Classroom Behavior 

The classroom instructor is responsible for controlling the conduct of the class and the demeanor and behavior of the students in exercising classroom discipline, subject to accepted departmental, college, and University standards and practices. CSU policy permits only enrolled students, persons authorized by the instructor, and administrative personnel to be admitted to instructional areas during scheduled periods. CSU policy and Colorado state law also prohibit all forms of disruptive or obstructive behavior in academic areas during periods of scheduled use or any actions which would disrupt scheduled academic activity. Use of classrooms and other areas of academic buildings during nonscheduled periods is permitted only in accordance with departmental, college, or CSU practices.

Any person or persons in unauthorized attendance or causing a disturbance during scheduled academic activity shall be identified by the instructor and asked to leave. Persons refusing such a request may be removed by the CSU police and are liable to legal prosecution and/or disciplinary action.

Student Health Insurance Requirement 

Domestic students taking six or more resident instruction credits, and all INTO and international students enrolled in any credit level, are required to have health insurance. Eligible students will be automatically enrolled in the CSU Student Health Insurance Plan unless they waive coverage by showing proof of private health insurance.

First Year Residence Hall Requirement 

Experience and research has demonstrated that students who live on campus adjust to college life faster, have higher GPAs, and are more likely to graduate than students who live off campus. For this reason, all newly admitted first-year students without previous college experience, who are single, under 21 years of age, and not living with their parents in the Fort Collins area, are required to live their first two consecutive semesters in a residence hall. Credits taken concurrent with high school and/or credits attained through Advanced Placement (AP) do not apply toward living experience.

Academic Integrity/Misconduct 

The foundation of a university is truth and knowledge, each of which relies in a fundamental manner upon academic integrity and is diminished significantly by academic misconduct. Academic integrity is conceptualized as doing and taking credit for one’s own work. A pervasive attitude promoting academic integrity enhances the sense of community and adds value to the educational process. All within the University are affected by the cooperative commitment to academic integrity.

Course instructors and departments shall work to enhance a culture of academic integrity at the University.

Each course instructor shall state clearly in their course syllabus that the course will adhere to the Academic Integrity Policy of the Colorado State University General Catalog and the Student Conduct Code. The TILT Academic Integrity website provides examples of possible wordings for the course syllabus.

By the end of the second week of the course and/or in the course syllabus, the course instructor shall address academic integrity as it applies to their course components, such as homework, written assignments, lab work, group projects, quizzes, and exams. Examples of items to address include, but are not limited to, the use of class notes, study sheets, and solution manuals; appropriate uses of sources, Internet or otherwise; receiving assistance from others; and the use of prior work.

The course instructor shall decide which course components will use an honor pledge. For those course components, the course instructor shall provide the opportunity for students to sign an affirmative honor pledge. The honor pledge shall include one of the following statements and may be expanded according to instructor, department, or college practices and policies:

HONOR PLEDGE: I have not given, received, or used any unauthorized assistance.

HONOR PLEDGE: I will not give, receive, or use any unauthorized assistance.

A course instructor may offer the student the opportunity to write out the pledge if deemed practicable. Students may be given the opportunity to include an honor pledge along with electronic submissions of their work. A student’s decision to forego signing the honor pledge shall not be used as evidence of academic misconduct and shall not negatively impact a student’s grade.

Academic misconduct (see examples below) undermines the educational experience at Colorado State University, lowers morale by engendering a skeptical attitude about the quality of education, and negatively affects the relationship between students and course instructors.

Students are encouraged to positively impact the academic integrity culture of CSU by reporting incidents of academic misconduct.

Course instructors are expected to use reasonably practical means of preventing and detecting academic misconduct. Any student found responsible for having engaged in academic misconduct will be subject to academic penalty and/or University disciplinary action.

Examples of academic misconduct include (but are not limited to):

  1. Cheating: Cheating includes using unauthorized sources of information and providing or receiving unauthorized assistance on any form of academic work or engaging in any behavior specifically prohibited by the instructor in the course syllabus or class presentation.
  2. Plagiarism: Plagiarism includes the copying of language, structure, images, ideas, or thoughts of another, and representing them as one’s own without proper acknowledgment, and is related only to work submitted for credit. Also included is the failure to cite sources properly; sources must always be appropriately referenced, whether the source is printed, electronic or spoken.
  3. Unauthorized Possession or Disposition of Academic Materials: Unauthorized possession or disposition of academic materials includes the unauthorized selling or purchasing of examinations, term papers, or other academic work; stealing another student’s work; and using information from or possessing exams that an instructor did not authorize for release to students.
  4. Falsification: Falsification encompasses any untruth, either verbal or written, in one’s academic work.
  5. Facilitation of any act of Academic Misconduct: Facilitation of any act of academic misconduct includes knowingly assisting another to commit an act of misconduct.

(Academic Integrity policies appear in the Graduate and Professional Bulletin, the Faculty and Administrative Professional Manual, and the Honor Code of the Professional Veterinary School and the School of Public Health as applicable.) 

Procedures for Dealing with Academic Misconduct 

Instructors shall adhere to the following procedures when they allege that academic misconduct has occurred:

If a course instructor has information that suggests a student has engaged in academic misconduct in their course, prior to assigning any academic penalty, the course instructor shall notify the student of the concern and make an appointment with the student to discuss the concern. The student shall be given the opportunity to give their position on the matter. After being given this opportunity, if the student admits to engaging in academic misconduct, or if the course instructor judges that the information supports the allegation of academic misconduct, the course instructor may then assign an academic penalty. The course instructor may choose to refer the case to Student Conduct Services in the Student Resolution Center for a hearing before deciding on a penalty. The course instructor shall notify the student in writing of the infraction and the academic penalty to be imposed. A copy of this notification shall be sent to Student Conduct Services. Examples of academic penalties include assigning a reduced grade for the work, assigning a failing grade in the course, removing the Repeat/Repair option for that course, or other lesser penalty as the course instructor deems appropriate.

If, after making reasonable efforts, the course instructor is unable to contact the student or is unable to collect all relevant information before final course grades are assigned, they shall assign an interim grade of Incomplete and notify the student in writing of the reason for this action.

If evidence of academic misconduct is discovered after the final course grades have been submitted, the course instructor shall follow the above procedure in properly notifying the student and providing an opportunity for the student to give their position on the matter before making a decision about any academic penalty. The course instructor must notify the student in writing of the infraction and any academic penalty subsequently imposed. A copy of this notification shall be sent to Student Conduct Services.

If the course instructor so requests, Student Conduct Services will conduct a hearing to determine if the Student Conduct Code has been violated. If the Hearing Officer determines that a violation has occurred, they may impose sanctions in addition to the academic penalty.

Student Response

If a student disputes a decision of a course instructor regarding alleged academic misconduct, they may request a hearing with Student Conduct Services. The request must be submitted no later than thirty (30) calendar days after the first day of classes of the next regular semester following the date that the grade for the course was initially recorded or subsequently revised. If a hearing is not requested within this time period, the decision of the course instructor shall be final.

Hearings

If a hearing is conducted by Student Conduct Services, in order for there to be a finding that a student has engaged in academic misconduct, the information must demonstrate that it is more likely than not that a violation occurred (also known as preponderance of information).

The hearing shall be conducted by a Hearing Officer assigned by the Director of the Student Resolution Center (or the Director’s designee). The Hearing Officer shall give the student the opportunity to respond to the allegation made by the course instructor, and they shall give the course instructor the opportunity to respond to claims made by the student. The Hearing Officer shall make one of the following two (2) decisions:

  1. The allegation of academic misconduct is supported by a preponderance of the information.

    In this case, the Hearing Officer may impose sanctions for violations of the Student Conduct Code. The Hearing Officer and the course instructor shall confer regarding appropriate sanctions. The course instructor shall make the final decision regarding academic penalties, which may include, among other options, a reduced grade for the course and/or removal of the Repeat/Repair option, and they shall inform the student of that academic penalty. The Hearing Officer shall make the final determination regarding disciplinary sanctions, which will take into account the severity of the incident, its impact on others, and the student’s previous student conduct record, and they shall inform the student of those sanctions.

  2. The Hearing Officer chooses to forward the case to an Academic Misconduct Review Committee for additional review prior to a resolution being determined.

    Prior to forwarding the case to an Academic Misconduct Review Committee, the Hearing Officer shall inform the course instructor and the student of their concerns related to the allegations, and the course instructor and the student shall each be given a chance to respond to the Hearing Officer regarding these concerns.

    In this case, an Academic Misconduct Review Committee consisting of three members shall be selected from the members of the student conduct Appeal Committee. These members of the Academic Misconduct Review Committee shall consist of two faculty members and one student. Student Conduct Services shall provide the Academic Misconduct Review Committee with the case file (including all information received by the Hearing Officer) and a summary of any concerns.

    After consideration of the case, the members of the Academic Misconduct Review Committee shall make a recommendation to the Director of the Student Resolution Center (or the Director’s designee), who will then make a determination regarding whether or not a preponderance of the information supports the allegation of academic misconduct.

If the determination is that the allegation of academic misconduct is not supported by a preponderance of the information, then the course instructor shall determine a grade based on the student’s academic performance and without any consideration of academic misconduct and change any previously assigned grade accordingly.

If the determination is that the allegation of academic misconduct is supported by a preponderance of the information, then the Director of the Student Resolution Center (or the Director’s designee) and the course instructor shall confer regarding appropriate sanctions. The course instructor shall make the final decision regarding academic penalties, which may include, among other options, a reduced grade for the course and/or removal of the Repeat/Repair option. The Director of the Student Resolution Center (or the Director’s designee) shall make the final determination regarding disciplinary sanctions.

Student Appeal

If the student disagrees with the findings of the hearing, they may file an appeal with Student Conduct Services. This is done by following the procedures in the Student Conduct Code for an appeal of a disciplinary decision. If an Appeal Committee is formed, it will consist of two faculty members and one student from the pool described in Section I.4, excluding any members of this pool who have already served on an Academic Misconduct Review Committee for this case.

Transcript Notation for Academic Misconduct 

In the case of a serious infraction or repeat offense of academic misconduct that is upheld through a hearing, the Hearing Officer and the course instructor shall decide whether the student’s transcript shall be marked with a notation of “AM,” which shall be explained on the student’s transcript as a “finding of Academic Misconduct.” A notation of “AM” shall be made on the student’s transcript only if both the Hearing Officer and the course instructor agree that this penalty should be imposed. Grades marked on the student’s transcript with the designation “AM” shall not be eligible for the Repeat/Repair option.

Records

Information regarding incidents of academic misconduct is kept on file with Student Conduct Services.

CSU Student Conduct Code 

The Student Conduct Code exists to notify students, faculty, and staff of the specific expectations Colorado State University holds related to student behavior and the rights and responsibilities that accompany being a student and participating in student organizations.

Colorado State University expects students to maintain standards of personal integrity in harmony with its educational goals; to be responsible for their actions; to observe national, state, local laws, and University regulations; and to respect the rights, privileges, and property of other people.

The student conduct process is intended to be a learning experience which can yield growth, behavioral changes, and personal understanding of one’s responsibilities and the consequences and impacts of one’s actions. This process balances the needs and rights of students with the needs and expectations of the University and larger community. The student conduct process offers a continuum of responses to allegations of misconduct. Students are treated with care and respect while being afforded the opportunity to receive a fair hearing. Many sanctions and interventions are designed to be educational and restorative in nature, promoting the University’s mission.

The Student Conduct Code defines University intervention, resolution options and possible disciplinary action related to the behavior of both individual students and student organizations.

The Student Conduct Code is available:

  1. Online at Student Conduct Services
  2. In print at the Student Resolution Center, 501 West Lake St., Suite A