Just as the faculty, staff and administration at Whitworth strive to be forthright, direct, and honest, and to value integrity in all their dealings, the university expects all students to function in like manner. Students are expected to adhere to the highest standards of academic honesty and to refrain from any dishonest or unethical action. In all academic exercises, examinations, papers and reports, students are expected to submit their own work. The use of the words or ideas of others is always to be indicated through an acceptable form of citation. This policy will be specified in the syllabus for each course. Definition of plagiarism: Plagiarism occurs whenever a person attempts to pass off as his or her own work, either verbally or in writing, the words and ideas of others. Plagiarism most often occurs in those projects that require independent preparation (outside of class); although it can occur in essay examinations, this is not generally the case. Plagiarism can be either inadvertent (a failure to understand the responsibility for acknowledgment or the means by which acknowledgment should be made) or willful (with a conscious intent to deceive). Definition of cheating and dry-labbing: Cheating is any academic activity in which the student submits for grade or credit work that is not his or her own and/or work that has not been done within the structure and context established by the assignment. It may occur in a variety of ways: copying another student's homework, copying answers from another student's test, bringing unauthorized notes or materials to an exam, copying another student's lab notes, or making up fictitious lab results (also known as "dry-labbing"). All cheating is regarded as willful deception. Consequences of violations of the policy on academic honesty: The faculty member will confront the student(s) in cases of suspected violations of the policy on academic honesty and will keep a written record of the incident. The faculty member will assess the gravity of the violation and determine the consequences, which may range from a failing grade on the specific assignment to a failing grade in the course. The student has a right to appeal any faculty member's decision to the Whitworth Academic Affairs Office. The faculty member will submit a written report of policy violations, with their consequences, to the academic-affairs office. The student will receive a warning after the first violation. If a student violates the academic-honest policy a second time, depending on the nature of the violations, the student may be suspended for the remainder of the current term or a longer period.