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I. General Statement

It is Hawai‘i Pacific University’s policy that any act of academic dishonesty will incur a penalty up to and including expulsion from the university. A student who cheats on an academic exercise, lends unauthorized assistance to others or who hands in an assignment that is not his or her work will be sanctioned. The term academic exercise includes all forms of work submitted either electronically, oral work or on paper for points, grade or credit. 

II. Definitions  

Academic Dishonesty involves the following: 

A. Cheating


1. The intentional use of or attempted use of unauthorized assistance, materials, information and/or study aids in completing an academic exercise.

2. The act of collaborating and working together on any academic exercise without the approval of the instructor, producing an exercise which is similar in content and form, so as to create doubt as to whether the work was truly the product of individualized effort.

3. Examples of cheating include, but are not limited to:

  • Giving or receiving unauthorized assistance during examinations.

  • Submitting an assignment that is so similar in appearance, content and form to an assignment submitted by another person that it could not have been independently produced.

  • The acquisition or sale of course materials.

  • Using a third-party tool, such as but not limited to generative AI such as ChatGPT, to complete any academic exercise within any learning modality (assignment, paper, speech, equations, etc.). Third party tools should not be used in the completion of course assignments unless an instructor for a given course specifically authorizes their use. Some instructors may approve generative AI tools usage in the academic setting for specific goals. However, these tools should be used only with the explicit and clear permission of each individual instructor, and then only in the ways allowed by the instructor.

B. Plagiarism


1. The use or reproduction of ideas, words or statements of another as one’s own without proper acknowledgement or citation. The act of plagiarism may occur with or without intent.

2. Examples of plagiarism include, but are not limited to:

  • Using verbatim or paraphrased text without proper citation.

  • Paraphrasing so as to mislead the reader regarding the source.

  • Submitting, without permission, the same written or oral material in more than one course.

  • Obtaining research or laboratory data from another individual or source but presenting it as one’s own.

C. Facilitating Academic Dishonesty


This is defined as intentionally or knowingly helping or attempting to help another to commit an act or acts of academic dishonesty as defined in this policy.  Those who help others to commit acts of academic dishonesty are in violation of the Code of Student Conduct, 11, and may be subject to the penalties described in that section of the Student Handbook.

D. Fabrication

1. The intentional or unauthorized falsifying or inventing of any information or citation in an academic exercise or university document.

2. Examples of fabrication include, but are not limited to:

  • Falsifying data or signatures of an official university document (e.g., registration form, college record and/or transcript).

  • Misrepresenting a fact in order to obtain a course exemption, waiver or withdrawal.

 

III. Procedures for Academic Dishonesty

A. Instructor Action

Incidents of academic dishonesty substantiated by evidence may be dealt with by the instructor in any number of ways. Suggested penalties are: 

1. Require the student to redo the exercise or do a new exercise as a condition for continuing in the course or avoiding one of the other penalties below.

2. Give the student an F or a 0 for the exercise and permit it to be redone with or without a penalty at the instructor’s discretion. For example, the grade on the new exercise could replace the F or 0, or it could be averaged with it or lowered by one letter grade.

3. Give the student an F or a 0 for the exercise and not permit it to be redone.

4. Lower the course grade or assign a course grade of F. 

A Report of Academic Dishonesty must be submitted to the appropriate academic dean in any instance in which academic dishonesty is alleged. The report should detail the dishonest act and the penalty assigned.  If the student disagrees with the instructor’s decision, the student may make a written appeal to the appropriate academic dean in accordance with this policy.  

B. Academic Dishonesty Reports

The Office of the Provost maintains files and a confidential tracking system of all acts of academic dishonesty. The academic dean will forward the Report of Academic Dishonesty to the Office of the Provost.  The Office of the Provost will notify the academic dean if the student is a repeat offender.

 

IV. Time Line for Academic Dishonesty Incidents

A. Instructor Action

The Report of Academic Dishonesty should be submitted to the academic dean within 5 working days of discovery of the incident. 

B. Appropriate Academic Dean Action

The academic dean will review the instructor’s Report of Academic Dishonesty and forward it to the Office of the Student Conduct within 5 working days. The Assistant Dean of Students/Director of Conflict Resolution and Community Engagement will tell the academic dean if the student is or is not a repeat offender within another 3 working days.   

If a student has violated the Academic Integrity Policy in the past, the academic dean or their designee will invite the student to be interviewed within 5 working days. If the student cannot meet in this time period, the academic dean or their designee may proceed to the next step immediately or choose to make a reasonable delay to accommodate the student. If the dean decides to take punitive action beyond that recommended by the instructor, the academic dean or their designee will decide on appropriate action and inform the student within an additional 10 working days. If the student refuses to be interviewed without a verifiable reason (e.g., a documented medical emergency), then this will be noted in all future correspondence regarding the case. If the student is unsatisfied with the response and wishes to request a hearing, the student’s request must be in writing and must be filed with the Office of the Provost within 10 working days of receiving the academic dean’s response. 

The student who has violated the academic integrity policy for the first time may appeal the instructor’s decision to the appropriate academic dean. The appeal letter and any supporting documentation submitted by the student will be forwarded by the academic dean or their designee to the instructor within five working days, with a request for a response to be submitted no more than five working days later. When the instructor’s response is returned, the academic dean or their designee will send a letter to the student and instructor within five working days indicating his or her findings and recommendations. If the student is unsatisfied with the response and wishes to request a hearing, the student’s request must be in writing and must be filed with the Office of the Provost within 10 working days of receiving the academic dean’s response. The instructor may also appeal the recommendation of the academic dean to the Office of the Provost within 10 working days. 

C. Office of the Provost Action

In all student appeals, the Provost has 10 working days to decide on the appropriate penalty or to convene the Academic Conduct Review Board. 

D. Academic Conduct Review Board Action

Within 10 working days of notification of convening, Board members, as identified in the “Student Handbook,” will meet with the offending student and conduct a hearing to decide on an outcome regarding the student’s appeal. Results of the Board recommendation will be presented to the Provost for consideration and final determination of the penalty will be made within 10 working days of receiving the Board’s report. The Provost will notify the student, concerned academic dean and instructor of the outcome.

Procedures for students with academic grievances involving issues other than academic dishonesty can be found in the Student Handbook under Academic Grade Appeal Procedures for Students or Student Compliant Procedures.