FAQ

No, the internal file kept on those found responsible of academic misconduct is an internal tracking document and is not part of any official records issued by the university.

Understanding what constitutes academic misconduct is the responsibility of the student. Students are strongly encouraged to discuss with their respective instructors any questions about studying for tests, completion of work products, collaboration with others to complete assignments, citation formats, etc. to reduce the likelihood of being charged with academic misconduct. Regardless of whether or not you knew that you were committing academic misconduct, penalties still apply.

The Honor Code Council deals with academic misconduct issues; not disciplinary cases. All disciplinary matters are adjudicated by the Dean of Students Office. Typically, a first-time violator of the Honor Code is not referred to the Dean of Students Office for a disciplinary hearing. Repeat offenders and first-time violators whose cases are egregious in nature will be referred to the Dean of Students Office for potential additional sanctions, training, and/or penalties.

Unless the specific group has rules restricting membership or participation due to findings of academic misconduct, your participation is not restricted by any Honor Code policy. It is up to you to decide if you want to share your Honor Code situation with the leadership of any campus-related group.

Honor Code Council hearings are not considered legal proceedings and are not legally binding. Meetings are audio recorded but not transcribed and no minutes are taken. You may bring an attorney or other advocate/supporter to the hearing if they have been granted FERPA authorization, but only you can address the council.

If you are over the age of 18, your education records are protected by the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), and your parents/guardians cannot access those records from the university. In addition, the chair of the Honor Code Council will not discuss charges, hearing details, or findings with any parent/guardian without the written permission of the student. In short, your parents/guardians will discover charges of academic dishonesty against you only if you decide to share that information with them.

It all depends on the existence of extenuating circumstances in your specific case. The members of the hearing committee listen carefully to the testimony from all parties involved and make recommendations on the elements of each case. You can be assured hearing committee members do not side with the instructor by default. The hearing committee will recommend one of the following:

• the determination of the faculty member and the penalty are upheld OR
• the determination of the faculty member is upheld, but a modified penalty is suggested OR
• the determination of the faculty member and penalty are to be rejected

Yes, you can accept the finding of academic misconduct, but appeal the penalty. However, please note the hearing committee has the option of recommending a harsher penalty than the instructor initially proposed.

All members of the Honor Code Council receive training on hearing committee procedures, including confidentiality. In addition, each member of the Honor Code Council signs a confidentiality agreement to help ensure there are no breaches of confidential information.

Associated Student Government (ASG) makes all student appointments to the Honor Code Council. Contact ASG to inform them of your interest in serving on the Council.

Yes, you will receive a separate hearing, but every attempt will be made to schedule and sequence the hearings against all students on the same day and to be heard by the same hearing committee. For example, if three students are charged with academic dishonesty involving the same class project, each student will have an individual hearing with the committee, but the hearings will be scheduled sequentially so the case can be adjudicated by the same members of the hearing committee.

The ideal action is to contact the instructor to let them know of the situation. If this is not possible, anyone with NetID log in credentials may complete the Honor Code Review Form. You may also email honorcode@txstate.edu. 

The use of tools that help students learn to write better, such as the Writing Center and Grammarly corrections, might not be a violation of the Academic Honor Code, since these are learning tools that provide suggestions regarding the student's own work. However, students should check with their instructors to make sure.

The use of generative AI, such as ChatGPT, CoPilot, and Grammarly’s generative AI option with rewrites, might be a violation of the Academic Honor Code because the language model is completing some or all of the assignment instead of the student, preventing the student from fully meeting the learning objectives. Some instructors may allow AI. If the instructor does not specify that AI is allowed, students should assume that it is not. 

Detectors can identify assignments that misuse generative AI. However, it is important to recognize that even legitimate assistance from software like Grammarly might activate AI detection tools, potentially leading to mistaken identifications in this regard. Therefore, if faculty members suspect a violation, they should first discuss the matter with the student, inquiring about their writing process, sources, and so forth. This conversation will allow the student an opportunity to present drafts, resources, and document properties that could potentially dispel any concerns.

If faculty still suspect a violation after meeting with the student, they will follow the procedures for reporting honor code violations via the Honor Code Review process as outlined in the Honor Code University Policy (UPPS 07.10.01).

If you have any questions or concerns related to the policy and procedures, you can consult with your assigned Hearing Officer or the Honor Code Council. Consultations can occur in person, virtually, or via email. 

It can take a few days for reports to be processed. Once processed, students will receive a case resolution form with an option to accept the decision and close the case or to not accept and instead request a hearing with the Honor Code Council. If the resolution form is not received within a week, confirm with the instructor that the online report was sent. If the instructor refuses to complete the online report, please contact the Honor Code Council's office. 

A neutral Hearing Officer will be assigned to each case and can help with questions or concerns related to the policy, procedure, or hearing. Students may choose to have their own advocates and supporters assist at any step including being present at the hearing, though advocates and supporters are not allowed to address the council members and will need to have an appropriate FERPA release on file.