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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