Middlebury Handbook

Students found responsible for academic dishonesty offenses are subject to the penalties listed below.

Plagiarism, cheating, or any other type of academic dishonesty violations are normally punishable by suspension. The adjudicating body is responsible for recommending the most appropriate sanction within the parameters noted below with the dean of the relevant school making the final sanction determination.

Students found responsible for academic dishonesty will normally receive an F on the piece of work and/or fail the course in which the offense occurred. The faculty member makes this determination and assigns the grade.

On rare occasions, if compelling reasons exist for not suspending a student found responsible for academic dishonesty, the judicial body may recommend no less than a reprimand and invoke another appropriate sanction.

1. Reprimands (Unofficial Discipline)

A letter of reprimand may be issued when a student demonstrates an inability or unwillingness to abide by our policies and by repeatedly violating Institute policy. A letter of reprimand may also be issued when a student has committed a violation of the Institute policy that has had or may have had a negative impact on an individual or on the community. A reprimand registers strongly the Institute’s concern regarding the student’s actions and its firm expectations for immediate improved behavior.

A letter of reprimand is informal, unofficial discipline and is not part of the student’s official record. Students who receive reprimands can answer negatively if they are asked if they have been subject to official discipline while enrolled in any Institute program. Reprimands are taken into account in determining future disciplinary outcomes and may serve to make further violations of Institute regulations more serious.

2. Disciplinary Academic Probation (Official Discipline)

Disciplinary academic probation is an official form of discipline and is a permanent part of the student's record. Students who receive disciplinary academic probation must answer affirmatively if they are asked if they have been subject to official discipline while enrolled in any Institute program. Disciplinary academic probation extends for the rest of the student's Institute career. A student found guilty of academic dishonesty while on disciplinary academic probation will be suspended at minimum.

3. Suspension (Official Discipline)

Suspension is issued when a student commits a serious policy violation, or repeatedly violates Institute policy, thereby demonstrating an inability or unwillingness to behave in a manner consistent with Institute principles. The behavior is sufficiently egregious that the student is required to leave the Institute community for a period of time. It is intended to encourage acceptance of responsibility and growth by establishing this incident on the student's permanent record; to provide the student with an opportunity to consider and address the problematic behavior; and to develop strategies to ensure that the student’s eventual return to the Institute will be successful for the student, for the individuals affected by the student's actions, and for the community.

Suspension may be imposed for any length of time, but is normally imposed for a period no longer than one academic year. In determining the length of suspension, the sanctioning authority will consider the student’s prior conduct history; the gravity of the violation and its impact on the community; the needs of the complainant/affected party; and the need for sufficient time for the student to demonstrate that the concerning behavior has been satisfactorily addressed. When the sanctioning authority feels that suspension for one academic year is insufficient to allow for a student’s successful return to the community, expulsion will be the normal outcome, barring exceptional circumstances.

Students who are suspended for four weeks or longer who wish to return to or be reinstated at the Institute must apply for readmission or reinstatement. Students must apply through the dean of their school/program. All applicants for readmission or reinstatement after suspension must demonstrate readiness to return to the Institute. Readiness to return is determined by a student’s adherence to the terms of the sanction and the deadlines of the readmission process; by the completion of any additional conditions that may have been established at the time of the student’s departure; and by the provision of satisfactory evidence that the problematic behavior will not recur. If a student is unable to demonstrate readiness to return at the stated conclusion of the period of suspension, the appropriate supervisory authority may deny readmission or reinstatement until it is satisfied that the conditions that led to the student’s departure have been appropriately addressed.

Suspension is a form of official discipline and is a permanent part of the student's record. Students who are suspended must answer affirmatively if they are asked whether they have been subject to official discipline while enrolled in any Institute program. Students who are suspended must leave campus; are restricted from all Institute-owned or rented properties; and are prohibited from participating in all Institute activities or programs, from employment by the Institute, and from using Institute facilities during the stated period of the suspension. When suspension prohibits students from completing a semester or program they have already begun, the comprehensive fee for that semester or program is not refunded. For international students, suspension may affect immigration status; related questions may be directed to the international student advisor in the Office of International Student and Scholar Services.

4. Expulsion (Official Discipline)

For particularly serious offenses, students may be permanently expelled from the Institute. In cases of expulsion from the Institute, no refund of the comprehensive fee or other program fee, as applicable, is made. Expulsion is a form of official discipline and is a permanent part of the student's record. Students who are expelled must answer affirmatively if they are asked whether they have been subject to official discipline while enrolled in any Institute program.

A sanction of suspension or expulsion is ordinarily stayed pending the outcome of any authorized appeal. However, if the judicial authority which imposed this sanction makes a finding that imminent danger to one or more members of the Institute community may exist, suspension or expulsion will take effect immediately regardless of the pendency of an appeal. Please also see the section Institute Initiated Leave of Absence, Emergency Withdrawal, Suspension or Expulsion in the Student Conduct Policy Overview.