Colby's Academic Regulations

Education and the growth of human knowledge depend upon the interaction of human minds. To collaborate in learning, both with experts and with peers, is a necessary and valuable activity. It is no more legitimate to steal the product of another person’s mental labor, however, than it is to steal the product of his or her physical labor. Money buys the use of material goods; documentation and acknowledgment are legal tender in the world of ideas.

Plagiarism, a word derived from the Latin word for kidnapper, covers a wide spectrum of dishonest uses of the products of another’s intellectual labor. The most blatant plagiarism is outright copying of someone else’s work, whether from a book or from another student, and passing it off as your own. It is also dishonest to paraphrase or summarize or even adopt occasional apt phrases from another writer unless you give credit to your source. To follow another’s line of reasoning without indicating the source of that thought process is also plagiarism.

Plagiarism, cheating, using the work of another student as your own (including material stored on the computer), and other forms of academic dishonesty are serious offenses. Submitting the same work in more than one course without the permission of the instructors is a form of academic dishonesty, as is enrollment, without the permission of the instructors, in two classes that have the same class meeting times (or overlap at all).  For the first offense, the instructor may impose an academic sanction up to and including dismissal of the offender from the course with a mark of F.  The instructor will also report the case to the department chair and the dean of students, and in his or her report the instructor may recommend additional penalties, including suspension or expulsion.  If a recommendation for additional penalties is made by the instructor, the dean of students, after consultation with the department chair, may impose other or additional penalties, including suspension or expulsion. This report becomes part of the student’s confidential file. A second offense automatically leads to suspension or expulsion. Students may not withdraw passing from a course in which they have been found guilty of academic dishonesty. A student is entitled to appeal to the Appeals Board, within seven days of receipt of the letter of notification, charges of academic dishonesty. The decision of the board will be final and binding (see student discipline procedures).

The College also views misrepresentations to faculty, within the context of a course, as a form of academic dishonesty. Students lying to or otherwise deceiving faculty are subject to dismissal from the course with a grade of F, as well as possible additional disciplinary action.

Student accountability for academic dishonesty extends beyond the end of a semester and even after graduation. If Colby determines, following the completing of a course or after the awarding of a Colby degree, that academic dishonesty has occurred, the College may change the student’s grade and rescind credit for the course, and/or revoke the Colby degree.