INTEGRITY POLICIES

Participation

A class is a multiway form of communication. I am very open to a lot of proposals, and NO DISCRIMINATION will be tolerated or promoted. Consider the class as a brainstorming session. And please contact me during office hours, or send me an email so we can solve any problem before the class. The email form in www.santiago.bz allows you to send ANY comments ANONYMOUSLY. So USE IT.

No animals, persons or yourselves will be harmed during the production of your assignments. Nothing can justify harming physically or psychologically a living creature - including yourselves. You are responsible for the respect of other students, and I count on your integrity for this.

No email, chatting, messaging OF ANY KIND will be allowed during our sessions. All the cell phones should be TURNED OFF during the duration of the class. NO EATING or DRINKING in the classroom will be tolerated, unless it is required by a medical prescription.

Any type of intoxication - drugs, alcohol or even a hangover - will be reported to the authorities.

Copyright

All the text/images/audio/video clips you will use in any of your projects will have to be credited correctly. IDEALLY every single text/image/video/audio you use should be yours and/or copyright free.

Attendance

Attendance is mandatory. NO EXCUSES, if you have more than 4 absences in the Fall/Spring terms or 2 absences in the Summer you will have the chance to withdraw the class - if allowed by the academic calendar - or you will get an F.

I really consider that punctuality and attendance are the most important parts of a class. If you miss a class, you will never be able to experience that class again. I use the word "experience" because not all the information given during the class can be put in paper, or even videotaped. Classes are a question of communication, and communication implies many different ways of exchanging information, the feeling, the laughters, the collective experience... An absence for any reason is an absence. It is your responsibility to initiate and maintain communication with me in case of an unusual circumstance.

If you were not able to do your homework, please do not miss a class! Never miss a class and be responsible for your actions.

Do not miss a class even if you consider the topic of that particular class to be shocking to you for any personal reason. If you do not experience the subject matter presented in the context of the class your perception of this subject matter will be completely distorted and disconnected from the flow of the class. The syllabus is structured to follow a specific order, if you miss one contextualized explanation, you may miss an essential component of the class. If you still consider the subject matter is shocking to you, START A CLASS DISCUSSION during the presentation, and let everybody know the reasons why you consider the subject matter to be objectionable, so that we can all benefit from this discussion as a group. This is a University, and the discussions of each topic are expected to be treated in a mature and adult level. The links/materials/movies I provide in the syllabus cannot be used outside the context of the class and they cannot replace the content of a specific class.

If you are absent and you have not posted your homework on Blackboard, your blog, your site, via Email or sent me the homework with a classmate, you will get an F on that project.

Depending on the circumstances - a medical excuse, an emergency for example - I will grade a late project over the minimum grade I awarded to the projects that were presented on time, only if you are present in the classroom when the project is due. The longer you take to present your project, the worse the grade.

Americans with Disabilities Act Compliance

If there is any student who has special needs because of a disability, please go directly to the Academic Center for Excellence in North Walker Hall.  You may phone 813-258-7251, or e-mail jdelvalle@ut.edu  to report your needs and provide documentation of your disability for certification. Jennifer Del Valle is the associate director of the Academic Center for Excellence, Student Disability Services.  Please feel free to discuss this issue with me in private if you need more information.

Academic Integrity

"In the event that a student violates any provision of The University of Tampa's policy on academic integrity as spelled out in the student handbook, the professor reserves the right to assign whatever grade for the course the professor judges to be appropriate, including a grade of F, without regard to the student's accumulated points. Violations of academic integrity will be handled in accordance with the University's policies. It is the student's responsibility to be familiar with the policies of the university regarding academic integrity and to avoid violating these policies." (from the UT PT Faculty Handbook, page 10-11)

I take academic integrity very seriously. I will monitor all submissions and exams for violations of the academic integrity policy.

Under no circumstances are you to provide an electronic copy of your work to another student. This includes allowing them access to your computer where they may access the file on their own without your consent! It is your responsibility to protect the integrity of your work. All parties involved will be reported to the Dean of Students.

Do NOT provide students in the other section, in case there are multiple sections of a class, with information regarding class discussion or “answers” to class preparation assignments. This hinders their ability to learn the material and is considered a violation of the academic integrity policy. This violation would be considered a “Class preparation assignment” violation and would receive the sanction detailed below.

You must properly document all sources used both in bibliographic format and through proper citation within the text itself. Failure to provide proper citations within the text of any assignment that you submit is plagiarism and will be reported to the Dean of Students. This DOES NOT JUST APPLY to research papers. It also means that you need to identify where data was obtained when it is presented.

The University has a subscription to turnitin.com plagiarism prevention software. This software compares documents to web resources as well as papers that have been submitted to Turnitin from any institution. I will evaluate each document for plagiarism before I grade it using the information from turnitin.com, along with my own examination of each document.

The sanctions within a course are determined by the instructor.
I have established the following sanctions for this course:

• Project / Exam / Presentation / Other – expelled from the class with an F as a final grade
• For all alleged academic integrity violations:
• You will be notified of my intention to impose sanctions and report the incident to the Dean of Students
• We will meet with the Associate Dean and I will go over the alleged violation and he/she will make sure you understand the charge along with your rights
• You have the option to accept the sanctions and the violation will be forwarded to the Dean of Students and placed in your academic file. The violation DOES NOT appear on your official transcript.
• You may choose to appeal the academic integrity violation charges. A hearing will be arranged with faculty, staff and student representatives. We each have the opportunity to present our case and the committee will determine if they feel you have violated the University academic integrity policy. If they find you responsible, then sanctions will be imposed.
• If this is your second violation, you may accept responsibility or appeal. If you accept responsibility, you are immediately expelled from the University. If you appeal and are found responsible you will be expelled from the University.

You may not retake a course under forgiveness if you have an academic integrity violation in the course.

The University of Tampa
(Provisional) Academic Integrity Policy

This provisional policy becomes effective on August 31, 2009 and supersedes any Academic
Integrity Policies previously published by The University of Tampa.
Academic integrity stands at the heart of intellectual life and is a core principle that underpins
how we live and learn in a community of inquiry. The University of Tampa is committed to the
development of each student to become a productive and responsible citizen who embraces the
values of honesty, trust, fairness, respect and responsibility. The community at The University of
Tampa strives to instill values that uphold academic integrity and promotes an ethical standard
that does not condone academic misconduct.

Definitions of Academic Integrity Violations and Academic Misconduct

Cheating: Using or attempting to use unauthorized assistance, information or study aids in any
academic exercise.
Examples of cheating include but are not limited to:
Copying from another person’s work.
Allowing another person to copy your work.
Using unauthorized materials such as a textbook or notebook during an examination or using
technology to illicitly access unauthorized materials.
Using specifically prepared materials such as notes written on clothing or other unauthorized
notes, formula lists, etc., during an examination.
Collaborating with another person during an examination by giving or receiving information
without permission.
Plagiarism: Plagiarism occurs when a person represents someone else’s words, ideas, phrases,
sentences or data as one’s own work. When submitting work that includes someone else’s words,
ideas, syntax, data or organizational patterns, the source of that information must be
acknowledged through complete, accurate and specific references. All verbatim statements must
be appropriately acknowledged. To avoid a charge of plagiarism, a person should be sure to
include an acknowledgment of indebtedness and reference to these sources in the text.

Examples of plagiarism include but are not limited to:

Quoting, paraphrasing or even borrowing the syntax of another’s words without acknowledging
the source.

Using another’s ideas, opinions or theories even if they have been completely paraphrased in
one’s own words without acknowledging the source.

Incorporating facts, statistics or other illustrative material taken from a source, without
acknowledging the source, unless the information is common knowledge.

Submitting a computer program as original work that duplicates, in whole or in part, without
citation, the work of another.

Fabrication: Fabrication refers to the deliberate use of invented information or the falsification
of research or other findings with the intent to deceive.

Examples of fabrication include but are not limited to:

Citation of information not taken from the source indicated.

Listing of sources in a bibliography or other report not used in that project.

Fabricating data or source information in experiments, research project or other academic
exercises.

Misrepresenting oneself or providing misleading and false information in an attempt to access
another user’s computer account.

Academic Misconduct: Academic misconduct includes the alteration of grades; involvement in
the acquisition or distribution of tests, the unauthorized submission of student work in more than
one class and unauthorized collaboration.

Examples of academic misconduct include but are not limited to:

Changing, altering, falsifying or being accessory to the changing, altering or falsifying of a grade
report or form, or entering any university office, building or accessing a computer for that
purpose.

Stealing, buying, selling, giving away or otherwise obtaining all or part of any unadministered
test/examination or entering any university office or building for the purpose of obtaining an
unadministered test/examination.

Coercing any other person to obtain a test or examination.

Altering test answers and then claiming instructor inappropriately graded the examination.

Substituting for another student or permitting any other person to substitute for oneself to take a
test or examination.

Submitting written work to fulfill the requirements of more than one course without the explicit
permission of both instructors.

Discussing or working together on an assignment when expressly forbidden by the Instructor.

Jointly developing all or a substantial portion of a computer assignment and submitting multiple
copies to the instructor as if they were the individual work of each student.

Sanctions:

Violation of academic integrity and academic misconduct tarnish the reputation of the University
and discredit the accomplishments of past and present students. While recognizing that college
students are still developing an understanding of academic integrity, we believe sanctions are
also needed to protect and foster a scholarly community that embraces the values of honesty,
trust, fairness, respect and responsibility.

Recommended sanctions for various violations of academic integrity include but are not limited
to the following: make-up assignment at a more difficult level, assignment of no credit for work
in question, required attendance at a workshop on academic honesty, an assignment that will
increase the student’s awareness of academic integrity, a failing grade on the assignment, a
failing grade in the course, suspension from the University and expulsion from the University.

Reporting Mechanisms:

Notice:

Instructors are encouraged to consult with the Office of the Associate Provost in dealing with
academic integrity violations and academic misconduct cases.

Accusation of an academic integrity violation or academic misconduct must take place within
seven school days after the professor has discovered the evidence leading to the accusation. The
instructor will notify the student and file a Reporting Form for Academic Integrity Violation,
which is available at http://www.ut.edu/provost/. Once an official violation accusation has been
made, the student may not withdraw from the class or the University.

Academic integrity violations and academic misconduct are adjudicated first by the instructor
and sanctioned accordingly. The instructor should make reasonable attempts to meet with the
student(s) in question as soon as possible. When necessary, such meetings may be conducted by
telephone or electronic mail. In this meeting every effort should be made to preserve the basic
teacher/student relationship and to make the meeting a teachable opportunity. The student should
be given the opportunity to respond to the allegation. The instructor will determine appropriate
sanctions.

If the student(s) admits responsibility, the student must sign a statement to that effect and that
statement will be placed on file in the Office of Student Conduct for at least seven years.

Petition:

The student(s) may make a petition to the Office of Associate Provost if the student(s) disagrees
with either the accusation or the sanctions. Guided by principles developed by the Academic
Integrity Committee, the Associate Provost (with assistance from Associate Dean of Students)
will review the case and is authorized to make a decision, either upholding or changing/denying
the original sanction.

Appeal

If the student disagrees with the decision made by the Office of the Associate Provost, the
student may appeal to the Academic Integrity Committee. If the student(s) is found not
responsible, the student(s) may choose to withdraw from the course or from the University. If the
published withdraw date has passed, the action of the Committee shall supersede the published
drop date so the student(s) will still have the opportunity to withdraw without any penalties. The
Committee may either uphold or change/deny the original sanction. All decisions of the
Committee are final.

The faculty member or student who is bringing charges, and the student who is being accused,
shall be accorded the right of being present at hearings dealing with academic integrity
violations, except during the Committee’s final deliberation.

Academic Integrity Committee

The Committee is composed of five members, three faculty members (appointed by the Faculty
Senate), one Associate Dean of Students (appointed by the Dean of Student Affairs) and one
student (appointed by the Dean of Student Affairs). The Committee will elect a Chair, and
substitutions for a committee member may be made only with the consent of the Committee
Chair.

Conflict of Interest

Members of the Committee involved in a case will immediately notify the Chair of any conflicts of interest. If sufficient information exists to support a conflict of interest, the Chair may remove
a member from the case and find a substitute member.

Acknowledgement:

In developing this draft, we reviewed and adapted academic integrity policies of the following
colleges and universities: Rowan University, Kansas State University, University of Miami,
Rollins College, Eckerd College, Stetson University, Chapman University, Florida Institute of
Technology, Barry University, Jacksonville University, Florida Southern College, Nova
Southeastern University, Saint Leo University, Flagler College, Illinois Wesleyan University,
Bradley University and American University.

The University of Tampa Disruption Policy

At the University of Tampa, it is expected that all students will observe acceptable classroom behavior that fosters an atmosphere of learning, free and open exchange of thought, and respect for the individual within the learning environment*. Faculty members are expected to establish the standards of acceptable classroom behavior in their syllabus, and such standards are to be clearly communicated to students. If a student chooses to engage in behavior(s) that contradict these standards, the faculty member is to adhere to the following policy.

1. In the case of threatening and/or physically disturbing behavior, Campus Safety and Security (ResCom, 251-5133) or the appropriate local law enforcement agency will be summoned to alleviate the situation. The individual(s) will be removed from the learning environment pending a university hearing. If deemed necessary by the faculty member within the learning environment, the class may be dismissed and rescheduled if appropriate.

2. Following non-critical incidents of unacceptable behavior within a learning environment, the faculty member will discuss such behavior with the student. It is to be understood that this discussion will serve as a warning to the student. Such discussion will emphasize the action(s) to be taken by the faculty member, if a continuation of the behavior should occur. Any incident(s) where the behavior is deemed to be more serious in nature, the faculty member may elect to file a complaint directly with the Office of Student Conduct. As a matter of record, all conversations with a student regarding aspects of classroom behavior should be documented with copies forwarded to student as well as the appropriate department chairperson. Students are cautioned that should the situation move to a judicial hearing, they will be removed from the learning environment pending the outcome of the hearing.

3. If the inappropriate behavior persists and/or escalates despite a warning from the faculty member, a report will be filed with the Office of Student Conduct. The individual(s) responsible for such behavior will be advised that their actions merit a judicial review/hearing. The report is to include a copy of any written warning(s) issued to responsible parties, a copy of the syllabus or other documentation which outlines the faculty member's classroom behavioral policy for the course wherein the behavior occurred, and any other relevant information (i.e. statements from witnesses, other written communication/YouTube, and/or physical evidence).

4. The Students Rights and Responsibilities shall govern the subsequent proceedings. An Administrative Board will hear the case unless otherwise specified by the Associate Dean of Students. If appropriate, sanctions will be assigned in accordance with established procedures and based upon the severity of the behavior(s) in question. Sanctions may include but are not limited to: course section change, removal from the course entirely, or suspension/dismissal from the university. If a student is removed from the course, no academic credit will be earned.

* A learning environment is defined as a space wherein educational instruction is administered. A learning environment may include but is not limited to a classroom, studio, performance or gallery space, office, laboratory, lecture hall, conference/meeting/function room, or university sponsored events held at off-campus locations.