Academic Integrity Statement

The policies and procedures set forth herein are subject to revision; changes are effective when they are posted online.

The vision of Bay Path University’s Academic Integrity Policy is to educate students and inspire them to the highest standards of academic endeavor. In practice, the Policy is designed to evaluate whether violations of the Policy have occurred, to provide education regarding the nature of the violation and how to avoid future incidents, and to determine appropriate sanctions when violations are found. For the purposes of this Policy, student behavior related to academic coursework will be managed by the Committee co-chairs, and student behavior unrelated to academic coursework will be managed by Student Life. Note: The term ‘faculty member’ throughout this policy includes full time Graduate Faculty, Undergraduate Faculty, TAWC Program Directors, and adjunct faculty.

The Bay Path University Policy on Academic Integrity [“Policy”] is interpreted and enforced through the Standing Committee on Academic Integrity from each division (Traditional Undergraduate, The American Women’s College, and Graduate programs). The Committee is co-chaired by a member of the full-time faculty and a representative from The American Women’s College. Co-chairs work collaboratively with the University administration to administer this Policy. Activities of the Co-Chairs and proceedings of formal Hearing Boards occur entirely within the University community and are not legal proceedings. See additional information in this context under the section on the Hearing Board Process.

Academic Integrity

Violations of the Policy may include but are not limited to:

• plagiarism, including self-plagiarism; Note: The University makes anti-plagiarism software available to faculty and students.
• the use of unauthorized sources of information or violation of copyright and/or license agreements
• cheating
• the theft of academic materials or information
• assisting others in acts of academic dishonesty or conspiracy of any kind that threatens or damages the integrity of the academic process or the University community (including actions such as uploading to/downloading from platforms such as CourseHero or otherwise sharing work, etc.)
• submitting a report, paper, materials (or any considerable part thereof) prepared by any person or technology (e.g., artificial intelligence) other than the student responsible for the assignment unless otherwise directed by faculty/instructor
• disruptive behavior in the course
• any other disruption or obstruction of teaching and learning
• any act that affects the integrity of the fact-finding or Hearing Board process
• failing to respond to inquiries or making false, incomplete, or misleading statements or accusations
• anyone who pressures or induces or threatens to engage in or conceal violations of the Policy, or who retaliates in any way against anyone who provides information, reports, or participates in the process

*Note: Any faculty member who perceives such behavior by any student(s) while instructing a lesson may request that the student(s) leave the immediate learning environment. Furthermore, the faculty member may contact various resources for support as warranted for the given situation, such as Campus Public Safety (cps@baypath.edu), the Student Conduct Coordinator, the Title IX Coordinator, and/or IT (techsupport@baypath.edu). The faculty member must also report the conduct in writing by email to integrity@baypath.edu as soon as possible.