Academic Institutional Policies

You are encouraged to assist each other and exchange information in order to master the concepts and skills covered in this class and to seek tutoring if necessary. However, collaboration on any graded assignment or exam to the extent that it is not an individual student’s total, personal effort will be considered as a violation of the Student Conduct Code as printed in the Student Handbook.

When an academic exercise is designed to result in a grade, any of the following activities constitute violations of academic honesty unless expressly authorized in advance by the instructor.

A. Plagiarizing any information or idea and submitting it as one’s own work:

1. Using actual words from another source, failing to surround those words in quotation marks, and failing to provide the appropriate citation.
2. Paraphrasing the words or another source without providing the appropriate citation, excluding general knowledge that can be found in three or more sources.
3. Using an idea from another source and failing to provide the appropriate citation.

B. Cheating in any form involving academic work:

1. Copying any information from another student including tests, worksheets, computer files, reports or other documents that are presented for a grade.
2. Obtaining or attempting to obtain an unauthorized copy of a test or an answer key.
3. Taking an exam or completing coursework for another student in a traditional or online course, or allowing another student to provide these services.
4. Using unauthorized information during a test.
5. Collaborating with another student for a test or other graded assignment without the consent of the instructor.
6. Purchasing any document and presenting it as original work.
7. Bribing or attempting to bribe an instructor, staff member or student to alter a grade.
8. Inventing information to support a research paper or other class project.

C. Falsifying any information provided to the college including forging signatures or tampering with official documents.

Academic misconduct violations will result in a minimum of a zero grade for the paper, assignment, or test on which the violation occurred. Instructors may recommend a more stringent course of action to the dean. Upon consultation with the instructor and the student, the dean may choose an additional penalty. In very serious or repeated cases of academic misconduct, the penalty may include failure of the class or expulsion from the college. A description of academic misconduct, including specific descriptions of penalties for academic misconduct, will be included in the syllabus for each SFCC course. [Note: Faculty members should retain records of the final decision in a case of any alleged academic misconduct for at least one (1) calendar year. They should also notify the dean. The dean will keep records to help identify repeat offenders.

You should talk with your instructor before withdrawing from any course as there might be alternatives to consider. The responsibility to withdraw from a course falls with the student; instructors will not withdraw you from courses. Refer to the current semester class schedule for the last date to withdraw. After that date you cannot withdraw and you will receive a letter grade even if you stop attending class.

The public posting of grades either by the student’s name, institutional student identification number, or social security number WITHOUT THE STUDENT’S WRITTEN PERMISSION is a violation of FERPA. This includes the posting of grades to a class/institutional website and applies to any public posting of grades for students taking distance education courses. Instructors and others who insist on posting grades should use a system that ensures that FERPA requirements are met. This can be accomplished either by obtaining the student’s uncoerced written permission or by using code words or randomly assigned numbers that only the instructor and individual student know. The order of posting should not be alphabetic. Even with names obscured, numeric student identifier numbers are considered personally identifiable information. Therefore, the practice of posting grades by social security number or student identification number violates FERPA. Notification of grades via a postcard violates a student’s privacy. Instructors will visit with students about grades but student information will not be given to family members or representatives without written permission from the student.

Students with disabilities who require special accommodations should contact the SFCC Access Office, located in Yeater Learning Center, Room 159 , 660-530-5832, at the beginning of the semester. If you have emergency medical information or need special arrangements, please see Julie McNeal to make an appointment. For additional information on Disability Services at SFCC, visit the website at https://www.sfccmo.edu/offices-services/disability-services. Please know that reasons for all disability services are confidential and will never be discussed with
any instructor, student, or staff, without your written consent.

Non-Discrimination/Accommodation Notice:
State Fair Community College does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, disability, religion, sexual orientation, veteran status, or age in its programs and activities or in employment. The following persons have been designated to handle inquiries regarding the nondiscrimination policy: Director of Human Resources, Hopkins Student Services Center, (660) 596-7484, or Director of Student Life and Development, Hopkins Student Center, (660) 596-7393. The Hopkins Center is located on SFCC‘s Sedalia campus at 3201 W. 16th St. Sedalia, MO. 65301.

Inquires also may be directed to the U.S Department of Education, Office of Civil Rights at OCR.KansasCity@ed.gov.

Interested persons may obtain information as to the existence and location of services, activities and facilities at State Fair Community College that are accessible to and usable by persons with disabilities by contacting the Access office, Yeater Learning Center, Room 159, SFCC, 3201 W. 16th Street, Sedalia, MO 65301, (660) 530-5832.