Regulation on the Accelerated Process for Academic Fraud Cases
Eligibility
1. All students alleged to have committed academic fraud are eligible for the accelerated process of academic fraud cases, with two exceptions:
a) if it is a second or repeated offence;
b) if the offence is serious enough to merit sanctions going as far as sanction 2(i) of the Regulation on Academic Fraud (i.e. the loss of any opportunity to receive a scholarship from the Faculty for one year) to sanction 2(q) (i.e. inclusion in the academic transcript).
Procedure
1. As stated in sections 4 and 5 of the Regulation on Academic Fraud, if the allegation is founded and if the student is eligible for the accelerated process (i.e. that the case is not one of the exceptions that must follow the regular process), an email is sent to the student requesting he or she choose either the accelerated process or the regular process. The student has five working days to provide a response.
By accepting this accelerated process, the student acknowledges a contravention, whether voluntary or involuntary, of academic regulations and accepts that a sanction will be imposed.
2. If the student chooses the accelerated process, a meeting is organized between the person in charge of the accelerated process for academic fraud cases and the student. The purpose of the meeting is to discuss the situation and sign an agreement whereby the student acknowledges having committed a contravention, whether voluntary or involuntary, of the academic regulations and accepts the imposed sanction. The student is allowed two working days to sign and return the agreement to the person in charge of the accelerated process for academic fraud cases.
The student can be accompanied by the person of his or her choice at this meeting, as can the person in charge of the accelerated process for academic fraud cases. However, both the student and the person in charge of the accelerated process for academic fraud cases must provide the other with the name of the person who will be accompanying them beforehand.
Normally, the sanctions are those of the Regulation on Academic Fraud, from sanction 2(a) (i.e. a reprimand) to 2(h) (i.e. an additional requirement of 3 to 30 credits to be added to the student’s program of studies).
3. The person in charge of the accelerated process for academic fraud cases forwards the results of the accelerated process, including the imposed sanction, to the professor who made the allegation and the director of the academic unit. A copy, to be signed by the student, is also included in the student’s file.
The accelerated process for an academic fraud violation normally takes no longer than 15 working days from when the allegation is made to when the agreement is signed.
4. The student can put a stop to this process at any point prior to signing an agreement — the normal process then follows.
The person in charge of the accelerated process for academic fraud cases can also put an end to this process if he or she deems that no agreement is possible, for example, in circumstances such as:
- When emails and/or telephone messages remain unanswered, or the process is being unduly prolonged;
- When the student refuses to acknowledge that a contravention of academic regulations has been committed;
- When the student refuses the proposed sanction;
- When the student does not attend the meeting.
If the regular process is initiated:
- All information disclosed by a student in the accelerated process is to be considered privileged and is not to be disclosed to any member of the committee of inquiry established under the regular process;
- The fact of the occurrence of an accelerated process or of a student’s exploration thereof is not to be disclosed to the committee of inquiry established under the regular process;
- No person (other than the student) participating in the accelerated process is to participate in a committee of inquiry established under the regular process, unless the student agrees otherwise.
5. A student who wishes to file an appeal after he or she has signed an agreement may submit this appeal to the Senate Appeals Committee within 10 working days from the date of said agreement.