Academic Integrity Board Information for Students
The Academic Integrity Board is the body that adjudicates infractions of the Academic Integrity Statement. These infractions include, but are not limited to, cases of academic dishonesty (plagiarism, failure to cite properly, cheating, unauthorized use of AI) and time violations on exams (overtimes).
If You’re Reported
What is the Academic Integrity Board?
The Academic Integrity Board is the body that adjudicates infractions of the Academic Integrity Statement. These infractions include, but are not limited to, cases of academic dishonesty (plagiarism, failure to cite properly, cheating, unauthorized use of AI) and time violations on exams (overtimes).
The Academic Integrity Board is composed of student and faculty voting members. The chair, the Associate Dean of the College, is a non-voting member.
When does a student appear before the Academic Integrity Board?
A student appears before Academic Integrity Board if they have been reported to the Board by a member of the faculty; a fellow student; or, in the case of an overtime infraction for a self-scheduled exam, by the Registrar.
A meeting is called after the Academic Integrity Board receives a report of a suspected violation and after the chair has had an opportunity to speak with the reported student.
What is the usual range of the sanctions?
Normally, the Honor Board issues a sanction that affects the grade of the assignment in question or the final course grade. Students found in violation of the Academic Integrity Statement will not be allowed to drop or change the grading option for the course in question.
If a student fails a course as a result of an Academic Integrity Board sanction, they may not use AP/IB or prematriculation credit to make up any shortage created by that failure.
If a student is taking a course in which they are found to have committed a serious infraction with the S/U option, the Academic Integrity Board reserves the right to change the grading option to a letter grade.
Can the Academic Integrity Board suspend or expel students?
The Academic Integrity Board may recommend expulsion or suspension to the President in the case of repeated or egregious infraction(s) of the Academic Integrity Statement. This action is rare.
Who will be notified of the allegation of a violation of the Academic Integrity Statement?
Apart from the members of the Academic Integrity Board, only the class dean will be notified; however, the particular student involved in the situation shares the details of the situation with their class dean. In cases where the reporting party is a student and the reported student is found in violation, the reporting party will not be informed of the outcome.
How confidential are Academic Integrity Board proceedings?
All proceedings of the Academic Integrity Board are confidential, with all information brought before the Board remaining strictly confidential. Neither Academic Integrity Board members nor those called before the Academic Integrity Board will discuss the case outside the meeting. Parents are not informed of the Board’s decisions.
Will a violation be reported on my college transcript?
Not normally. In egregious cases, the Academic Integrity Board may decide as part of the sanction to put a note on the student’s transcript. A record of the violation will be kept in the Class Deans Office for seven years. When graduate schools or professional schools inquire about Academic Integrity Board cases, the records will be reported by the Class Deans Office.
What happens at a hearing?
The members of the Academic Integrity Board have copies of whatever materials are necessary to their understanding of the situation. Reporting parties and reported parties will separately be afforded the opportunity to explain the situation. Members of the Academic Integrity Board are free to ask questions to clarify any points that they may not understand of anyone who appears before the Board. After statements are heard from all concerned parties, the Academic Integrity Board deliberates on the case and typically makes a decision during the meeting. All affected parties (except reporting students) are informed of the outcome within seven to ten days of the decision.
Do I have to be alone at a hearing?
Your class dean will accompany you to the hearing as your support person.
Should I meet with my class dean before the hearing?
Yes, you are required to meet with your class dean before the hearing. Doing so will help you to further understand why you are being called before the Academic Integrity Board and the Board’s procedures.
What is the role of the class dean at the hearing?
Your class dean attends the hearing as your adviser. If you do not understand a question, you may ask your class dean for clarification or consult with them during the meeting.
Should I meet with the chair of the Academic Integrity Board?
Yes, you are required to meet with the chair of the Academic Integrity Board before the hearing.
Will being brought to the Academic Integrity Board affect my financial aid?
A student’s Smith financial aid package is not affected by the Academic Integrity Board’s decision.
Must I attend the hearing?
Yes, students called before the Academic Integrity Board are required to appear at the time set by the chair. Academic Integrity Board hearings take precedence over all other activities.
Do I need to bring anything with me to the hearing?
Students are required to have submitted a written statement and any relevant supporting materials to the Academic Integrity Board at least two business days prior to the hearing. The reported student will read the statement aloud to the Academic Integrity Board during the hearing.
Is there an appeals process?
Appeals may be made only on the grounds of gross error in procedure that significantly affected the outcome, discovery of new supporting materials that were not reasonably available at the time of the hearing that could affect the outcome, or evidence of biased treatment of the reported student that affected the outcome. Appeals may not be filed solely based on disagreeing with the Board’s decision.
Appeals of decisions of the Academic Integrity Board shall be made in writing to the dean of the college within 14 days of the date on the board’s decision letter.
Does the Academic Integrity Board meet during holidays and breaks?
The Academic Integrity Board does not meet for full hearings during breaks from classes. When possible, the Board will conduct administrative hearings during breaks.
Maintaining Your Academic Integrity
As a community dedicated to scholarship, Smith admits hard-working students who are intellectually curious. Almost without exception, the Academic Integrity Board works with students who, while exhibiting those characteristics, have either made poor decisions under stress or neglected to ask questions about how to approach a given assignment. For most students, then, maintaining academic integrity requires slowing down to think through the costs of damaging one’s own integrity and taking the time to ask questions about what is allowed (or not) in completing a given assignment.
In the first case, when students resort to violating the Academic Integrity Statement because they fear that they will receive a lower grade than they find acceptable, the Board advises students to slow down, reflect on their values, and seek assistance. You should remember that a final course grade is made up of multiple grades throughout a semester. Violating the Academic Integrity Statement to get a higher grade on an assignment or exam is never worth the loss of your integrity. If you find yourself unable to meet the demands of your coursework, please make an appointment with your class dean and your professors to discuss strategies and options. And if you find yourself choosing between violating the Academic Integrity Code and submitting work that is not as strong as you would like, you should always choose the latter option. Students are at Smith to learn. Expect to improve your skills over time. You have many semesters and courses at Smith. Concentrate on demonstrating a trajectory of growth instead of consistent perfection.
When students violate the Academic Integrity Statement because they have not taken the time to clarify which strategies are allowed on a given assignment, our advice is clear: If you are unsure about whether it is OK to use a certain strategy in preparing an assignment, ask your professor questions. If, after asking questions, you are still unclear, ask more questions.
As we tell all students with whom we work, there is one thing that cannot be taken from you: your integrity. Do not compromise your own integrity to get a higher grade.
Examples of Violations
At Smith, we want our students to challenge themselves so that they can improve and grow. If you are finding ways to avoid the “thinking” component of your coursework, you should stop to ask yourself whether you are compromising your academic integrity. We cannot list every conceivable way of violating academic integrity, but the following lists contains some of the most common situations seen by the Academic Integrity Board:
Generative Artificial Intelligence & Your Academic Integrity
At Smith, there is no universal policy on the use of generative AI in the completion of coursework. The professor for each course determines whether and how students are allowed to use generative AI in a given course. Some faculty prohibit its use, while others allow students to use AI under certain circumstances. As a student, it is your responsibility to understand each of your course’s AI policies. To find out, first read the course syllabus carefully. If there is no statement on the syllabus, you should assume that AI use is not allowed unless you learn otherwise from your professor. If you are unsure about whether and how AI use is allowed in a course, you should always ask the professor.
When considering the use of AI in academic integrity cases, the Academic Integrity Board focuses on whether and how a student used AI in direct preparation of a piece of coursework. Unless you are explicitly directed to do so in a course, you should not use generative AI to complete assignments, exams, or coursework of any kind. For example, you should not use generative AI (e.g., ChatGPT) to generate text that you insert into your own paper and pass off as your own words. That is plagiarism. As another example, you should not use AI to find the answer to an exam problem. That is cheating. These are just two examples of how AI can be used in dishonest preparation of coursework. There are many others, some more subtle.
Some students have reported using AI to help them learn the material of a course. For example, we have heard about students using AI to generate quiz questions to learn materials and to produce alternative explanations of concepts. Using AI to help clarify concepts and produce study aids is not necessarily a violation of the Academic Integrity Statement. Still, we encourage you to be in touch with your professor if you are unsure about whether the way you are using AI in a course is allowed. Any time you are using AI in a way that is substituting for the “thinking work” that you should be doing for a course, you should stop and check with your professor about how you are using AI.
Serving on the Board
The Academic Integrity Board works because students serve on it. At any given time, there are at least 8 student voting members of the Board. We strive for Board participation that reflects the diversity of Smith students’ identities, experiences, and interests. The Academic Integrity Board’s mission is fundamentally educational. We support the educational mission of Smith College by engaging in educational interactions with students and faculty about academic integrity. If you would like to participate in this process, we encourage you to apply to serve on the Board.