice-Provost in determining the appropriate additional penalties. Users need to be aware that these are guidelines and that not all cases will fit neatly into the categories.

The guidelines below provide a range of penalties (minima and maxima) for the various offences identified in the Policy on Academic Misconduct as well as indicate what penalty is deemed to be the norm for the offence in the case of a first or second year student. It should be noted that subsequent offence means any subsequent offence, not only a subsequent offence in the same category.

For a course-based offence, the Vice-Provost may assign penalties up to and including loss of grades if the offence is a first offence. If there is a previous offence on the student’s record, or if the Program Head believes a stronger penalty is merited, the case is forwarded to the Vice-Provost for penalty assessment.

In cases where the Vice-Provost is of the opinion that there is cause for a penalty different from those indicated in the guidelines (either higher or lower), she/he will review the penalty with the Vice-President Academic. The Vice-Provost will also consult in cases where the contemplated penalty is suspension or expulsion.

In a case where the Vice-Provost is of the opinion that the finding of guilt is not supported by the evidence, the Vice-Provost will review the case with the Program Head. If the Program Head and Vice-Provost are unable to reach an agreement on the case, the Vice-Provost will consult with the Vice President’s Academic before making final determinations as to the finding of guilt and any penalty to be applied in the event that Vice-Provost upholds the finding of guilt.

In determining the appropriate penalty the Vice-Provost will take into consideration these guidelines, the recommendation from the instructor, the recommendation from the Program Head, and any other relevant factors such as the relative weight of the assignment, the semester level of the student, the seriousness or extent of the offence (e.g. the amount of work plagiarized), any record of previous offences, and any mitigating circumstances presented by the student.