In the Fall Semester of 1999, Kansas State University initiated an Undergraduate Honor System based on personal integrity. The code and information about the K-State Honor & System can be found online (www.ksu.edu/honor).
Undergraduate students, by registration, acknowledge the jurisdiction of the Undergraduate Honor System. The policies and procedures of the Undergraduate Honor System apply to all full and part-time students enrolled in undergraduate courses on-campus, off-campus, and via distance learning.
A prominent part of the Honor System is the inclusion of the Honor Pledge which applies to all assignments, examinations, or other course work undertaken by undergraduate students. The Honor Pledge is implied, whether or not it is stated:
"On my honor, as a student, I have neither given nor received unauthorized aid on this academic work."
All academic relationships are governed by a sense of honor, fair play and trust, and a readiness to give appropriate credit to the intellectual endeavors of others where such credit is due. The maintenance of these standards is the responsibility of the whole campus community. If a situation arises, however, in which it is thought that the behavior of one or more members of the community has been less than satisfactory, existing procedure should be invoked to evaluate the circumstances and determine the appropriate course of action (FSM 5-9-78).
The range of misdeeds that is deemed to be unacceptable includes plagiarism and the many forms of cheating associated with examinations and research, all of which are definitively explained in the full statement of the code. Likewise, the code sets out in detail the due process to be observed as soon as it is determined that adequate objective evidence of cheating exists.
If a member of the faculty or staff is accused of plagiarism or academic dishonesty the course of action shall be determined by the departmental head, or if he/she is a concerned party to the case, by the dean of his/her faculty. Thereafter, a member of the faculty may appeal a decision through established grievance procedures.
It's best for a graduate student who is teaching to report the circumstances of suspected violations of the honor code to the appropriate faculty coordinator or department head.
The procedure that has been established to deal with all matters of cheating, academic dishonesty, grade appeals, or other academic grievances can be initiated by either faculty or students and serves three functions:
The grievance procedure for graduate students is in the Graduate Student Handbook (http://www.ksu.edu/grad/gspeopleorg/council/policy.htm).