Academic and Artistic Ethics Policy

Plagiarism and all kinds of academic and artistic dishonesty are contrary to the educational philosophy and aims of Bennington College and are absolutely prohibited. At Bennington, instances of plagiarism and dishonesty affect all students and all faculty, since cheating compromises the spirit of self-governance and the community’s commitment to work. The College will not tolerate the disregard of our common academic endeavors by those who fail to take intellectual and ethical responsibility for their work. Academic and artistic dishonesty is not merely an issue for a specific student, class, or faculty member; it is a College-wide issue with institutional consequences.

Plagiarism is submitting the work of others as one’s own, whether intentionally or not, and includes failure to acknowledge sources. Proper acknowledgment of sources is the basis of academic honesty. Such sources include words, ideas, data, source code, and images from books, articles, Internet sites, and so on. Sources of images must be noted in the same way that textual material is cited, according to discipline standards. Ample material is available in the library to help students determine how to cite sources properly. Any students with questions about this should consult reference librarians, the Director of Undergraduate Writing Initiatives, peer writing and research tutors, or faculty members for guidance.

Other examples of academic and artistic dishonesty include the submission of the same work for different classes without substantial revision and prior permission from the faculty, projects or assignments done collaboratively but not approved in advance by faculty as collaborative work, and misrepresentation of one’s approved accommodations.

Whenever academic or artistic dishonesty is discovered or suspected, the following procedures are followed:

1. The instructor consults with the Dean of Studies about the particular situation.
2. The instructor normally then discusses the situation directly with the student.
3. If the instructor is satisfied that the suspicion is unfounded, no further action is taken.

If, after discussing the situation with the student, the instructor continues to suspect that plagiarism or another kind of dishonesty has occurred, the instructor again speaks with the Dean of Studies. The faculty advisor will also be consulted. The Dean of Studies then determines the specific consequences for the student. The student will receive a letter outlining the offense and the consequence; the letter will be copied to the student’s faculty advisor and included in the student’s permanent file. Students may not withdraw from a course to avoid failure as a result of academic dishonesty.

One or more of the following consequences may be imposed in accordance with the discretion of the Dean of Studies:

1. First Offense: Failure of the assignment, failure in the class, academic warning, suspension, or dismissal.
2. Subsequent Offense: Failure in the class, academic warning, suspension, or dismissal.

Appeals: Appeals of the decision in cases of suspension or dismissal must be made in writing to the Provost of the College or designee within 10 days of the letter of notification. Decisions of the Provost of the College or designee will be in writing and are final.