Academic Integrity

Statement of Purpose

Lafayette College is home to a dynamic community of scholars dedicated to intellectual endeavor and academic excellence. Lafayette’s standards and code of conduct seek to ensure that its academically competitive setting is also an honorable environment. One in which academic endeavor is promoted by acknowledging the contributions that others have made, promoting fairness within the community, and ensuring an equal opportunity for learning and achievement for all members of the College.

All members of the community are expected to maintain full personal responsibility for the authenticity of their work. To do so requires a commitment to the ideals of: honesty, trust, fairness, respect, responsibility, and courage. A strong understanding of the standards and practices for working within and among academic disciplines is expected. Ignorance of these principles does not alleviate responsibility for engaging in behaviors that violate these principles. In addition, students are expected to abide by the specific parameters of each of their classes as they pertain to the execution of learning activities such as collaborative work, the use of technology, and assessment procedures. Faculty members have broad discretion over their individual course policies and may address minor incidents directly as an opportunity for learning and student development. However, incidents involving serious allegations of academic dishonesty should be reported to the Office of Advising & Co-Curricular Programs for investigation and possible adjudication. The Office of Advising and Co-Curricular Programs plays a key role in promoting the values of academic integrity and ensuring that allegations of misconduct are handled in fair and equitable processes that are aligned with the Student Code of Conduct and international best practices. 

Philosophy on Adjudication

Academic integrity is a fundamental component of supporting a fair and equitable learning environment that preserves opportunities for individual and collective achievement. 

Respondents who accept, or are found responsible for violating the standards of academic integrity must be held accountable for their actions. Since academic integrity violations occur on a continuum, so do measures of accountability. At the most basic level, measures of accountability are intended to inform and educate respondents on the importance of an honest and ethical approach to their course work and scholarly pursuits. This value underpins a variety of case outcomes and sanctions that seek to foster within the respondent:

  • An understanding of the nature of the violation
  • Why it is problematic
  • The specific factors that led to the offense 
  • How the violation harmed the community and what can be done to repair that harm
  • A robust understanding of how to avoid further violations  

Sanctions are imposed to support and reinforce this reflective process. Although punishment is not the primary objective, the use of punitive outcome sanctions may be imposed as part of a more comprehensive approach to addressing the offense and deter further violations. In addition, the sanctioning body – whether the Case Administrator or Hearing Panel – will endeavor to consider mitigating factors that influenced the violation including:

  • The prior disciplinary record of the respondent
  • The extent of the violation
  • Evidence with regard to whether the violation was impulsive or premeditated
  • Respondent cooperation and truthfulness throughout the adjudication process
  • The presence of external stressors that may have influenced decision making and behavior
  • Any other factors that the sanctioning body believes are appropriate to consider with regard to reinforcing the sanctioning objectives outlined

Sanctions are not intended to interfere with the respondent’s academic progress or limit their future opportunities beyond those impacts that are inherent in addressing the natural consequences of the violation.

Authority for Upholding Academic Integrity Standards

  • As articulated in the Faculty Handbook, the Associate Dean of Advising & Co-Curricular Programs maintains primary responsibility for the promotion and enforcement of academic integrity standards. Faculty Handbook 7.3.2   This role operates under the oversight of the Student Affairs Committee and the direct supervision of the Dean of Advising. The Student Affairs Committee is made up of 8 tenured and at least 3 non-tenured faculty members, as well as six student members. Ex officio members include administrators from across campus who, with the exception of Dean of Advising and Co-Curricular Programs, are not normally involved in Academic Conduct procedures. The Associate Dean is tasked with managing formal investigations and ensuring the equitable resolution of alleged misconduct through coordinated institutional efforts while the Student Affairs Committee ensures that all policies support faculty needs and align with best practices for the fair disposition of cases. Within the Office of Advising and Co-Curricular Programs, class deans act as case administrators, guiding each resolution path in accordance with the established procedures laid out on this and the linked web pages.