Statement of Principle

The faculty, administration, and students of Mesa State College support the principle that all individuals associated with the academic community have a responsibility for establishing, maintaining, and fostering an understanding and appreciation for academic integrity.

Student Responsibility and Expectations

Mesa State College is a community of scholars sharing similar academic values and expectations. The primary  academic responsibility of the College is to seek and state the truth as it is understood. To this end, faculty will present course content in a balanced manner that honors different viewpoints, exercises self-discipline and judgment in using, extending and transmitting knowledge, and practices intellectual honesty.


A value fundamental to the principle of independent learning is the requirement of honesty and integrity in the performance of academic assignments, both inside and outside the classroom. By submitting work which is not your own, you may forfeit the opportunity to continue as a student. Each student accepts the responsibility of maintaining honor in all aspects of academic study and the support of this principle as it applies to others.


You, as a student, accept the following statements as a part of your obligation to the Mesa State College academic community:

  1. Never intentionally represent the works or ideas of others as your own without proper acknowledgment. Examples include a submission of purchased research papers as one's own work, paraphrasing and/or quoting material without properly documenting the source be it from a hard document or internet web page;
  2. Never use unauthorized material, falsified, altered, or fabricated information in an academic assignment or campus related activity;
  3. Never take someone else's ideas during a discussion or from a lecture without citing the individual and the circumstances of the lecture or discussion;
  4. Never infringe upon the rights of other students by removing material from the library without authorization, defacing or destroying library materials, or similarly abusing library privileges. Such acts are considered to be academic dishonesty and will be treated as such;
  5. Never give or receive assistance on an examination, quiz, term paper, or project unless specifically authorized by the instructor to do so;
  6. Never forge an academic document;
  7. Never submit in whole or substantial portions of either written or oral academic work which has previously earned credit, when submission is made without instructor authorization;
  8. To respect the rights of other students in the area of computer usage. Specifically, every student has a right to privacy and a fair share of resources. Any abuse of these rights or unauthorized access to another student's computer program is considered academic dishonesty.
  9. To take appropriate action, as dictated by personal honor, upon becoming aware of a violation of academic integrity. This includes reporting the violation to the faculty member, the department head, confronting the student(s) involved, or exerting some form of peer pressure or social sanction.

Definition of Academic Dishonesty


The protection of academic integrity requires clear and consistent standards and definitions, as well as confrontation and sanctions when individuals intentionally violate those standards. The most important of the definitions is that of academic dishonesty. Academic dishonesty undermines the educational experience, lowers morale by engendering a skeptical attitude about the quality of education, and negatively affects the relationship between students and faculty.

Academic dishonesty is the intentional act of fraud, in which an individual seeks to claim credit for the work and efforts of another or uses unauthorized material or fabricated information in any academic exercise. Academic dishonesty also includes, but is not limited to:

  1. Forgery/fabrication/falsification/plagiarism of academic documents
  2. Intentionally impeding or damaging the academic work of others
  3. Assisting others in acts of academic dishonesty
  4. Cheating in the classroom
  5. Unauthorized attendance or causing a disturbance within a classroom
  6. Multiple submissions
  7. Unauthorized collaboration


When acts of academic dishonesty occur, appropriate members of the academic community must understand and use established procedures for determining the facts and, if there has been academic dishonesty, deciding on the degree of dishonesty and the sanction(s) that should be imposed.

Sanctions for Academic Dishonesty


Faculty members have the authority to impose sanctions for academic dishonesty. The sanctions include a reduced or failing grade for course assignments or tests or the entire course. Faculty may also withdraw a student from a course at any time.

Students who observe or believe that there is academic dishonesty in a course may file a written complaint with the responsible faculty member. In instances when this is not possible or the faculty response does not resolve actions that are deemed to involve academic dishonesty, the written complaint should be then filed with the responsible Department Head.

In instances when actions that involve academic dishonesty can not be resolved within the appropriate department, the written complaint should be directed to the Academic Dishonesty Committee. The point of contact for that complaint is the Office of the Vice President of Academic Affairs.


Students who have been academically sanctioned as a result of academic dishonesty should also understand that they have also violated the Mesa State College Code of Conduct and are subject to appropriate disciplinary actions under that Code which may include suspension from Mesa State College.

Appeal of Sanctions for Academic Dishonesty


Students have the right to appeal sanctions for academic dishonesty made against them.

  1. Students should first direct their appeal in writing to the faculty member who imposed the sanction.
  2. Students who do not agree with the result of the decision made by the faculty member may appeal that decision in writing to the appropriate department head.
  3. When the decision regarding the appeal is not resolved within the department, the student may appeal in writing to the Academic Dishonesty Committee. The point of contact for that complaint is is the Office of the Vice President for Student Services and Outreach.
  4. In instances when the Academic Dishonesty Committee issued the sanction that is being appealed, the appeal should be directed to the Office of the Vice President of Academic Affairs.

Student Grade Appeal Procedure


It is accepted as academic principle that the grade assigned by an instructor is inviolable and not generally available for appeal. If a student feels that he or she has been unfairly graded, the student may appeal. The burden of proof rests upon the student.


The student must demonstrate in writing that the grade was unfair based upon one or more of the following conditions.

  1. The grading decision was based on something other than course performance, (unless the grade was a result of penalty for academic dishonesty).
  2. The grading decision was based on standards that were unreasonably different from those applied to other students in the same section of that course.
  3. The grading decision was based on standards that differed substantially and unreasonably from those previously articulated by the instructor.

Step 1 - Instructor Level: Meet with the Instructor

It is always best to try to resolve the dispute at the lowest possible level. The student is encouraged to talk about the grade with the course instructor. (For example, it is possible that the grade was assigned based on a computational miscalculation, in which case the instructor will rectify the error. Correcting such mistakes is not considered a grade change under this policy.)

Step 2 - Department Head (or designee) Level: Meet with the Department Head (or designee)

If the student is dissatisfied with the instructor's response, or is unwilling to approach the instructor, the student may appeal the grade to the department head. The department head will serve as a mediator between the instructor and the student to resolve the dispute. The department head will conduct an investigation and make a recommendation based upon mediation.

Step 3 - The Vice President of Academic Affairs (VPAA) Level

This level of appeal is possible only after the department head has made a recommendation based on mediation.
Failing satisfactory resolution at Steps 1 and 2, the student may appeal in writing to the VPAA or designee within five (5) working days of the department head's decision.

The appeal must include:

  1. A statement addressing how the appeal meets one or more of the three criteria necessary for a formal grade appeal;
  2. A description of what occurred during the informal resolution process;
  3. Copies of all graded materials from the course that are in the student's possession;
  4. Any relevant documents the student would like to be reviewed as part of the appeal process;
  5. A copy of the course syllabus.
Academic Integrity