(revised 05/23/2011 faculty meeting)
In all endeavors, Simpson College expects its students to adhere to the strictest standards of honesty and integrity. In keeping with the College’s mission to develop the student’s critical intellectual skills, while fostering personal integrity and moral responsibility, each student is expected to abide by the Simpson College rules for academic integrity. Academic dishonesty includes (but is not limited to) any form of cheating, plagiarism, unauthorized collaboration, fraud (falsifying documents, forging signatures, altering records, etc.), misreporting any absence as college-sponsored or college-sanctioned, submitting a paper written in whole or in part by someone else, or submitting a paper that was previously submitted in whole or in substantial part for another class without prior permission. If the student has any questions about whether any action would constitute academic dishonesty, it is imperative that the he or she consult the instructor before taking the action.
All cases of substantiated academic dishonesty must be reported to the student’s academic advisor and the Dean for Academic Affairs.
10.1.1 Penalties for Dishonesty:
10.1.1.1 Academic Dishonesty within the Context of a Course: The penalty for academic dishonesty that occurs within the context of a specific course and is substantiated by firm evidence is:
- failure of the course;
- failure of the assignment; or
- the requirement that the work be redone with a substituted assignment.
The instructor may choose from the above options to reflect how knowing, intentional, or serious he or she judges the incident to be. If the instructor determines that the student shall fail the course, and even if that decision is made within the withdrawal period, the student may not withdraw, and the faculty member will immediately enter a grade of “F” for the course. If the instructor determines that the student will not automatically fail the course, but must redo the assignment, and it is within the withdrawal period, the student may withdraw from the course.
10.1.1.2 Academic Dishonesty outside the Context of a Course:
If a student is suspected of committing academic dishonesty outside the context of a course (e.g., fraud involving college documents and/or records that do not involve a course), and it has been substantiated with evidence, the Academic Dean shall then decide whether to place the student on academic probation, academic suspension or academic dismissal dependeing upon the severity of the case. Records of the case and the subsequent punishment will be kept in the student’s file as a permanent record.
10.1.1.3 Repeat Offenses:
(revised 05/23/2016 faculty meeting)
Upon the second report of substantiated academic dishonesty, the Academic Dean will convene the Academic Actions Committee to recommend to the Academic Dean appropriate punishment, which may include academic probation, suspension, or dismissal. The student may appeal the recommendation of the Academic Actions Committee to the Academic Appeals Committee. The decision of the Academic Dean is final.
10.1.1.4 Suspected Academic Dishonesty:
In cases of suspected academic dishonesty that cannot be substantiated by evidence, the instructor may give the student a warning and may require the student to redo the assignment. In a case where academic dishonesty is strongly suspected but cannot be substantiated, the instructor will issue a formal warning, along with a report to the academic advisor and the Academic Dean. Repeated instances of suspected acdemic dishonesty may lead to appropriate disciplinary action, including academic probation, suspension, or dismissal, at the discretion of the Academic Dean. In addition to the above sanctions, the college reserves the right to take additional action as it deems appropriate.
10.1.2 Appeal:
If a student wishes to appeal a charge of substantiated academic dishonesty, he or she may request a hearing before the Academic Appeals Committee. The student(s) shall present to the Registrar of the College a written appeal stating clearly what is being appealed and the rationale. The instructor shall present the evidence to the committee. The committee’s decision shall be final.
(revised 05/23/2011 faculty meeting)
The academic petitions subcommittee shall consist of three members of the educational policy and curriculum committee (EPCC), including the current chair of the EPCC. The academic petitions subcommittee will provide an avenue for students to petition for exemption from the academic policies established by the faculty of the college.
This committee shall meet once a month, dates to be announced, and review all appropriate academic petitions making the decision to either approve or deny the petition.
(revised 12/05/2012 faculty meeting)
If a student receives a final grade for a course that they do no believe was computed correctly, the student shall go to the faculty member who gave the grade and provide a rationale for why they believe the final grade was not computed correctly.
If the instructor disagrees with the student’s position, then the next course of action for the student is to contact the Dean for Academic Affairs to file an appeal. A student considering filling an academic appeal regarding a final grade awarded by a faculty member in a course shall request and receive access to the criteria used by the faculty member in determining the student’s final grade, including the rationale and criteria for all grades that were used in the calculation of the final course grade. The student shall have 30 days from the end of the term to file the appeal with the office of the academic dean. In the appeal, the student must provide a written explanation as to how the grade was computed incorrectly.
It should be noted that the Dean for Academic Affairs will not substitute his/her judgement on the quality of the student’s work for that of the instructor. The inquiry by the Dean must focus on the alleged mathematical error made by the instructor in formulating the final grade. The Dean shall then render a decision based on the information provided by the student and the faculty member. The Dean may request the advice of a committee of faculty members and hold a hearing before making a decision. The decision of the Dean shall be the final resolution of this matter.
(revised 03/18/2015 faculty meeting)
10.4.1 Probation:
Simpson requires as a minimum a 2.00 cumulative grade point average for graduation. To remain in good academic standing, a student must achieve the following cumulative grade point averages at the end of the respective year:
| Year |
Number of Completed Credits |
Cumulative GPA Required |
| First Year |
0 - 29.00 |
1.80 |
| Sophomore |
29.01 - 61.00 |
1.90 |
| Junior |
61.01 - 95.00 |
2.00 |
| Senior |
95.01 and above |
2.00 |
If a student’s cumulatie grade point average falls below the minimum expectations for good academic standing, that student will be placed on academic probation by the dean for academic affairs. The academic dean may seek the recommendation of appropriate faculty, advisors and college administrators before making a decision about probation, suspension and dismissal. Academic probation is a proving period during which a student’s continuance at Simpson College is in jeopardy. During this period, the student must give evidence of significant progress toward satisfying the graduation requirements as outlined as follows:
The student is expected to earn at least a 2.00 GPA in their first semester of probation. If the student does not earn at least a 2.00 GPA in their first semester of probation. If the student does not earn at least a 2.00 term GPA in that first semester of probation, but shows improvment, in term GPA over the previous semester, the student may be granted a continuation of probation by the academic dean. If the student shows no improvement in term GPA from the previous semester the student will normally be academically suspended.
If the student shows improvement and academic probation is continued for a second semester, then in the second semester of probation, the student must earn grades necessary to bring the student to the minimum cumulative GPA to be removed from probation or the student will be academically suspended. If the student does not earn grades necessary in the second semester on probation to bring the student to the minimum cumulative GPA to be removed from probation, but does show improvement in cumulative GPA, the student may be given one more semester to raise their cumulative GPA high enough to get off probation and return to good standing. If after the third semester the student is still not off academic probation, the student will normally be academically suspended by the academic dean.
10.4.2 Suspension:
Students on academic probation who do not demonstrate adequate progress toward good standing as described in SEction 10.4.1 may be suspended from the college. If a student is suspended, he/she may make, after a time set by the academic dean at the time of suspension, submit an application for readmission.
Student who have been academically suspended have a right to appeal the suspension by contacting the Registrar’s Office. The appeal must be in writing, and the academic dean will present the case to the academic appeals committee for a final decision.
10.4.3 Dismissal:
If a student is suspended, and is readmitted, the student returns on academic probation. If the student achieves a 2.0 or better term GPA in the semester of re-admittance, the student may be continued on academic probation at the discretion of the academic dean as long as the student is making progress toward good standing as described in Section 10.4.1.
If the student fails to achieve the term GPA of at least 2.0 during the semester of re-admittance, the student will be academically dismissed. Dismissed students may not apply for readmission.
10.4.4 Academic Departmental Program Probation, Suspension and Dismissal
(added 10/14/15 faculty meeting)
Academic departments which have programs with specific admissions, retention, and completion criteria (e.g., education, athletic training) have the authority to review applicants, accept probationary candidates and enforce approved standards within the context of their programs.
It is incumbent upon each program to have clearly outline processes and policies for the implementation of accepting candidates, their ongoing review during the program and criteria for program completion.
Unless specifically stated otherwise by the academic department, the following rules govern enrollment status in these programs:
a. Good standing within a program is determined by the academic department or appropriate committee.
b. A student who does not maintain the criteria established for the program may be placed on probation, suspended or dismissed from the program.
c. A student dimissed from the program may not apply for readmission.
d. In an undergraduate program, a student dismissed from the program remains enrolled at the college unless dismissal from the college is determined by the institution to be warranted.
e. A student enrolled solely in a graduate program who is dismissed from that graduate program is automatically dismissed from the college.
f. A student who is enrolled in a dual degree (e.g. undergraduate criminal justice/MACJ) may be dismissed from the graduate program and remain a student in the undergraduate program.
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