An academic integrity hearing will be held if the student does not admit to the offense or disagrees with the sanction assessed or prefers not to enter into the Faculty-Student Joint Conference.

1. A request for the hearing shall be made by the student on the “Academic Integrity Violation Form”.
2. The Office of Student Rights and Responsibilities shall send to the accused student within five (5) business days after the charge is received a charge letter indicating the charges and requesting that the student schedule a pre-hearing conference to discuss the charge, the student’s rights and provide information concerning scheduling.
3. The Office of Student Rights and Responsibilities shall proceed to select a hearing panel as described under the Academic Integrity Policy, and except as otherwise directed under the Academic Integrity Policy, shall convene and conduct that panel in a hearing under the procedures outlined below.

Cases occurring during summer sessions, for which a hearing is requested, present special problems due to the brief term and the limited availability of hearing committee members. Such hearings shall be conducted, when necessary, through ad hoc committees appointed by theOffice of Student Rights and Responsibilities. Regularly enrolled UNCG students attending the summer session may elect to have their cases heard by such committee or postpone the hearing until the beginning of the regular session when the normal hearing process is available. Such carryovers of hearings may also be utilized for students, other than seniors nearing graduation, who request hearings at periods when there is not sufficient time remaining in the regular academic year to arrange for the hearing process.

The authority of the hearing panel is limited to the work and/or course in which the violation has occurred and to a finding of “responsible” or “not responsible.” The grade-related sanction imposed by the faculty member is binding if the student is found “responsible”.

All decisions before academic integrity hearing panels must be decided according to whether it is “more likely than not” (preponderance of evidence) that the alleged violations have occurred. In finding responsibility under this standard of proof, a panelist must be convinced, based upon information presented in the course of the hearing, that the conduct described is more likely than not to have occurred.

Academic Integrity Hearing Procedures

NOTE – In all instances in which the procedures described below refer to the “instructor”, that role may be served by the instructor’s designee.

Hearing Participants

• Hearing Officer
  • Staff member from the Office of Student Rights and Responsibilities
• Panel
  • 3 students and 3 faculty or 2 students and 2 faculty selected by the Office of Student Rights and Responsibilities
• Respondent
  • Student charged with having violated the Academic Integrity Policy
• Student Advisor
  • Representative of the Student Attorney General’s Office
• Instructor
  • The instructor who has charged the student with the violation, or a faculty-member designated by that instructor to serve as the instructor’s representative during the hearing
• Faculty Case Assistant
  • Student staff member selected by the Office of Student Rights and Responsibilities
• Witnesses (if any)
  • Individual(s) who shares information relevant to the allegations
  • Only present in the hearing room when they are sharing information
• Support Person
  • Responding Party is allowed to have one support person during hearing who serves as a silent observer during the hearing

Not Responsible Plea

• Within one week of the receipt of an allegation with a plea of “Not Responsible”, the Office of Student Rights and Responsibilities will contact the student to arrange a meeting with a staff member from the Office of Student Rights and Responsibilities. During this meeting, the staff member will review the allegations and available evidence with the student and will discuss hearing procedures with the student.
• When the Office of Student Rights and Responsibilities receives a student plea of “Not Responsible”, a Faculty Case Assistant is assigned to the case by the Office of Student Rights and Responsibilities to work with and assist the Instructor, while a Student Advisor is assigned by the Student Attorney General’s Office to work with and assist the Respondent. The Office of Student Rights and Responsibilities schedules a date and time for the hearing.
• A summary of the hearing procedures, including information about the roles and responsibilities of the Faculty Case Assistant and the Student Advisor and rules regarding the presentation of evidence, will then be sent by the Office of Student Rights and Responsibilities to the Instructor and to the Responding Party as soon as reasonably possible.
• Instructor will be emailed the name of the Faculty Case Assistant once the hearing date has been set. The Faculty Case Assistant will be copied on this email. As soon as reasonably possibly, Faculty Case Assistant will email Instructor to schedule initial meeting.
• The Faculty Case Assistant will contact the Instructor at least one week prior to the hearing to discuss the case and the hearing procedures with the Instructor. Instructors are strongly encouraged to meet with the Faculty Case Assistant. If Instructors do not want participation from the Faculty Case Assistant, the Instructor must inform the Office of Student Rights and Responsibilities in writing. At least one week prior to the hearing the Student Advisor will contact the Responding Party to discuss the case and the hearing procedures with the Respondent.

Written Evidence and Witness Lists

• When a Responding Party officially pleads Not Responsible, the Instructor will complete the Academic Integrity Violation Report Form and upload copies of any written evidence upon which the allegation is based via Maxient using this link. Prior to a hearing, instructors may supplement or replace that evidence with additional evidence that must be forwarded to the Office of Student Rights and Responsibilities no later than 3 business days before the hearing. Instructors must also send to the Office of Student Rights and Responsibilities (by that date) a listing of any witnesses that the Instructor plans to call at the hearing. The Faculty Case Assistant has the Notice to Present Evidence Form where this information is documented.
• Three business days prior to the hearing, the Responding Party must provide the Office of Student Rights and Responsibilities with copies of any written evidence that they will be presenting at the hearing, along with a listing of any witnesses that they plan to call at the hearing.
• Two business days prior to the hearing the Office of Student Rights and Responsibilities will electronically inform the Responding Party and the Instructor of their right to view the submitted evidence and witness lists. Instructors and Respondents may bring additional evidence to the hearing, but such evidence must be approved for relevance by the Hearing Officer prior to being presented to the panel.

Responsibility for Honesty

• All those providing testimony as part of an Academic Integrity Hearing are required to tell the truth. Dishonesty during the hearing on the part of any student, including witnesses, is itself a violation of the Student Code of Conduct.

Evidentiary Standard 

• A “Preponderance of the Evidence” standard is used in all Academic Integrity hearings. That is, panels will judge whether it is more likely than not that the Responding Party has violated the Academic Integrity Policy. The burden of proof is on the instructor in all Academic Integrity hearings.

Hearing Notes

• Faculty member serves as Reporting Party in Academic Integrity cases meaning they will be in the hearing room for the duration of the hearing
• During the hearing, Faculty Case Assistant should allow the faculty member to take the lead with explaining the circumstances behind the allegations
  • “Dr. Guttentag, please walk the panel through the allegations.”
• Faculty member or Faculty Case Assistant can ask questions
• Faculty will be able to evaluate their experience with the hearing process including interactions with the Faculty Case Assistant

Hearing Flow

1. The hearing officer will facilitate introductions of those present and will explain the hearing procedures to the parties.
2. The responding party (student) and the reporting party (instructor) will be given the opportunity to challenge a hearing panelist on the grounds of conflict with, bias about, or interest in, the case. It is at the hearing officer’s discretion to support or refuse the challenge. If a challenge is granted and a hearing panelist is disqualified then the hearing may be postponed as necessary in the discretion of the hearing officer/Office of Student Rights and Responsibilities or designee.
3. The hearing officer will state the charge(s) against the responding party.
4. The Instructor or Faculty Case Assistant will be provided the opportunity to make an opening statement. This opening statement is limited to no more than five (5) minutes.
5. The responding party or Student Conduct Advisor will be provided the opportunity to make an opening statement. This opening statement is limited to no more than five (5) minutes.
6. The Instructor/Faculty Case Assistant will present evidence in support of the charge(s) and may also present written evidence and witnesses. The Instructor will take the lead in presenting to the hearing panel but can defer to the Faculty Case Assistant at their discretion.
7. The hearing panel will be provided access to copies of all written evidence submitted by the Instructor/Faculty Case Assistant.
8. The hearing panel may directly question the Instructor/Faculty Case Assistant Student Case and witnesses. The responding party/Student Conduct Advisor has the right to question the Instructor/Faculty Case Assistant and the witnesses who appear.
9. The responding party may respond to the charge(s) and may present evidence in the form of written evidence or testimony of the responding party or other witnesses.
10. The hearing panel will be provided access to copies of all written evidence submitted by the responding party.
11. The hearing panel may then question the witnesses presented by the responding party and may also question the responding party. The Instructor/Faculty Case Assistant may then question the witnesses, including the responding party/Student Conduct Advisor.
12. The Instructor and Faculty Case Assistant will be provided the opportunity to make a closing statement. This closing statement is limited to no more than five (5) minutes. During the closing statement, the Instructor/Faculty Case Assistant can address any points made by the responding party.
13. The responding party or Student Conduct Advisor will be provided the opportunity to make a closing statement. This closing statement is limited to no more than five (5) minutes.
14. The hearing officer will conclude the evidentiary portion of the hearing and begin deliberations.
15. During academic integrity hearings, deliberations about responsibility of the responding party are conducted by the hearing panel in a closed session. Other parties are excused from the hearing room during this time. Once begun, the deliberations normally will continue until a decision as to responsibility has been reached. Recesses will be granted at the sole discretion of the hearing officer.

Appeals

Any appeal from the decision of the hearing panel will be directed in the manner prescribed by the Student Code of Conduct.