The College of Business Administration faculty and administration believe that, for students to be prepared for career success, it is important for them not only to know the subject matter in their majors, but also to demonstrate professional, ethical, and responsible business and social behavior. Whether a person is interviewing for a job, participating in a business, academic, or social event, or attending class, there are some important characteristics of personal behavior that are expected by colleagues and administrators. In the business work environment, employees can be dismissed for behavior that is distracting or disruptive to other employees, customers, or administrators.

In keeping with these expectations and to protect the welfare of all students, the faculty and administration of the College have agreed on the following guidelines, beyond those specified in the Student Code of Conduct in the Jaguar Handbook, for appropriate behavior of students in our programs or attending classes in the College. None of these guidelines is intended to limit normal freedom of speech or expression in any way.

Class Attendance

Each student is expected to attend class regularly, to arrive on time, and to remain until class is dismissed. Tardiness and leaving class early are disruptive for other students and the faculty and are behaviors that are not acceptable in a classroom or business setting. Students who do not arrive promptly or leave early may be noted as absent, at the faculty member's discretion. Absences in excess of the maximum prescribed in the course syllabus may result in the faculty member's withdrawing the student from the course.

Other Distracting Behavior

The classroom should be considered a place of business - academic business. Distracting behavior such as uninvited casual talk among students, use of cell phones and beepers, sleeping, or inappropriate behavior toward fellow students or faculty will not be tolerated any more than they would be in a business setting. Faculty have the right and the responsibility to maintain a classroom free of such distractions. Students who persist in such behavior may be asked to leave the class and may be counted absent for the session. Persistent disruptive behavior may result in the faculty member's withdrawing the student from the course.

Academic Dishonesty

Unethical behavior of students in any form is not acceptable and will not be tolerated in the College of Business Administration. Academic dishonesty - cheating on exams, plagiarism of the work of others, unapproved collaboration on graded work, and the like - will be dealt with immediately and with clear consequences. Depending on the nature of the problem, a student who is guilty of any such violation may be withdrawn from the course with a grade of WF (counted as an F in the GPA), given a grade of zero on the assignment, given a grade of F in the course, or otherwise penalized, at the discretion of the faculty member.

Student Grievances

Any student who believes that he or she has been treated unfairly under these guidelines should first address the matter with the faculty member responsible for the class. If the problem is not resolved, the student may meet with the Dean or pursue grievance procedures outlined in the University catalog.

Approved by the Faculty of the Augusta State University
College of Business Administration on 22 February 2001

Any attempt to present intentionally the work or knowledge of others as your own on a graded test or assignment constitutes academic dishonesty. The following illustrations do not include every possible variation of academic dishonesty, but they are examples of the kinds of infractions that will be considered academic dishonesty violations. If you have questions about academic dishonesty, please ask any faculty member or any administrator in the College of Business Administration. It is your responsibility to recognize and avoid initiating or contributing to academically dishonest behavior.

CHEATING ON A TEST, EXAM, OR ASSIGNMENT

Closed-book, closed-notes tests
The use of any materials except those provided by the faculty member or provided for in test instructions is considered cheating. The use of prepared notes, electronic aids, assistance from others, or the use of any information obtained from others (with or without their permission) during the test is considered cheating.

Open-book, open-notes tests
Assistance from others or the use of any information obtained from others (with or without their permission) during the test, without the permission of the instructor, is considered cheating.

Independent projects or papers
If the faculty member's instructions require independent, unassisted work on a project or paper, no portion of the assignment may be prepared by anyone else. Having any part of the assignment prepared by someone else, or in collaboration with someone else, is considered cheating unless the instructor's instructions specifically call for such collaboration.

Assisting others with test information
Because many courses are taught at multiple times, it is important that students in one section of a course not provide information about a test to any student in another section who will take the same or a similar test at a later time. To do so is considered cheating.

PLAGIARISM

Failure to give credit to others
On individual and group assignments – projects, papers, presentations, research studies, and the like – no portion of the work may contain quotations of or paraphrasing (rewording) of the work of others unless each such reference is clearly identified with an appropriate footnote or bibliographical reference to the original source and author. To not give credit to others in each such instance is to present the work of others as if you had written it yourself. That is considered plagiarism. Style manuals (such as the American Psychological Association manual) provide guidelines for footnoting, quotations, and other means of giving credit for the work of others. Your instructor may prefer some particular style. If no guidelines are provided, it is your responsibility to use a standard style or ask the faculty member for guidance. [By the way, there is no particular shame in quoting or paraphrasing – academics do it all the time – but when done, it must be acknowledged.]

Ghost writing
It should go without saying that having someone else write some or all of a paper or do a project for which you are individually responsible constitutes academic dishonesty. Whether the author is a friend, a paid writer, or a person who offers such services on a web site, the result is an intention to present someone else's work as your own and will be treated as an academic dishonesty infraction.