FYI, the following will be received by the Senate this Wednesday. This is
just a report, and there is expected to be a good deal of discussion.
-Jillian

*** submitted to the HC Senate for the 4/30 meeting*****
Report by the Undergraduate Academic Requirements Committee
Re: Proposed Grade for Academic Dishonesty

The UARC was asked to consider whether or not it would be wise and feasible
to institute a new grade, tentatively called "XF, which would be assigned
to designate that a student had received a failing grade in a course
because of academic dishonesty. This proposal was made in the midst of
increasing concern at this college, and elsewhere, that incidents of
academic dishonesty have been increasing and that concrete measures are
necessary to stem their proliferation.

After discussing this proposal with several individuals at the College who
deal with such issues, the committee has opted not to institute such a
grade. The reasons are primarily two-fold:
1) Such a grade would be exceptionally punitive, because, once on the
student's transcript, it could not be removed and it would serve as a
permanent indication to all prospective employers and graduate schools of
the student's action, thereby effectively "crippling" any future attempts
to advance the student's career.

2) The committee unanimously felt that, if such a grade were to be
instituted, it should only be appropriately assigned after the student has
received due process. Currently, this due process procedure involves a
conciliation effort between the student and the faculty member conducted in
the Office of the Dean of Students to arrive at a satisfactory solution
and, failing that, forwarding the case to the faculty-student disciplinary
committee for a full hearing. As was pointed out by the Associate Dean of
Students, however, this process only has the power to recommend to the
faculty member what grade to assign; it cannot require that any particular
grade be assigned as that power resides solely with the faculty member.
Thus, should the XF grade be available, it would be possible for a faculty
member to assign it even without the due process procedure, (or despite the
recommendation resulting from this procedure). Hence, once the grade was
available, there could be no assurance that the grade would only be
assigned following due process.
*** submitted to the HC Senate for the 4/30 meeting*****


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Jillian Murray
Vice Chairperson
Hunter College Senate
http://www.hunter.cuny.edu/senate
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