Fredonia University Senate

In as much as the integrity of SUNY, Fredonia's educational mission and reputation is threatened by the occurrence of plagiarism or cheating by faculty, staff or students; and Recognizing the need for explicit and clear definitions and procedures to insure that all members of the College community understand the important of combating plagiarism and cheating while at the same time insuring that faculty, staff and students involved in alleged problems of plagiarism are guaranteed reasonable due process; and

Whereas cheating and plagiarism are thought to be widespread on many college campuses (including SUNY, Fredonia);

Whereas the SUNY, Fredonia Policy Statement on Cheating, Plagiarism and Collusion (p. 186 of the 1997-99 College Catalog) is mainly concerned with the procedures in cases of alleged cheating and plagiarism;

Whereas the College definition of plagiarism (p. 176 of the 1997-99 Catalog) fails to explicitly address definitions of cheating by students (especially in non- classroom situations);

Whereas the College Policy Statement on Plagiarism fails to address how the range of penalties for conviction of plagiarism or cheating shall be applied to specific cases;

Whereas the College Policy Statement makes no provision to insure that its application will attempt to be consistent and uniform in applying the same standards and penalties to similar situation over time; and

Whereas the College Policy Statement was drafted before the rise of the internet, the world wide web and the rapidly expanding world of electronic communication;

1. the application of the policy to work done outside of class and without the direct supervision of the instructor (term papers; take home exams and the like);
2. the definition of "cheating" and plagiarism as applied to inclass and outside of class projects and exercises;
3. the procedure used in dealing with allegations of plagiarism and cheating (to insure that the faculty (or other person) alleging cheating or plagiarism AND the person or persons being accused fully understand and have access to advice from others on and off campus with regard to what information is relevant and necessary to resolve the dispute and insure due process;
4. the development of a public record of decisions in cases of alleged plagiarism and cheating (with case abstracts) to insure some degree of consistency, uniformity, and due process in the application of the definitions and penalties over time;
5. the relationship between the College President (1st paragraph of the Policy Statement) and the Academic Vice President (2nd paragraph) in dealing with recommendations from committees appointed to judge alleged cases of cheating or plagiarism;
6. the degree and extent to which College decisions on cases of cheating and plagiarism are subject to review by outside bodies such as courts;

Be it further resolved that the Senate should request the Academic Affairs Committee (or a subcommittee thereof) to review the range of penalties applied to those convicted of cheating or plagiarism and establish guidelines for their application to specific cases;

Be it further resolved that the College Statement on Cheating, Plagiarism and Collusion and the definition of Plagiarism ( and any revisions which might occur) be extensively publicized on campus and explicitly drawn to the attention of all faculty, staff and new and returning students on an ongoing basis;

And, Be it further resolved that the report from the Academic Affairs Committee be submitted for approval by the Senate no later than December, 2000.

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