Bakersfield College

Academic Integrity

Complete the Academic Integrity Reporting Intake Form

Bakersfield College has the responsibility to ensure that the grades assigned are indicative of the knowledge and skill level of each student. Acts of academic dishonesty make it impossible to fulfill this responsibility, and they weaken our society. Faculty, students, administrators, and classified staff share responsibility for ensuring academic honesty in our college community and will make a concerted effort to fulfill the following responsibilities.

Any test, paper, or assignment submitted that bears BC students' name is presumed to be the own original work that has not previously been submitted for credit in another course unless you obtain prior written approval to do so from the instructor.

In many assignments, including homework, drafts of papers, or oral presentations, students may use words or ideas written by other individuals in publications, websites, or other sources, but only with proper citation. For example, if citing from a published source or from a website and the quotation is short (up to a sentence or two) place it in quotation marks with proper parenthetical documentation. Ensure the assignment is written in the writing style (MLA, APA, Chicago, etc.) expressed by the professor of the course or stated within the syllabus or rubric of the assignment. If a student is not clear about the expectations for completing an assignment or taking a test, be sure to seek clarification from the instructor beforehand. For more assistance in your writing, the BC Writing Center is available to support work and guide you through the writing process.

Finally, students should keep in mind that as a member of the Bakersfield College academic community, students are expected to demonstrate integrity in all of their academic endeavors and will be evaluated on their own merits. Students should be proud of their academic accomplishments and help protect and promote academic integrity at Bakersfield College. The consequences of cheating and academic dishonesty—including a formal written warning, possible loss of grade—are simply not worth it.

Sample Syllabus Statement:

You will act with academic Integrity: Cheating, fabricating or falsifying information or sources, improper collaboration, submitting the same paper for different classes without permission, and plagiarism are all forms of academic dishonesty. Plagiarism occurs when writers and speakers deliberately or unintentionally use another person's language, ideas, or materials and present them as their own without properly acknowledging and citing the source. Academic dishonesty and/or plagiarism in this course will result in one or more of the following consequences: failure of the assignment, and referral to the Dean of Students. In this course, most often, your instructor will require oral citation of paraphrased material. Cite sources carefully, completely, and meticulously; when in doubt, cite. Familiarize yourself with BC’s Student Code of Conduct and BC definitions of plagiarism and cheating (KCCD Board Policy 5500).

Finally, students should keep in mind that as a member of the BC campus academic community, students are expected to demonstrate integrity in all of their academic endeavors and will be evaluated on their own merits. Students should be proud of their academic accomplishments and help to protect and promote academic integrity at Bakersfield College. The consequences of cheating and academic dishonesty – including a formal written warning, and possible loss of grade – are simply not worth it.

More Information

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Procedure

The following procedure is done when the Office of Student Life receives an Academic Integrity Reporting Intake Form:

  1. The Dean of Students receives the Academic Integrity Reporting Intake Form with all supplements.
  2. The Executive Secretary for Student Life calls the Student-in-Question to schedule a meeting with the Dean of Students.
  3. The Dean of Students meets with the Student-in-Question to determine if there was “good cause” in violation of the Student Code of Conduct for Academic Integrity.
    1. If found in violation, the Dean of Students will sanction accordingly.
    2. If not found in violation, the Dean of Students will release alleged violations.
  4. If the Student-in-Question does not attend the first Scheduled meeting
    1. The student fails to show up to their first scheduled meeting.
    2. The Executive Secretary for Student Life will call the Student-in-Question to reschedule the missed meeting.
  5. If the Student-in-Question fails again to show up to the second scheduled meeting.
    1. An email will be sent out to the Student-in-Question’s BC email account warning the Student-in-Question to contact the Office of Student Life regarding the missed scheduled meetings or an “Administrative Hold” may be placed on their registration account.
  6. If the Student-in-Question fails to show up to the third scheduled meeting.
    1. The Executive Secretary for Student Life notifies the Office of Admissions and Records to place an immediate “Administrate Hold” on the Student-in-Question’s enrollment records at Bakersfield College.
    2. Holds may be removed after the Student-in-Question meets with the Dean of Students.