Office of Student Conduct and Community Standards
Email: conduct@uoregon.edu
Phone: 541-346-1140
Website: conduct.uoregon.edu
Office: Oregon Hall 185
Academic integrity is the cornerstone of our educational system. Academic misconduct devalues the reputation of the institution and the degrees we offer. Moreover, academic misconduct is particularly unfair for students who do their work with integrity and honor. The Office of Student Conduct and Community Standards reviews and addresses concerns of academic misconduct in partnership with faculty.
If an Instructor suspects that a student has engaged in academic misconduct, they are required to reach out to the Office of Student Conduct and Community Standards—either by submitting an Incident Report or requesting a consultation to discuss potential resolution options.
Incident Report Submission
When an Instructor discovers an incident of alleged academic misconduct, they should use the Reporting Academic Misconduct Form to submit information and documentation about the alleged incident within five business days of discovery. Documentation should include:
- The original version of the work in question, with any applicable notes
- Any correspondence with the Student about the matter
- Course syllabus
- Documents supporting the alleged misconduct (e.g., Turnitin.com report, alleged source materials, statements from witnesses, etc.)
Student Conduct and Community Standards (SCCS) may place a degree hold on a Student to prevent graduation while a Review of an Incident Report is pending. Timely submission of an Incident Report, especially once an academic term has ended, is important to ensure that a Student is not conferred a degree prior to resolution of a case.
Opportunity for Consultation
The Instructor may consult with the Director of SCCS (or their designee) at any point in the process. This may include consultation about how to respond to an incident, whether or not to submit an Incident Report, options for informal resolution, how to manage the Student’s participation during the rest of the term, and any other questions that arise during a Review.
Instructor Written Notice to Student
To the extent possible, the Instructor should provide written notice to the Student that a report has been submitted to SCCS within five business days of submission of the report.
Written Notice Example:
Dear [student's name],
This message concerns [paper, report, assignment, etc.] that you submitted in partial fulfillment of the course requirement for [course number and section] class on [date]. After my initial review, I suspect a potential incident of Academic Misconduct, as defined in the UO Student Conduct Code. Because of this, as required by university policy, I have filed a report with the Office of Student Conduct and Community Standards (SCCS) on [date of filing]. SCCS will be reaching out to you directly to discuss this further as well as answer any questions. In the meantime, you can contact SCCS at conduct@uoregon.edu or 541-346-1140
Student Conduct FAQs: https://dos.uoregon.edu/faq
Resources for Students: https://dos.uoregon.edu/resources
Sincerely,
[instructor signature]
IMPORTANT: At this time, you may not drop or withdraw, or change the grading option, for this course. Any attempt to drop, withdraw, or change your grading option may be reversed by the Registrar’s Office. For more information about academic misconduct, please see the Standard Operating Procedures for Academic Misconduct Allegations.
Recording Grade While Case Is Pending
The Instructor must assign the grade a Student would have earned without applying an Academic Sanction or Grade Penalty based on suspected academic misconduct while a Review of the matter by SCCS is pending. The Instructor will be able to change the final grade in DuckWeb to reflect an Academic Sanction or Grade Penalty after a Review of the matter has been completed, and the Student has been found responsible for engaging in academic misconduct.
Option for Initial Meeting
The Instructor may meet with the Student to discuss the alleged academic misconduct upon request from the Student, but this Initial Meeting is not required.
If the Instructor opts to have an Initial Meeting with the Student, they should forward any new information arising from that meeting to SCCS for inclusion in the case file.
The Instructor may recommend dismissal of the Incident Report if new information from the Student during this meeting resolves their concerns regarding academic misconduct.
Changes to Academic Misconduct Resolution Process
The Board of Trustees approved changes to the Student Conduct Code in December 2022, in which the review of academic misconduct allegations no longer includes the Faculty Resolution process. These changes require allegations of academic misconduct to be reported directly to SCCS for adjudication, particularly in cases where a finding of responsibility will result in an Academic Sanction or Grade Penalty.
This change was implemented to ensure that the protections and rights embedded in the formal student conduct process are afforded to students, reduce faculty burden in adjudicating instances of academic misconduct directly, and divert potential grievance claims and legal liability from faculty to SCCS. Instructors retain the ability to resolve academic misconduct concerns informally.
Option for Informal Resolution
Instructor may choose to work with the Student to resolve their concerns regarding academic misconduct outside of the formal student conduct process, as long as this Informal Resolution does not result in an Academic Sanction or Grade Penalty being applied on the basis of academic misconduct.
This option may be useful in cases where the alleged academic misconduct is minor and may suitably be addressed with an educational intervention from the Instructor.
The Instructor is not required to report Informal Resolution matters to SCCS—however, they are encouraged to consult with the Director if considering Informal Resolution.
Case Assignment
A Case Manager from SCCS will reach out to inform the Instructor when an Incident Report has been assigned for Review in the formal student conduct process. During the Review, the Student should be directed to the Case Manager with any questions about the process.
Follow-Up Review
The Case Manager may reach out during the course of a Review to share the Student’s perspective, ask questions, or request additional information.
The Case Manager will issue a decision based on the available information and using a preponderance standard (also known as “more likely than not”) once a Review has been completed. The Case Manager will typically consult with the Instructor prior to issuing a decision if the available information suggests that there may be insufficient evidence to find a violation.
Notice of Resolution and Grading
The Instructor will receive a Notice of Resolution from the Case Manager, indicating whether or not there was a Violation found and instructions to calculate the Student’s final grade.
If the Case Manager finds a Violation, the Instructor may determine an appropriate Academic Sanction or Grade Penalty in consideration of the academic misconduct.
If the Case Manager finds insufficient evidence for a Violation, the Instructor will be asked to confirm that the Student’s final grade reflects what they earned without consideration for the alleged academic misconduct.
If the Instructor has already submitted grades for the course, they will sign in to DuckWeb and use the normal grade change process to update the final grade. The Instructor will notify the Registrar’s Office (grading@uoregon.edu) when the grade has been changed or if no change is necessary.
Option for Appeal
If a Student is found responsible for a Violation related to academic misconduct, they may have an opportunity to submit an Appeal pursuant to the University Appeals Board Standard Operating Procedures. You will be notified if an Appeal is submitted and provided an opportunity to submit a Response to the Appeal to be included in the case file reviewed by the University Appeals Board.
If the Case Manager determines there is insufficient evidence to find a Violation, the Instructor may submit an Appeal. The Student will be notified if an Appeal is submitted and provided an opportunity to submit a Response to the Appeal to be included in the case file reviewed by the University Appeals Board.