Policies and Regulations

Academic Dishonesty Policy Statement and Procedures
Appeals of Academic Evaluations Policy and Procedures
Adjustments to Academic Regulations
Credit/No Credit Regulations
Probation and Suspension
Transfer of Non-Drake Credits
Student Responsibility
Withdrawal Policy
Formal Student Grievance Policy

Academic Dishonesty Policy Statement and Procedures

Below are the procedures from the college handbook:

4.6 Procedures for Appeals of Academic Evaluations

This appeals process is established to deal with: a) appeals from actions taken as a result of an instructor's determination that a student's performance involved academic dishonesty including, but not limited to, plagiarism and cheating and b) student petitions challenging a grade or alleging arbitrary and capricious grading practices.

[Note: These are the procedures typically followed by the College of Arts and Sciences. However, these procedures are subject to change without prior notice and they do not constitute a contract between Drake University and its students.]

4.6.1 Academic Dishonesty.

4.6.11 Definitions.

Academic dishonesty is an all encompassing term involving any activity that seeks to gain credit for work one has not done or to deliberately damage or destroy the work of others. Academic dishonesty includes, but is not limited to, the following:

Plagiarism - The misrepresentation, either by intent or negligence, of another’s ideas, phrases, discourse, or works as one’s own.

Cheating - the act, or attempted act, of giving or obtaining aid and/or information by illicit means in meeting any academic requirements, including examinations.

Fabrication - intentional and unauthorized falsification or invention of any information or citation in an academic sense in any academic exercise.

Facilitating Academic Dishonesty - intentionally or knowingly helping or attempting to help another to commit an act of academic dishonesty.

Examples of academic dishonesty include, but are not limited to:

1. Copying from the Internet or worldwide web and representing it as one's own thoughts or work;
2. Copying from another student's paper, laboratory report, or other report, or computer files or listings and representing it as one's own thoughts or work;
3. Using, during a test or laboratory experiment, material and/or devices not authorized by the instructor in charge of the test;
4. Without the instructor's permission, collaborating with another, knowingly assisting another or knowingly receiving the assistance of another in writing an examination or in satisfying any other course requirements;
5. Incorporating into written assignments materials written by others without giving them credit, or otherwise improperly using information written by others (including that which might be stored on computer disks or other technological devices); or submitting commercially prepared papers as one's own;
6. Submission of multiple copies of the same or similar papers without prior approval of the several instructors involved;
7. Claiming as one's own work that which was done by tutors or others with no mention of credit to or the assistance of those persons;
8. Deliberately damaging or destroying another's laboratory experiments, computer work or studio work;
9. Knowingly obtaining access to, using, buying, selling, stealing, transporting, or soliciting in its entirety or in part, the contents of a test or other assignment unauthorized for release;
10. Substituting for another student, or permitting another student to substitute for oneself, to take a test or other assignment or to make a presentation;
11. Intentional and unauthorized falsification or invention of any information or citation in an academic exercise;
12. Forgery, alterations, or misuse of University documents;
13. Falsifying information submitted or failure to reveal relevant information in any University application form or offering any false information in any University disciplinary proceeding.

Each instructor reserves the right to further clarify and define his/her expectations of academic integrity orally or in written form, such as through the course syllabus.

4.6.12 Conscientious Retraction of Submitted Work.

A student may retract work (including examinations) he or she has submitted that violates this Policy, if such a retraction is an act of conscience. Should such a conscientious retraction occur, it will be governed by the following:

1. A student who has the courage and integrity to come forth with a good faith retraction before gaining any knowledge that someone else may suspect him or her of the violation has reaffirmed his or her personal commitment to the Academic Integrity Policy and will not be expelled from the University. However, the student will be subject to other disciplinary action at the discretion of the instructor or Dean, with the appeal rights provided for hereunder.
2. A good faith admission by a student must be made voluntarily. Once a student is approached with a possible Academic Integrity Policy violation, it is too late for that student to make a retraction.
3. A student that wishes to make a conscientious retraction should contact the Associate Dean. The student must submit a statement attesting to the violation of the Academic Integrity Policy and include an affirmation that he or she has not been accused of an Academic Integrity Policy violation. The statement must be signed and dated by the student, the instructor, and the Dean and then returned to the Dean where it will be kept confidential.

4.6.13 Procedures and Penalties.

The penalty for academic dishonesty will vary from incident to incident, depending upon the scope and magnitude of the offense and the circumstances in which it occurred; upon the prior record of the person being penalized; and upon evidence suggesting the existence or absence of a pattern of academic dishonesty in the academic performance of the person committing the offense.

Not later than fourteen (14) days after an alleged Academic Integrity Policy violation comes to his/her attention, the instructor shall (1) provide the student with written notice describing the alleged violation and (2) make a good faith effort (normally, both an e-mail and a phone mail message during the academic year; and an e-mail and a regular U.S. letter during the summer or winter break) to meet with the student to discuss the alleged violation. After the meeting, or after it becomes clear that the student refuses to meet, the instructor shall exercise professional judgment in selecting his or her course of action. Among the possible courses of action are the following:

1. Conclude that no violation occurred. The matter is then dropped and maintained as a confidential transaction between faculty member and student.
2. Conclude a violation occurred, and subject to the student's right to have the matter brought before the Academic Integrity and Appeals Committee (see below), assign the appropriate penalty in the course, including, but not limited to, reprimand, grade reduction or dismissal from the course with a failing grade.
3. If the instructor after imposing a failing grade for the course believes that the violation is so serious that suspension or expulsion from the College should be considered, the instructor must refer the matter to the Academic Integrity and Appeals Committee.
4. Conclude that a violation occurred and arrange an informal voluntary consultation among the instructor, the student and the department chair and/or the Dean in an effort to agree on a penalty and resolve the matter. If the matter is resolved to everyone's satisfaction, it is at an end. If not, the instructor and the student retain the right to proceed under 4.6.14. All time deadlines are stayed while this course of action, or a similar course of action, is attempted.

If the instructor under b or c above determines that a violation has occurred and assigns a penalty, he/she will notify the Associate Dean of Arts and Sciences and the chair of the instructor’s department. If the student is majoring in a program in a college outside of Arts and Sciences, the Associate Dean will notify the Dean of that college.

Note: Anytime a matter is timely brought before the Academic Integrity and Appeals Committee, either by the instructor or the student, the Committee has the right to decide anew whether an Academic Integrity violation occurred according to the definitions in 4.6.11 and/or the instructor’s policies as stated in the syllabus and/or other written or oral communications provided to the class.

4.6.14 Initiation.

Academic Integrity proceedings will commence upon notification in one of the following situations, both of which may be present in a single case:

1. An instructor requests that the Committee review the alleged violation and consider the additional penalties of suspension or expulsion from the College, as discussed in (c) above; by notifying the Dean or the Associate Dean within ten (10) working days of notifying the student of his/her penalty for the course; or
2. A student appeals an instructor’s decision regarding a violation of the Academic Integrity Policy by notifying the Dean or the Associate Dean within ten (10) working days of notification of the penalty(s) imposed by the instructor.

Note: If the student does not wish to appeal the decision on academic integrity but only the final course grade resulting from the instructor’s penalty, the student should initiate a Grade Appeal pursuant to 4.6.4 below.

4.6.15 Notification of Hearing.

The Chair of the Academic Integrity and Appeals Committee must notify the student and the instructor in writing at least ten (10) working days prior to the hearing date. The notification shall include the alleged Academic Integrity Policy violation giving rise to the hearing, hearing procedures, the date, time, and location of the hearing, copies of documents that the Committee intends to use at the hearing and the name of the Chair.

In responding to the hearing notification, the accused may do any of the following:

1. Enter a plea of guilty and accept the penalty(s) imposed by the instructor and any additional penalties recommended by the instructor.
2. Notify the Chair of the Committee, Dean, or the Associate Dean that he or she is voluntarily withdrawing from the University or College and subsequently withdraw, which, absent compelling facts and circumstances to the contrary, shall be considered an admission of guilt in the matter. If the instructor has made a timely request, the Committee shall then meet to consider whether to impose the additional penalties of suspension or expulsion from the College.
3. Waive the notice period or request a postponement.
4. Request a separate hearing from other students being charged for Academic Integrity Policy violations surrounding the same incident.

Requests will be granted or denied in the reasonable discretion of the Chair of the Academic Integrity Committee.

4.6.16 Attendance at the Hearing.

Attendance at the hearing is restricted to the members of the Academic Integrity and Appeals Committee, the instructor of the course involved, the accused student, and witnesses. At least five members of the Committee must be present. Witnesses, other than the accused, may be excluded from portions of the hearing at the discretion of the Chair. The accused may invite an advisor, who may attend the hearing, but the advisor may not represent the accused, offer testimony, or question witnesses. Upon approval of the Chair, other invitees of the accused or the instructor who are not witnesses may be allowed to attend.

If a student or instructor has received timely notice but fails to appear at the hearing, and has not requested and received a postponement, the hearing may still go forward as provided below, at the discretion of the Chair.

If a witness has reasonable cause as to why he or she will be unable to attend the hearing, the Chair must make accommodations to hear the witness’s testimony or obtain a signed written statement. No decision may be rendered by the Committee prior to making reasonable accommodations to hear all testimony or obtain a signed written statement from any requested witness.

4.6.17 Record.

Prior to each hearing, one of the Committee members will be designated as recording secretary by the Chair. A handwritten summary of the proceedings shall be created during the hearing and housed in confidentiality with the Dean following the conclusion of the hearing. At the request of either party or the Committee, the proceedings shall additionally be tape-recorded and held with the other records.

4.6.18 Hearing Proceedings.

The Chair of the Academic Integrity Committee shall inform the accused as to the procedures to be followed throughout the course of the hearing. With the exception of the Committee members, the accused, the accuser (usually the instructor), and witnesses, those present will not participate in the proceedings. The Chair shall take reasonable measures to insure an orderly hearing, including the removal of individuals who impede or disrupt the proceedings.

The hearing shall progress in the following manner:

1. The hearing shall begin with the presentation of an opening statement by the instructor summarizing concisely the basis of the actions taken and the conduct at issue. The student shall then present an opening statement, summarizing concisely the basis for the appeal.
2. The instructor may then support his/her presentation by the testimony of witnesses and by other evidence. The student and the Committee may question the instructor and the witnesses.
3. The student may support his/her presentation by the testimony of witnesses or other evidence. The instructor and the Committee may question the student and the witnesses.
4. At the close of the evidence presented by the student, the instructor shall be given the opportunity to introduce rebuttal evidence that must be limited to any matters that have been raised in the evidence presented by or in behalf of the student.
5. After all evidence has been presented; the instructor may make a final argument, after which the student may make a final argument.

At the conclusion of the hearing, the parties are excused and the Committee will deliberate in closed session on the alleged Academic Integrity Policy violation.

4.6.19 Deliberation.

The Academic Integrity Committee considers any and all evidence offered at the hearing and deliberates until a verdict is reached. The Academic Integrity Committee presumes that all students are aware of this Academic Integrity Policy, including the specific conduct described in 4.6.11.

An Academic Integrity Policy violation can be found only if the preponderance of the evidence establishes that the alleged Academic Integrity Policy violation occurred.

Where the alleged violation is solely based upon conduct proscribed by the instructor's syllabus and/or other written or oral communications, (i.e. not based on the conduct described in 4.6.11 of the Academic Integrity Policy) the evidence must additionally establish by preponderance of the evidence that the instructor had clearly provided this information to the students in the class.

At the end of the deliberation, a secret ballot is taken and a majority vote is required to judge the accused to have violated the Academic Integrity Policy. The only record of the deliberation shall be the verdict and a brief statement of rationale for the verdict.

If the verdict is not guilty, the instructor is bound by that finding and may only evaluate the assignment as to its content or other time-honored bases of academic evaluation.

If the verdict is guilty, the Committee will then reinstate the course penalty applied by the instructor. If the instructor has timely recommended that the Committee consider suspension or expulsion from the College, the Committee shall make a determination, again by majority vote, on whether to impose one of those penalties. In making this decision, the Committee may consider:

1. the scope and magnitude of the offense,
2. the circumstances in which it occurred including the stated policies of the instructor,
3. the prior record of the person being penalized (past violations may be used to determine penalties, but not guilt or innocence), and
4. the evidence suggesting the existence or absence of a pattern of academic dishonesty.

If there is no timely appeal, the Committee decision is final.

4.6.20 Hearing Report.

A concise report of the Committee’s decision and its reasons therefore shall be submitted in writing to the accused student, the instructor and the Dean within three (3) working days of the Committee’s decision.

4.6.21 Appeal of Academic Integrity Committee Decision.

The student or the instructor may appeal the decision(s) of the Academic Integrity and Appeals Committee to the Dean. A written notice of appeal must be delivered to the office of the Dean within ten (10) working days from the receipt of the hearing report from the Committee. The following guidelines apply to appeals:

1. The Dean shall decide all appeals. If the Dean is not available, or if the Dean was intimately involved in the case such that his/her involvement in the appeal would be inappropriate, then the Dean will appoint another administrator to decide the appeal.
2. The grounds for appeal are as follows:
   1. Procedural error that prevented a fair decision by the Committee;
   2. Misstatement or misapplication of the Academic Integrity Policy;
   3. Decision of the Committee not supported by the facts or evidence;
   4. Material evidence or facts, newly discovered, which could not with reasonable diligence have been discovered and introduced at the hearing; or
   5. The fairness of the penalty imposed.
3. Note: If the student does not wish to appeal the decision on academic integrity but only the final course grade resulting from the instructor’s penalty, the student should initiate a Grade Appeal pursuant to 4.6.4 below.
4. If none of the above-reference grounds for appeal is present, the Dean/Designee shall dismiss the appeal and the decision of the Committee is final.
5. If the appeal is not dismissed, the Dean/Designee may affirm or reverse the previous decision with regard to the student’s guilt or innocence and may modify the penalty previously imposed.
6. Barring newly discovered material evidence or facts, an appeal is limited to a review of the record of the hearing, the written evidence introduced at the hearing and the Committee’s hearing report.
7. The Dean/Designee may not impose a more severe penalty than was previously imposed.
8. The Dean/Designee’s decision on appeal is final.

4.6.22 Appeal Decision Report.

A concise report of the Dean's decision and his/her reasons therefore shall be submitted in writing to the accused student and the instructor within three (3) working days of the Dean's decision.

4.6.23 Student Records.

Notations will be made in the student's permanent file of any convictions in accordance with this Policy.

4.6.3 Procedures for Cases Involving a Student Who Is Not a Member of the College of Arts and Sciences.

If a recommended penalty goes beyond any course-specific action, and the student is not a member of the Arts and Sciences College, the Dean must report the offense and recommended penalty to the Dean of the student's college/school before the penalty is imposed.

a. If the student's Dean is in agreement with the recommended penalty, the penalty shall be imposed, in which case it shall apply to the student as if it had been imposed by the student's college/school. This includes suspension and expulsion.

b. If the student's Dean is not in agreement on the penalty, the case shall be referred to the Provost for a final decision on the appropriate penalty.

Appeals of Academic Evaluations Policy and Procedures

Below are the procedures from the college handbook:

4.6.4 Grading Appeals.

4.6.4.1 Appeals Procedure for Grades and Grading Practices.

A student who wishes to challenge the grading practices of an instructor of the College may appeal for a change of a final grade, using the following procedures.

a. Timetable.

The student must initiate the appeals procedure with the instructor within 10 (ten) business days following the final grade submission due date published by the Registrar. First, the student must meet with the instructor involved in an attempt to resolve the problem.

If the matter remains unresolved, the student must request a meeting at which the Department Chair (or the Program Director), the instructor, and the student are present. The student must make this request to the Department Chair (or Program Director) within five (5) business days after the meeting with the student and instructor (excluding summer terms). The student shall be given the opportunity to explain their position and present relevant documentation to the Department Chair (or Program Director).

The Department Chair (or Program Director) shall prepare a written summary of the issues, their findings of fact, and a proposed resolution to be presented to the student and the instructor within five (5) business days following the meeting.

If the proposed resolution of the Chair or Director is not satisfactory to the student, they may appeal in writing to the Dean, who will refer the appeal to the Academic Integrity and Appeals Committee. All appeals must be delivered to the Dean within ten (10) working days of presentation of the proposed resolution to the student and instructor. Absent a timely appeal by the student, the proposed resolution of the Chair or Director becomes final.

Upon receipt of the appeal the Committee shall invite the instructor to submit a written response to the appeal.

The Committee may meet, alone or with some or all of the parties involved, (1) to familiarize itself with the relevant facts and review the instructor’s written grading policy as stated in the syllabus and other relevant documents and (2) to decide if a formal hearing is necessary. Note: A formal hearing is not necessary unless there is at least one material disputed fact issue, the outcome of which depends upon the credibility of a witness.

If the Committee determines a hearing is not necessary, the Committee shall determine, by a preponderance of the evidence, whether there had been either:

1. Procedural or clerical error by the instructor that had a negative impact on the student’s grade
2. The grading being arbitrary, capricious or outside accepted norms with resultant negative impact on the student’s grade. Possible examples: work is graded differently than stated in the rubric; final grades are calculated with a different method than stated on the syllabus, etc.
3. The evaluation was of a different standard than that required of other students in the class, resulting in a negative impact on the student’s grade. Possible examples: some students were permitted to submit late work without penalty and others were not; extra credit opportunities were provided to some, but not all students, etc.

If either question is answered in the affirmative, the Committee shall recommend the appropriate change in grading practice and/or a particular grade. If not, the Committee shall recommend that the grading practice and/or grade remain unchanged. The Committee, having considered all appropriate information, shall submit to the Dean, in writing, its findings of fact and recommendations within five (5) working days of its decision.

If the Committee determines a hearing is necessary, the Committee will notify the student and the instructor in writing at least five (5) working days prior to the hearing date. The notification shall include a summary of the facts, copies of any documents which may be relied upon by the Committee, a description of the hearing procedures, and the date, time, and location of the hearing.

b. Hearing Procedures.

Hearing procedures shall be similar to those outlined in Sections 4.6.15-4.6.20 above. The Committee's charge is to determine, by a preponderance of the evidence, whether the grading practice and/or grade under review is either by a preponderance of the evidence, whether there had been either:

1. Procedural or clerical error by the instructor that had a negative impact on the student’s grade.
2. The grading being arbitrary, capricious or outside accepted norms with resultant negative impact on the student’s grade. Possible examples: work is graded differently than stated in the rubric; final grades are calculated with a different method than stated on the syllabus, etc.
3. The evaluation was of a different standard than that required of other students in the class, resulting in a negative impact on the student’s grade. Possible examples: some students were permitted to submit late work without penalty and others were not; extra credit opportunities were provided to some, but not all students, etc.

If either question is answered in the affirmative, the Committee shall recommend the appropriate change in grading practices and/or a particular grade. If not, the Committee shall recommend that the grading practice and/or grade remain unchanged. The Committee, having considered all appropriate information shall submit to the Dean, in writing, its findings of fact and recommendations within five (5) business days of its decision.

c. Final Decision.

The Dean reviews the Academic Integrity and Appeals Committee’s findings and recommendations and makes a final and unappealable decision with regard to all matters pertaining to the appeal. The Dean shall provide a concise written decision to the members of the Academic Integrity and Appeals Committee, the student, and the instructor within five (5) working days of the Dean's decision.

Please visit this link to access the previous policy in effect until September 14, 2022. 

Adjustments to Academic Regulations

Students who seek adjustments to the academic regulations of the college may do so by filing an Academic Petition. Students wishing to petition for adjustments should first obtain the approval of their academic advisers and then submit their petition to the associate dean. Proper forms are available in the Office of the Dean.

Credit/No Credit Regulations

Arts and Sciences students may take a maximum of 12 hours of coursework on a credit/no-credit basis as provided by the general academic regulations of the University. Courses which students elect to take on a credit/no-credit basis may be counted toward the fulfillment the total of 124 hours required for graduation and the requirement of 40 upper-division hours, but may not be counted toward other college requirements. Courses offered only on a credit/no credit basis are not included in the 12-hour maximum nor excluded from counting toward a college requirement.

Probation and Suspension

Arts and sciences students are governed by the University policies regarding probation, suspension and satisfactory progress found in the academic regulations section of the catalog. Additional probationary conditions may be imposed by the dean.

Transfer of Non-Drake Credits

The following govern the applicability toward the Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Science degree of credit hours earned other than at Drake University:

1. The College of Arts and Sciences complies with all Drake University regulations relating to transfer of college credits.
2. A maximum of 94 hours of transfer credit may be applied to the Bachelor or Arts or Bachelor of Science degree.
3. The Drake College of Arts and Sciences accepts up to 66 credit hours of transfer credit applicable to the Associate of Arts degree from an accredited community or two-year college as any part of the first 94 credit hours toward a bachelor's degree. All transfer students must successfully complete their last 30 credit hours in residence at Drake to satisfy degree requirements.
4. Credit earned by examination may not be counted as Drake Credit toward fulfillment of the requirement that the last 30 credit hours of a student's program be completed in residence courses on the Drake campus.
5. To ensure transfer of credit, students planning to pursue a program at a university or college overseas must consult their advisers regarding the course of study they will follow. The completed program must be signed by the adviser, the chair of the major department, and the associate dean of the college. Copies of the program must be filed with the dean, the registrar, and the overseas study adviser.

Student Responsibility

Each student must be familiar with the academic regulations of the college and is responsible completing all requirements for graduation.

Withdrawal Policy

The College of Arts and Sciences follows the ''withdrawal" policy outlined in the front section of the catalog under the heading ''CURRICULA MODIFICATION." Ordinarily the college permits no exceptions to the official University withdrawal policy. However, under extraordinary circumstances a student may, with adviser concurrence, petition the dean for permission to withdraw late from a course.

Formal Student Grievance Policy

Formal Student Grievances that do not fit into any category listed above may be filed with the Arts and Sciences Dean’s office in the case that students have a conflict, or other concern with faculty or staff members.

Before filing a Formal Student Grievance, the student should first take steps to resolve the issue informally, either through contact with the appropriate faculty or staff member, or through the appropriate department chair.

If a satisfactory solution may not be reached by means above, the student may then file a Formal Student Grievance. To do so, the student must prepare a written document that outlines the nature of the complaint, including a summary of any supporting evidence. The document must also contain the student’s name, address, and phone number. Once prepared, the document may then be turned in to the Arts and Sciences Dean’s Office in Harmon Fine Arts Center, room 268a. The document will be reviewed and addressed by the Deans Office, and the student will be contacted to resolve the issue.

If the issue is not resolved acceptably through the above means, a Formal Student Grievance may be submitted to the Provost’s office.