Section I of the Student Code of Conduct, located in the Student Handbook, reads, “To avoid confusion concerning alleged incidents of academic dishonesty, under the normal process, a violation of Appendix A Section I of the Student Code of Conduct is handled academically, i.e. between the student and the professor. The most severe action that may be administered by a professor is a grade of 'F' in that particular course. This is an academic response and not a disciplinary recommendation.

Valdosta State University policy is that a violation of Section I may and should be handled by the professor, the student, and possibly the department head or dean concerned with the offense. However, the most severe sanction that may be administered through this process is to give a grade of “F” in a course.

If a stronger sanction is desired, or if an agreement cannot be reached between the above parties concerning the incident, the matter may be referred to the Dean of Students Office. In such cases where a student may continue to violate Section I after having been warned or sanctioned by one or more professors he or she may then be referred to the Dean of Students Office where official charges may be drawn up and the student subjected to the established VSU disciplinary process.

The following are typical academic dishonesty violations, but they are not to be considered all-inclusive:

  1. No student shall receive or give or attempt to receive or give assistance not authorized by the instructor in the preparation of any essay, laboratory report, examination, or other assignment included in any academic course.

  2. No student shall take or attempt to take, steal, or otherwise procure in an unauthorized manner any material pertaining to the conduct of a class, including but not limited to tests, examinations, laboratory equipment, and roll books.

  3. No student shall sell, give, lend, or otherwise furnish to any unauthorized person material which can be shown to contain questions or answers to any examinations scheduled to be given at any subsequent date in any course of study offered by the University, without authorization from the University.

  4. Plagiarism is prohibited. Themes, essays, term papers, tests, and other similar requirements must be the work of the student submitting them. When direct quotations are used, they must be indicated, and when the ideas of another are incorporated in the paper they must be appropriately acknowledged.”