Academic Integrity

Santa Rosa Junior College holds that its primary function is the development of intellectual curiosity, integrity, and accomplishment in an atmosphere that upholds the principles of academic freedom. All members of the academic community - student, faculty, staff, and administrator - must assume responsibility for providing an environment of the highest standards, characterized by a spirit of academic honesty and mutual respect. Because personal accountability is inherent in an academic community of integrity, this institution will not tolerate or ignore any form of academic dishonesty.

Academic dishonesty is regarded as any act of deception, benign or malicious in nature, in the completion of any academic exercise. Examples of academic dishonesty include cheating, plagiarism, impersonation, misrepresentation of idea or fact for the purpose of defrauding, use of unauthorized aids or devices, falsifying attendance records, violation of testing protocol, inappropriate course assignment collaboration, and any other acts that are prohibited by the instructor of record.

Faculty and students are partners in maintaining the college's academic integrity, in accordance with the guidelines delineated below:

Faculty Responsibilities

1. Conduct your classroom in a manner that encourages mutual respect, honorable behavior, and learning, thereby promoting student success and discouraging academic dishonesty.
2. Inform students of the course requirements, grading procedures, and rules and expectations for acceptable conduct and behavior in your class, including definitions of plagiarism and the ethical use of technology.
3. Inform students of the SRJC policy (3.11) on Academic Integrity and the Student Conduct Code, which is in the SRJC Catalog and part of Policy 8.2.8, Student Discipline. Explain how these policies will be applied in your classes.
4. Inform students of their rights to due process should they wish to contest an allegation or penalty that you have determined.

Student Responsibilities

1. Conduct yourself in a manner that encourages mutual respect, honorable behavior, and learning, thereby promoting student success and discouraging academic dishonesty.
2. Learn and understand the course requirements, grading procedures, and rules and expectations for acceptable conduct and behavior in each of your classes, including definitions of plagiarism and the ethical use of technology.
3. Learn and understand SRJC policy (3.11) on Academic Integrity and the Student Conduct Code, which is in the SRJC catalog and part of Policy 8.2.8, Student Discipline and how these policies will be applied in your classes.
4. Learn and understand your rights to due process should you wish to contest an allegation or penalty made by an instructor or other representative of the college.

These procedures focus on academic integrity in the context of the instructor-student relationship in the setting of an instructional program. Instructor obligations are further delineated in Policy 3.9 Instructor's Obligation to the Student. Appropriate student conduct is further delineated in The Student Conduct Code, which is part of SRJC Policy 8.2.8 and is published in the SRJC Catalog.