Information for Students Receiving a Policy 71 Allegation

Guidelines to Policy 71

The following information is intended to help students understand the process that normally occurs when an allegation has been made under Policy 71 – Student Discipline. This information does not override or supersede Policy 71. There will be cases that, by their nature, require treatment that differs from the process described below.

As described in Policy 71, you are entitled to:

  • a presumption of innocence unless the contrary is established;
  • be made aware of the case against them;
  • have matters addressed fairly and expeditiously; and
  • decisions are based on the balance of probabilities.

The following steps normally occur when resolving a student discipline matter:

1. Potential Informal Resolution Proposal

A Policy 71 matter may be settled informally either with the instructor or the Director of Academic Integrity.

Potential Informal Resolution by your Instructor

An instructor who discovers or is made aware of an apparent academic offence in a course they are teaching may choose to resolve the offence informally if this is your first academic offence and the penalty imposed does not exceed a reduction in the course grade. The instructor should summarize the allegation, document your agreement to the disciplinary penalty in writing, and forward this information to the Director of Academic Integrity.

The Director of Academic Integrity must approve any penalties agreed upon between you and your instructor. If the Director of Academic Integrity does not approve the penalty or believes further investigation of the case is warranted, they will proceed with a formal resolution. All students found guilty of an act of misconduct are placed on disciplinary probation.

Potential Informal Resolution by the Director of Academic Integrity

When presented with evidence of possible misconduct, the Director of Academic Integrity may propose an informal resolution via email. The informal resolution proposal will:

  • outline the alleged offence and, if applicable, the specific course involved,
  • provide a brief summary of the evidence behind the allegation,
  • indicate the proposed disciplinary penalty, and
  • provide you with five working days to request a formal investigation.

An informal resolution is offered to expedite the processing of a discipline case. You are encouraged to request a formal investigation if you:

  • have additional evidence they would like to be considered in the final decision,
  • would like to dispute some or all of the evidence presented by the instructor, or
  • believe the penalty is unduly harsh relative to what is outlined in Policy 71 and the Guidelines for the Assessment of Penalties.

2. Formal Investigation

When presented with evidence of a possible misconduct, the Director of Academic Integrity will either propose an informal resolution or issue an allegation letter to you that:

  • outlines the alleged offence and, if applicable, the specific course involved,
  • briefly summarizes the evidence for the allegation,
  • provides you with five working days to respond to the allegation through a response letter.

After receipt of your written response or after the time for a response has passed, the Director of Academic Integrity shall conduct a thorough investigation of the allegation.
The details of an investigation are kept confidential. Only the people directly involved in any given investigation are aware of some or all of the details.

Response Letter

During the five working days you have to respond to the allegation through a response letter you can present additional evidence to be considered, respond to the evidence presented or outline any relevant personal circumstances. If you would like a meeting to discuss this process, you can request one.

If you do not respond to the allegation within five working days of the allegation date, the investigation will proceed based on the available evidence and a disciplinary decision will proceed without your input.

Grade Under Review (UR)

When the alleged offence is associated with a particular course, a grade of "UR" (Under Review) will be temporarily placed on your Quest record for that course. You are not able to drop a course with a UR grade.

The UR grade is removed once a decision letter has been issued.

3. Receiving a Discipline Decision

It is difficult to predict how long it will take before a discipline letter is issued, but Policy 71 allows up to 50 days.

The Director of Academic Integrity will decide based on the evidence acquired during a formal investigation and issue a discipline letter, which outlines the final decision and assigned penalties, if applicable.

Decisions regarding guilt are made on a balance of probabilities. Penalties are based on Policy 71’s Guidelines for Assessment of Penalties.

These guidelines describe typical penalties for various offences. Compelling mitigating and aggravating factors may alter the penalty assigned. Some investigations will result in the case being dismissed based on insufficient or inconclusive evidence to support the allegation.

Penalties

The following factors to be considered by associate deans when imposing a penalty include, but are not limited to:

  • the severity of the offence, including its impact on others (UW students, faculty or staff; other students, members of the community),
  • relative weight of the assignment,
  • the level of your academic experience,
  • whether you admit guilt or accept responsibility for your actions,
  • extenuating circumstances that may help explain your actions,
  • any aggravating factors, and
  • any record of previous offences.

The penalties imposed for acts of misconduct vary and can include:

  • grade penalties (assignments, tests and final course grades),
  • loss of credit (pd courses, work-term reports),
  • additional course(s) that do not count toward graduation requirements,
  • community service, or
  • suspension.

All students who are found guilty of an academic or non-academic offence are assigned a disciplinary probation penalty.

Disciplinary Probation

There is no indication of disciplinary probation in your Quest account or on your transcript.

Probation can impact you when there is a subsequent finding of misconduct, it also may impact your ability to go on an international exchange or join student leadership. Probation expires upon your graduation.

4. Option to Appeal a Discipline Decision

A decision may be appealed under Policy 72 – Student Appeals only when you are able to establish that the outcome of the case might have been substantially affected by one of more of the following grounds:

  • a fundamental procedural error seriously prejudicial to you,
  • clear evidence of bias in a decision,
  • significant new information relevant to the case that was not available through diligence prior to the decision has been discovered,
  • the evidence provided has been given inadequate weight,
  • the severity of the penalty imposed exceeds the nature of the offence for reasons you identify.

Dissatisfaction with University policy, remorse or ignorance is not a sufficient ground for appeal.

How to Submit an Appeal

If you can establish a ground for appeal, you must file a Notice of Appeal (Form 72A) within 10 working days of the decision and email it engservices@uwaterloo.ca with any supporting documentation, following the procedure set out in Appendix A of Policy 72.