As of this semester, Gannon University’s Academic Dishonesty Policy has undergone some changes. The policy itself has not changed, but rather the procedure.

These changes were recommended by the Middle States committee. The process began in March. After the deans, the changes were passed through all Academic Affairs committees in the university.
One of the most significant changes is that deans from all colleges will be notified of any breech in the policy. Prior to the change, only the dean of the college the incident occurred in was notified.
Also, new forms were created to keep on file in the dean’s offices.
According to the Academic Dishonesty Procedure document, “A letter detailing the sanction will be sent to the student from the Dean and copied to the other two College Deans.”
Penalties for infractions have not been changed, but the wording in the policy has been strengthened to reduce subjective interpretation. Lesser penalties can be imposed by faculty if they desire.
Both Carolyn Masters, Ph.D., university provost and vice president for academic affairs, and Hannah Smerker, vice president for Acadmic Affairs in SGA, wanted to emphasize that these changes were in the procedure, not the policy. The changes exist to ensure a consistency of enforcement, and to make sure that students can understand what will happen.
Finally, there is a new academic policy for students taking three or more scheduled final exams in a single day. Students with three or more final exams on the same day in finals week may choose to take their third final on another day within finals week.
However, this change must be mutually convenient for both the professor and the student and must be agreed upon at least four weeks before the beginning of final exam week.
Smerker will be conducting a week-long survey starting Wednesday. She said she hoped to find out students’ opinions on the procedural changes.
MICHAEL HAAS
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