School of Business Academic Integrity Penalties

Updated June 2024

In the School of Business, students receive these penalties when found responsible for an academic integrity violation:

• Education Program: The student must complete an education program with their program’s Associate Dean. (Class I and II Violations)
• Honor Society Restriction: The student cannot join any business honor society (for example, Beta Gamma Sigma, Beta Alpha Psi, Omega Delta Epsilon). Additionally, an academic integrity violation is grounds for dismissal from academic honor societies. (Class I Violation; Class II Violations at the discretion of the program Associate Dean in consultation with the society’s faculty director)
• Grade Penalty: The student receives a zero for the work. No alternate or makeup work may be provided to mitigate or replace the grade impact of the zero for the work. (Class I and II Violation)
• Final Grade Impact: The student’s final grade is calculated based on the maximum penalty of one full grade level drop (A to B, B+ to C+) OR the final course average including the zero for the deliverable, whichever is lower. (Class I Violation; Class II Violation at the discretion of the faculty member)

Here is the procedure for determining the final grade decrease:

1. The student’s final course grade will be calculated without the assignment/assessment included in the points/percentage total (denominator). The grade is then reduced by one level (for example, B+ to C+)
2. The student’s final course grade will be calculated with the assignment/assessment included in the points/percentage total (denominator).
3. The student’s final course grade will be the lower of the two calculations. 

Example 1: There are 1000 points total in a course. A student is found responsible for an academic integrity violation on an exam worth 200 points and receives a zero for that exam. The student earns 700 points total in the course.

1. Calculate final grade without the assignment/assessment in the points total: The numerator is the student’s final points total at the end of the semester (700). The denominator is (total possible points 1000 – exam points 200 = 800 points).  700/800 = 87.5%, a B+. Given the academic integrity violation, the grade would be reduced to a C+.
2. Calculate final grade with the assignment/assessment in the points total: The numerator is the student’s final points total at the end of the semester (700). The denominator is total possible points including the exam (1000). 700/1000 = 70%, a C-.
3. Scenario (1) results in a C+, while (2) results in a C-. The student earns the C-. 

Example 2: There are 1000 points total in a course. A student is found responsible for an academic integrity violation on an assignment worth 25 points and receives a zero for that assignment. The student has earned 850 points total in the course.

1. Calculate final grade without the assignment/assessment in the points total: The numerator is the student’s final points total at the end of the semester (850). The denominator is (total possible points 1000 – assignment points 25 = 975).  850/975 = 87.1%, a B+. Given the academic integrity violation, the grade would be reduced to a C+.
2. Calculate final grade with the assignment/assessment in the points total: The numerator is the student’s final points total at the end of the semester (850). The denominator is total possible points including the assignment (1000).   850/1000, or 85%, a B.
3. Scenario (1) results in a C+, while (2) results in a B. The student earns a C+.