Quinnipiac University emphasizes integrity as one of its guiding principles. 

This policy, overseen and administered by the Office of Academic Innovation and Effectiveness, is part of the larger educational effort at Quinnipiac University in which community members learn and practice ethical behavior. All members of the Quinnipiac University community are expected to commit themselves to personal and academic integrity. Read the full Academic Integrity Policy.

On This Page

I. Academic Integrity & Accountability Policy

At Quinnipiac, our community has chosen integrity as one of its guiding principles along with Honesty, Trust, Responsibility, Fairness, Respect, and Courage. In keeping with these values, Quinnipiac University expects its community members to comply with the usual expectations for honest academic work and to uphold academic integrity through personal accountability in all courses. All coursework and examinations are expected to be a student’s own work and completed according to course guidelines.

A. Promoting Academic Integrity & Accountability and Reporting Possible Violations

Each member of the community is expected to adhere to and support the Academic Integrity & Accountability Policy. All students must read the QU Academic Integrity & Accountability Policy as they will be held accountable for all information contained within it. 

In keeping with their responsibility to the community, students, faculty and staff must report any violation, including minor and/or unintentional violations, directly to the Coordinator of Academic Integrity & Accountability through the Academic Integrity & Accountability Reporting Form. Quinnipiac recognizes that reporting violations is difficult; however, reporting is necessary to maintain fairness as well as standards of integrity on campus. Reporting is part of everyone’s responsibility as a member of the community.

Students, faculty and staff also should promote integrity by:

  • Educating each other,
  • Discussing integrity in their classes,
  • Reporting violations when they occur.

The Office of Academic Integrity & Accountability provides educational support and resources to reduce academic integrity violations. These resources may be found on the Academic Integrity & Accountability website.

B.  Academic Integrity & Accountability Violations

Academic integrity and accountability violations encompass any act committed by a Quinnipiac student that compromises or subverts the integrity of the educational or research processes. Violations may fall under one or more categories or violations. These offenses include, but are not limited to:

Plagiarism 

refers to representing another person’s words or ideas as one’s own in any academic exercise, whether intentional or not. It is the responsibility of all students to understand the methods of proper attribution and to apply those principles in all written, oral, and electronic submissions.

Fabrication 

refers to falsifying, creating, changing, or misusing data (including citations) in any academic exercise.

Cheating and/or Stealing

refers to acting dishonestly or unfairly in a manner that the student may gain an unfair advantage, including the use (or attempted use) of unauthorized assistance or acquisition of information that would impede the fair process of an examination or assignment in any way. It is not necessary for the student to be successful in gaining an advantage for a violation to occur.

Unauthorized Possession or Use of Devices or Materials

refers to a student’s improper access to items that would provide an academic advantage to the student if utilized. This violation does not require that the student utilizes the items nor that the student receives the advantage; it requires only that access was available at a time that it would provide the unfair advantage. It is the responsibility of the student to know what materials are allowed by the instructor for assignments and examinations.

Facilitation and Collusion

refers to consciously/purposefully assisting any person in the commission of an academic integrity violation or an act of academic misconduct. Collusion differs from collaboration in that collaboration may be permitted in various courses. It is the responsibility of the student to know whether and to what extent collaborative activity is permitted.

Misrepresentation

refers to any action in which the student acts to defraud or otherwise mislead the academic authority about some important aspect of the academic process to the extent that it may provide an advantage for the student. This includes any actions in which a student improperly portrays affiliation with or information from the university. It is not necessary for the student to be successful in gaining an advantage for a violation to occur.

Impeding Fair and Equal Access to the Educational and Research Process

refers to student conduct that disrupts any academic exercise in such a way that the student and/or other students are deprived of the learning, knowledge, or educational value of the exercise as intended by the instructor.

Retaliation

refers to providing adverse assessment, scoring, or reflection upon, or otherwise acting or inducing adverse action toward anyone who reports an academic integrity violation, serves as a witness in an academic integrity case, or participates in the investigation and resolution of an academic integrity case. This includes the use of threatening or hostile language at any point in the AI process.

II. Adjudication of Academic Integrity & Accountability Cases

The Academic Integrity & Accountability Process

When a member of the university community suspects that a student has committed an academic integrity and accountability violation, that member must submit an academic integrity report. Reports must be submitted to the Office of Academic Integrity & Accountability [OAIA] in all instances so that the university can monitor types of violations and take appropriate steps to remediate the cause(s). Once a report is filed, the case will be considered according to the principles set forth in this Academic Integrity & Accountability [AIA] Policy.

The process will be conducted using electronic written (i.e. Quinnipiac email) and live (Zoom) video communication, and includes seven stages:

  1. Pre-Report
  2. Report
  3. Notice
  4. Response
  5. Adjudication
  6. Resolution
  7. Appeal

ADA Policy

QU complies with the Americans with Disabilities Act and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. If a student anticipates any barriers to the AIA process, please contact the Coordinator of Academic Integrity & Accountability [CAIA].

Parties/Terminology

Reporter

The reporter is the community member who learns of, witnesses or otherwise becomes aware of a potential violation of the AIA Policy and files a formal report with the OAIA. This person may be any member of the QU community or a person outside of the community with specific knowledge relevant to the behavior of an individual or individuals within the community. Unless this person is the faculty member for the course in which the AIA Policy was potentially violated, this person may not receive updates about the report that was filed.  

Student 

The student is the person within the QU community who has potentially violated the AIA Policy by conduct and therefore has been specifically named in a formal report filed with the OAIA. This person will be updated progressively through the process outlined in this policy.  

Faculty Member

The faculty member is the instructor on record for the course in which the potential academic integrity violation was identified in the formal report with the OAIA. This person is expected to participate fully in all parts of the process outlined in this policy—except Joint Resolution (see below)—including compliance with the final sanctions. This person will be updated throughout the process outlined in this policy.  

Witness

The witness is any person specifically identified in the formal report or any other person identified during the course of AIA Board investigation who may have knowledge of the conduct that violated the AIA Policy. In order to be considered a witness to a matter, this person must be willing to participate in a live interview with members of the AIA Board acting to resolve the matter involving the student. The witness’s willingness to participate in an interview will be ascertained by the CAIA prior to AIA Board contact. Witnesses, especially if QU students, cannot be compelled to appear in front of the student.

Adviser

The adviser is a member of the QU community—other than members of the School of Medicine and the School of Law—available to assist the student in preparing for the AIA Policy process. As this is an educational, policy hearing, the student is not permitted to have legal representation, parents, or family members to serve as an adviser or to be present in process interviews or meetings. An adviser may assist the student in preparing for the interview or meetings and may attend the interviews or meetings but may not speak during the interview process. The adviser is not permitted to provide guidance to the student on how to proceed. It is the responsibility of the student to notify the adviser of the date and time of the interview. A student may make a written request to have an adviser assigned by the CAIA. If a student requests an assigned adviser and then refuses this adviser, no further advisers will be assigned. 

1. Pre-Report

All members of the university community are encouraged to discuss alleged violations with the Coordinator of Academic Integrity & Accountability prior to filing a report to clarify and confirm procedures.

Before reporting the allegation to the OAIA, the following steps should be taken.

Investigate the Claim

When a course instructor suspects an academic integrity violation has occurred, the instructor:

  1. should notify the student suspected of violating the policy that a report is being filed.
  2. should gather information in support of the claim (i.e., papers and assignments) to be submitted with the report.
  3. should speak with witnesses (if any) who may have information about the incident. 
  4. if, after investigation, there is reasonable suspicion that an academic integrity violation has occurred [whether intentional or not], the instructor must file a report. 
  5. should then issue an “incomplete” for the assignment or exam until there is a resolution in the case, either through Joint Resolution, Case Review, or Hearing.

When a member of the university community (other than the course instructor) suspects a violation of the AIA Policy, they must:

  1. First discuss the matter with the course instructor. This is especially true when the allegation is based solely upon a student’s account of what happened. 
  2. This discussion will not only notify the faculty member of the suspicions but also prompt a preliminary investigation. The preliminary investigation should include gathering information to support the claim and speaking with potential witnesses.
  3. If after investigation, there is reason to believe a violation has occurred, the report may be filed by any member of the university community. 

If, for any reason, a reporter feels unable to file a report for fear of retaliation, they should contact the Coordinator of Academic Integrity & Accountability who will maintain all confidentiality to protect the identity of the reporter.

2. Report

1. Faculty, staff, and students must submit all reasonable suspicion of violations in writing to the OAIA via the Academic Integrity & Accountability Report Form.

A. The report must provide the name of the student(s), student ID number(s), the date(s), and a description of the alleged violation(s), detailed facts surrounding the alleged violation(s), the names of any witnesses and detailed factual information or documentation useful in determining the truth of the charge(s) made. Each instance of academic dishonesty involving a student must be reported separately unless the claims arise out of the same set of circumstances.  

B. All reports must be substantiated by information that directly relates to proving the claim. All supporting evidence must be submitted as a PDF. Any video or other evidence that is not accepted by Maxient may be provided to the coordinator through a shared file on OneDrive.

C. The report must not contain private or confidential information unrelated to the claim, extraneous prejudicial information, or information that cannot be verified by the academic integrity process. Examples of inadmissible information are:

i. Any information that may refer to the student’s academic integrity & accountability history.

ii. Any information that cannot be corroborated by witness(es)/reporter(s).

iii. Information presented by an anonymous or unidentifiable witness.

iv. Private or confidential information that is not related to the claim and for which there is no “need to know.”

v. Information obtained in a way that violates the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act, including the use of unlicensed artificial intelligence or plagiarism detectors, is inadmissible as evidence in an academic integrity case.

D. A report that is rejected for any reason may be revised and resubmitted. 

2. All AIA reports must be submitted within 20 [business] days of the date of the alleged incident or within 20 [business] days of discovery of the alleged violation, whichever is later. This timeline does not apply to resubmitted reports.

NB: If, in the process of discovery and investigation of an AIA violation, the reporter finds similar or other AIA violations in previous submitted and graded work, the reporter should include all relevant information upon the submission of the report.

3. Incidents involving multiple students may be reported on the same form, but individual student cases will be adjudicated separately, and case materials may be redacted in order to preserve each student’s confidentiality. 

3. Notice

1. Once the report and supporting documents meet the appropriate standards, the OAIA will notify the student accused of the potential academic integrity violation. The notice sent to the student will:

A. specify the alleged violation(s) of this Policy

B. outline the academic judicial procedures of this Policy

C. explain that within 48 hours/two business days of such notice, the student is obligated to respond on the Academic Integrity & Accountability Response Form.

2. The faculty member will receive a copy of the notice to confirm that the academic integrity process has been initiated. 

3. All involved parties are responsible for checking their Quinnipiac email account at all times, including during examination and vacation periods, with the exception of the dates when the university is closed. Failure to check one's email account or a specific mailbox is not an excusable reason for missing a deadline in this process.

4. Response

The student must complete the Academic Integrity & Accountability Response Form within two business days. Among other information, the form requires the student to submit the following:

  • Perceived responsibility for the incident – Here the student will indicate whether they accept or deny responsibility for the violation; this will determine how the case proceeds. If a student accepts responsibility, they are admitting to having committed the academic integrity and accountability violation(s) reported.
  • Desire to communicate with the faculty member – Here the student can indicate whether they would be interested in resolving the case through direct communication with the faculty member; this Joint Resolution process is only available to students with no prior violations of this policy. 
  • Additional information about the incident – Here the student should provide a personal attestation to the facts of the situation, evidence (including documentation) that supports their facts and the names of any relevant witnesses that they wish to be interviewed for the case.

NB: Any information about the course or faculty member that is not specifically related to the reported incident or is threatening or hostile in nature should be omitted from this form and reported to the appropriate campus resource (i.e., College/School administration, Title IX). Threatening or hostile language [e.g., language intended to intimidate or threaten any party in the AI process] will result in an additional AIA violation for “Retaliation”.  

5. Adjudication

All AIA matters will be adjudicated using one of the three processes below based on the student’s acceptance or denial of the violation, the student’s desire to communicate with the faculty member and the student’s prior history of violating this policy. 

Joint Resolution

Joint Resolution [JR] is appropriate and feasible for resolving the matter if:

  • The student has no prior AIA violation, and
  • The student accepts responsibility for the violation, and
  • The student elects to communicate with the faculty member to resolve the violation.

1. After receiving the student’s Academic Integrity & Accountability Response Form and verifying eligibility for JR, the OAIA will notify the student of its approval for the student to pursue the joint resolution process.

2. After receiving joint resolution approval, the student may submit a request to the faculty member to participate in the JR.    

A. If the faculty member accepts the student’s request to participate in JR, it is anticipated and encouraged that a JR will be worked out in a private meeting between the faculty member and the student(s) involved in a case. However, either the student or the faculty member can request that the coordinator assign a member of the AIA Board to attend a JR meeting as a neutral third party.

NB: If the faculty member and the student cannot agree on an outcome, the case will proceed on to Case Review.

B. If the faculty member rejects the student’s invitation to participate in JR, the case will proceed to a Case Review. Faculty members are not required to participate in JR.

3. If the faculty member and student agree on an outcome, they must submit an Academic Integrity & Accountability Joint Resolution Proposal reflecting the terms of their agreement to the OAIA. On this form they will specify the violation(s) and the jointly agreed sanction(s).

4. The Academic Integrity & Accountability Joint Resolution Proposal will be forwarded to the CAIA for final approval. If a conflict of interest occurs, the coordinator can request Academic Integrity Board approval of JRs. The coordinator can reject a JR when further investigation of the incident is warranted.

5. A student who did not initially accept responsibility and has not been found responsible for a prior academic integrity violation may, at any time before a final board decision, change their response to accept responsibility in order to participate in the JR process.

Case Review

Case Review [CR] is appropriate for resolving the matter if:

  • A student with no prior academic integrity violation declares they are not responsible for the alleged violation, or
  • The student has been found responsible for a prior violation of the policy and accepts responsibility for the current violation, and
  • The student does not request a hearing.

1. After receiving the student’s Academic Integrity & Accountability Response Form and verifying eligibility for CR, the coordinator will act expeditiously to select, from the AIA Board, a CR team consisting of one student and one faculty or staff board member, and will provide written notification to the student(s), staff, and faculty member(s) involved indicating that a CR team has been assigned.

2. Acting with all reasonable dispatch, the CR team will contact, schedule, and separately interview the student(s), the faculty member(s) and any witnesses involved in the case as part of their investigation. All CR interviews will take place via Zoom.

3. The CR team will also collect and review all evidence relevant to the case. Upon completing the review, the CR team will meet to determine responsibility. If a student is found responsible for the violation(s), the team will issue sanctions accordingly.

Hearing

Hearing is appropriate for resolving the matter if:

  • The student has been found responsible for a previous violation of the policy and denies responsibility for the current potential violation, or
  • The student has been found responsible for multiple previous violations, and/or
  • The alleged violations have been determined to be severe.

1. After receiving the student’s Academic Integrity & Accountability Response Form and verifying eligibility for hearing, the coordinator will act expeditiously to select a hearing board of three students and two faculty/staff members from the AIA Board. The coordinator or a designated member of the AIA Board will chair each hearing.

2. The CAIA will notify the student(s) and faculty that are involved, in writing, of the academic judicial hearing logistics and procedures. The student may choose to meet with the coordinator to be sure the student fully understands the procedures that will be followed during the hearing.

3. Notice of time, date, and a link to the Zoom meeting will be sent to the parties involved via email at least 48 hours/two business days prior to the meeting.

Severe Cases Referred to Hearing

In instances when an academic integrity and accountability violation is considered severe, the OAIA and AIA Board will send the case to Hearing. A severe violation is one in which there is a serious breach of academic integrity and accountability as a result of a student’s intentional actions. This includes cases that involve any form of threat [see “Retaliation”] made against the reporter or others involved in the case, or in which there is a significant impact on the learning process and the credibility of academic work.

6. Resolution/Sanctions

Once responsibility has been determined, an appropriate sanction is determined either through JR, CR, or Hearing and communicated to the OAIA, the coordinator will notify the parties, in writing, of the final determination, the sanctions imposed, and the appeal process.

Sanctions are to be determined by the AIA Board based on the seriousness of the violation and the student’s academic integrity history. Sanctions may include, but are not limited to, a zero on the assignment/test, a reduced grade or an “F” in the class, an “F” with an academic integrity notation [FAI], or the addition of an academic integrity notation to a W in a course [WAI].

Repeat, subsequent, or severe offenses will result in increasingly strict sanctions, including probation, suspension, dismissal, and expulsion. When a student on probation, also known as a “deferred suspension,” is found responsible for a subsequent academic integrity violation during the probationary period, the subsequent violation will automatically result in a one-semester suspension.

If the sanction includes suspension, unless otherwise specified by the AIA Board, the use of “term” refers specifically to the full summer term or one of the 15-week semesters either in the fall or the spring. If a student is dismissed from the university for an academic integrity violation, they may file a new application for admission to Quinnipiac after one calendar year. Expulsion from the university will be permanent.

WAI/FAI

Any sanction resulting in a grade of WAI or FAI, suspension, dismissal, or expulsion will appear on a student’s transcripts. Students may submit a petition to the Vice President for Academic Innovation & Effectiveness to have this academic integrity notation removed from their record if two semesters/terms have passed from the time of the sanction with no further AI violations, or the student completes the requirements for graduation (whichever comes first).  If a student’s petition is granted and once they have completed the remediation process with the OAI, the grade WAI will become a W, and the grade FAI will become an F.

NB: A decision made by the AIA Board in the adjudication of an academic integrity and accountability violation does not override any progress or lack of progress a student has made within their studies. If a student has failed to meet the necessary standards to pass their coursework, the consequences of that will be a failure in the course, whether the student is found responsible for an academic integrity violation or not. Additionally, the AIA Board does not adjudicate student compliance with course and/or school policies, procedures, professionalism standards, and/or accreditation standards. The AIA Board’s authority is strictly focused on the university’s Academic Integrity & Accountability Policy.

7. Appeal

1. An individual who has been found responsible for a violation of the AIA Policy may appeal the decision of the case review team or hearing board. Appeals must be made directly to a designee of or the Vice President for Academic Innovation & Effectiveness. During this appeal process, the original sanction is held in abeyance until an appeal decision has been made.

2. A detailed formal letter of appeal must be submitted within 48 hours/two business days of the student’s receipt of written notification of the decision and must explain one or more of the following specific grounds for the appeal:

A. Improper academic judicial procedures that impacted the effective presentation of the student’s case.

B. ​Additional or new relevant information has been discovered.

C. ​The sanction was not consistent or appropriate with the nature of the violation.

3. A designee of or the Vice President for Academic Innovation & Effectiveness then will decide to:

A. Uphold the original decision on responsibility and the sanction imposed.

B. Uphold the original decision on responsibility and modify the sanction imposed.

C. Determine that improper procedures impacted the effective presentation of the student’s case, and a hearing will be scheduled using proper procedures.

D. Overturn the decision on responsibility.

3. A designee of or the Vice President for Academic Innovation & Effectiveness will notify all appropriate individuals involved in the case, the Coordinator of Academic Integrity & Accountability and any appropriate Quinnipiac University personnel (dean, registrar, One Stop, etc.) of the outcome of the appeal.

Failure to Respond and Non-Compliance with Sanctions

If a student fails to respond to or comply with a letter/notification from the Office of Academic Integrity & Accountability or AIA Board; attend a scheduled meeting with any AIA officer, hearing board or case review team member or faculty member; attend an academic judicial hearing; or abide by any of the procedures here noted in this policy, the rights and options presented herein are forfeited by the student. The case may proceed without the student or faculty member(s) present and a decision will be made. If a hearing takes place without the student present, the student will be notified in writing via electronic mail of the outcome of the hearing. Additional sanctions will be considered for non-compliance.

Students who fail to comply with the sanctions determined in a joint resolution will have their case proceed to a hearing where the AIA Board will determine sanctions, and the student will be subject to a one-semester suspension.

Procedure:

  • Any student who appears to be in non-compliance with a Joint Resolution or a Case Review or a Hearing Board sanction will be notified by the Coordinator of Academic Integrity & Accountability via email of the apparent non-compliance.
  • The student will be instructed to reply within 48 hours/two business days. The student also will be informed that an extension for compliance can be requested, in writing, to the coordinator. No more than one extension will be granted by the coordinator. If the student requests an extension for compliance, the coordinator will notify the student of the extension’s approval/denial and the reasons for such.
  • If the student does not reply within 48 hours/two business days of the notification of non-compliance, the student will be deemed to be non-compliant, and the case will proceed to a hearing (joint resolution) or the student will be subject to a one-semester suspension (case review or hearing).
  • Appeal of the suspension will occur in the same manner as all other suspensions (see Appeal Section of the AIA Policy).

Other Guidelines on AI Cases

1. Course Completion [End of Term Academic Integrity Cases]

If grades are awarded while the case is in progress, the faculty member must assign a temporary grade of “incomplete” to the student pending the outcome of the AIA Board review process.

  • A faculty member should not automatically assign a grade (other than an “I”) when a student is suspected of a violation of this policy.
  • When an incomplete grade is assigned in a prerequisite course, a student may be permitted to enroll in the subsequent course pending the outcome of the academic integrity case.

2. Course Withdrawal

If a student withdraws from a class prior to the resolution of an academic integrity violation report, the withdrawal shall not impact the process of the academic integrity case.

  • If the student is found responsible for an academic integrity violation, a grade of WAI will be imposed to indicate that the withdrawal was undertaken after a violation of the university's AIA Policy.
  • The AIA Board has full and unique authority to determine FAI and WAI sanctions as part of a case review investigation or academic integrity hearing and may convert the WAI to an FAI grade.

3. Concurrent Reports and Consolidation

  • If multiple reports arising out of similar or the same set of circumstances are filed against a student in the same course, the separate reports may be adjudicated as one case.
  • If a second report is filed against the student before there has been a resolution in the first case, whether the second report arises from the same or another course, resolution of the second case will be postponed by OAI until there has been a resolution in the first case. 
  • Any concurrent or multiple reports for the same class will be treated as a severe violation.

4. Post-Course Adjudication

If a student earns a final course grade and later is found responsible for academic integrity violation(s) in that same class, the academic integrity sanctions will take precedence over the initial grade and stand as a matter of course.

5. Violations Outside of a Course

If a student with no prior academic integrity violation accepts responsibility for an action which violates the AIA Policy but is not related to a particular class, a Case Review will be held in order to determine the sanction. The student will be ineligible for a Joint Resolution.

III. Office of Academic Integrity & Accountability and the Academic Integrity & Accountability Board

Office of Academic Integrity & Accountability

The Office of Academic Integrity & Accountability [OAIA] serves as the central office for all academic integrity administration in all Quinnipiac University colleges and schools except for the School of Law and School of Medicine.  

The OAIA is responsible for maintaining the Academic Integrity & Accountability Policy and for promoting awareness relating to academic integrity violations. The office supports the various schools and departments throughout the university to ensure that the campus community has the training, tools, and guidance necessary to foster a culture of academic integrity. The purpose of the OAIA is to provide consistent advocacy, education and preservation of the academic community present at Quinnipiac.  

Composition

The OAIA is comprised of the Coordinator of Academic Integrity & Accountability and the Academic Integrity & Accountability Board. The Coordinator of Academic Integrity & Accountability is the chief administrator charged with organizing academic integrity efforts in the Quinnipiac community including the intake, processing, and management of all reports and the subsequent cases. The Academic Integrity & Accountability Board is the chief adjudicator of all academic integrity and accountability violations.  

Record Keeping

  • All records regarding alleged violations and academic judicial procedures are confidential in accordance with the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA).
  • Records of multiple offenses will be maintained by the OAIA and will be made available to the relevant AIA Board members in the sanctions phase of a hearing or case review.
  • The OAIA can perform simple amendments and revisions to academic integrity reports for the purpose of correcting pertinent information (i.e., class, faculty, or student information) and/or concealing information that could be used to identify persons who have an individual right to confidentiality (i.e., redacting other student names).
  • The OAIA maintains the ability to separate and initiate cases for multiple potential violations of academic integrity from a single report. The cases can be focused on different students (i.e., one report can initiate academic integrity cases on more than one student) and/or focused on different assignments for one student (i.e., one report can initiate an academic integrity case for the midterm examination and an academic integrity case for the final examination). Multiple cases extracted from a single academic integrity report must be confirmed with the faculty member for the class in which the potential violations took place prior to initiation.  
  • Minor updates to the AIA Policy and updates to the OAIA website may be undertaken by the CAIA with input/approval from the AIA Board.

Academic Integrity & Accountability Board

The Academic Integrity & Accountability Board is responsible for investigating and adjudicating alleged violations of the Academic Integrity & Accountability Policy and educating the university community about academic integrity and accountability issues. The AIA Board works closely with the CAIA.

Composition

The AIA Board consists of full-time faculty members from each of the university's schools and colleges, full-time university staff members, and undergraduate and graduate students. Temporary board members may be appointed on an as-needed basis by the coordinator.

Selection and Tenure

Positions on the AIA Board are open to all students, full-time faculty, and administrative staff. 

  • Faculty board members are appointed by the individual schools and colleges in accordance with school/college-based processes and approved by the coordinator. At least one board member from each school is required; schools with 25 or more faculty members should have one additional board member for every 25 full-time faculty members. 
  • Appointed faculty members are typically assigned for the full academic year, but accommodation will be made for research leave, vacation days, etc. Board members should communicate with the CAIA in advance so that alternate arrangements may be made. 
  • It is not necessary for board members to be present on campus to serve since all CRs and Hearings will take place via Zoom.
  • Staff board members are selected by the CAIA. Individuals selected to serve can originate from any university department and should maintain both a personal and professional interest in the academic integrity of the institution and its students.  
  • Student board members are selected by the CAIA. Student members must have and maintain a minimum 2.50 GPA and cannot be under any type of (active) academic or disciplinary sanctions. Applications are available on the OAIA website.

Faculty members elected to the board will serve the duration of their elected term but may remain on the board with the permission of the individual college or school and the CAIA. Staff appointed to the board will serve indefinitely at the discretion of the CAIA. Students appointed to the board will serve while enrolled at the university at the discretion of the CAIA.  

If a member of the AIA Board is unable to or fails to perform their duties for a prolonged period of time, the CAIA will remove the member and appoint a permanent replacement.

IV. FERPA and Student Rights

Community members should ensure that all alleged incidents of academic dishonesty are kept confidential in accordance with the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act.

Student Procedural Rights

A student who has been charged with a violation of the Academic Integrity & Accountability Policy shall be granted the following procedural rights (unless otherwise specified, all written communication will be generated by the Office of Academic Integrity & Accountability):

  1. Confidentiality: In accordance with FERPA and the Student Records Policy, the right to have all records, files and proceedings kept confidential and shared with a Quinnipiac University official only when the official has a legitimate need to know.
  2. Notice: The right to be informed in writing of the specific violation(s) and inappropriate behavior in which the student is suspected of being involved.
  3. Procedures: The right to be informed orally and/or in writing of the academic integrity procedures.
  4. Hearing/Case Review: The right to be notified in writing of the date and time of the hearing or case review interview, which will be conducted via Zoom.
  5. Evidence and Witnesses: The right to know the nature of and review the evidence against them (within confidentiality, health and safety protocols) and the opportunity to present relevant evidence and witnesses on their behalf. 
  6. Adviser: The right to have a member of the university community, other than a member of the Quinnipiac University School of Law or School of Medicine, act as an adviser and attend the case review interview and/or hearing. If the student so requests, the OAIA will appoint an adviser for the student. The adviser may attend the case review interview and the AI hearing, but may not attend the joint resolution discussion.
  7. Written Decision: The right to have written notice of the results of any case review or hearing.
  8. Appeal: The right to appeal a decision of a case review team or hearing board within 48 hours/two business days of receiving written notification of the final decision.
  9. Defense: The right to present a case against all alleged violation(s) and inappropriate behavior. This right maintains the option of remaining silent at any point without that silence being used against the student.