These rules on Academic Misconduct apply to students registered in courses in any non-degree Marine Institute program. Students enrolled in the degree-level courses should consult the Memorial University Calendar for regulations governing undergraduate (Section 6.12) and graduate degree students (Section 4.12).

1.   Notification of an allegation of academic misconduct will be forwarded to the last known mailing address of the student as noted on the files at the Marine Institute Office of the Registrar, and/or to the official MI email address of the student. The Marine Institute reserves the right to implement action under these procedures where an allegation has been made against a student but where reasonable efforts to contact the student are unsuccessful.

2.   Meetings and interviews stipulated in this regulation will be held in person, or at a distance using telephone or other interactive technologies.

3.   A student who wishes to attend classes, laboratories or other educational activities while an investigation under these procedures is being carried out, can do so only with the written permission of the head of the school in which the course is taught. Permission to do so will only be granted with the understanding that if the allegation of academic misconduct is proven and the penalty involves either suspension or expulsion, credit will not be granted for work completed prior to a finding of guilt. This provision excludes students charged with an offence under the Student Code of Rights and Responsibilities. For information regarding the Student Code of Rights and Responsibilities contact the Marine Institute Director of Student Affairs at studentsupport@mi.mun.ca.

4.   Although a student can continue in a program of studies, if eligible, while an investigation under these procedures is being carried out, the Marine Institute does not accept liability for any consequences to the student's progress. However, the Marine Institute may take these consequences into account, as appropriate and to the extent feasible, in cases where charges are dropped, or the student is found not guilty. The consequences arising from an investigation and any negative decision rendered may include retroactive effects on grades or promotion within a program.

5.   A student accused of academic misconduct may consult advisors or facilitators. Such advisors may include a representative from the Marine Institute student union, an international student advisor, a faculty advisor, a Marine Institute Wellness counselor or a faculty member who is familiar with these Regulations and who is willing to undertake the role of advisor whether resolution is sought through Section 10.4 - Procedures for Resolution of Alleged Academic Offences at the School Level, or Section 10.5  Procedures for Resolution of Alleged Academic Offences by the Marine Institute Undergraduate and Graduate Studies Committees.

6.   All references to School Head in this policy refer to the Head of the School with responsibility for the program of study in which the student accused of academic misconduct is registered.

1.   When a member of the Marine Institute community (faculty, staff, student) has grounds for belief that an academic offence has been committed there should be an attempt between the parties concerned to resolve allegations of minor offences. If the alleged offence is not deemed to be minor by the accuser, or resolution proves impossible, or one party is dissatisfied with the resolution, the matter shall be reported, without delay, to the School Head. If resolution is achieved and it is agreed that an academic offence has been committed, then the offence, together with the penalty applied, shall be reported to the School Head.

2.   Where resolution is not achieved, and if in the judgment of the School Head, the alleged offence warrants resolution at the school level, the individuals involved will be advised to attempt to resolve the matter through Procedures for Resolution of Alleged Academic Offences at the School Level. In the event that no resolution is possible through these procedures between the individual parties, the School Head will institute proceedings through the Marine Institute Undergraduate or Graduate Studies Committee.

a.   Academic misconduct charges against students enrolled in Post-graduate Certificate and Advanced Diploma programs will be adjudicated by the Marine Institute Graduate Studies Committee.

b.   Academic misconduct charges against students enrolled in Diploma of Technology, Technician Diploma, and Technical Certificate programs will be adjudicated by the Marine Institute Undergraduate Studies Committee.

3.   If, in the judgment of the School Head, the alleged offence against Marine Institute regulations is such as to warrant resolution through the Marine Institute Undergraduate or Graduate Studies Committee, the School Head will refer the matter to the Chair of the Marine Institute Undergraduate or Graduate Studies Committee, and Procedures for Resolution of Alleged Academic Offences by the Marine Institute Undergraduate and Graduate Studies Committees will be implemented.

4.   In all cases, it is the responsibility of the academic or administrative unit to ensure that fairness and impartiality are achieved in the treatment of students.

 Students who commit acts of academic misconduct, including but not limited to the following offences, shall be subject to disciplinary action by the Marine Institute.

1.   Cheating: For assignment, tests, projects, reports, laboratories and examinations cheating means copying from another student’s work, or allowing a student to copy from one’s own work; consulting with unauthorized persons during a test or examination; or using unauthorized notes, books, manuals, or equipment during a test or examination.

2.   Impersonating Another Student or Allowing Oneself to be Impersonated: Impersonation for these purposes means the imitation or substitution of one person for another for the purposes of writing an examination or undertaking other academic work.

3.   Plagiarism: Plagiarism is the act of presenting the ideas or works of another as one’s own. Under copyright law in Canada, all such items (writings, photos, videos, handwritten notes, etc.) are the property of the originator, even if not formally inscribed with the copyright symbol. This applies to all material such as essays, laboratory reports, work term reports, design projects, seminar presentations statistical data, computer programs and research results. The properly acknowledged use of sources is an accepted and important part of scholarship. Use of such material without acknowledgment, however, is contrary to accepted norms of academic behavior.

4.   Theft of Academic Materials: Theft means the obtaining or possession of, by any improper means, examination papers, tests, or any other materials used in the evaluation of students.

5.   Use and/or Distribution of Stolen Materials This refers to the use and/or distribution of materials which the student knows have been improperly obtained.

6.   Submitting False Information: Submitting false information includes, but is not limited to, the submission of false data, medical records, credentials, and misleading or incomplete information.

7.   Submission of the Same Material for Two or More Courses: This refers to submitting work for one course or work term which has been, or is being, submitted for another course or work term at this or any other institution without express permission to do so.

8.   Academic Mischief: Academic Mischief means any activities, other than those specified above, which in any way jeopardize the academic integrity of the Institute. This includes, but is not limited to, tampering with examinations, gaining unauthorized access to examinations, removing materials from the examination room, and the like.

10.4.1 General Information

10.4.2 Explanation of Procedures

10.4.3 Failure to Appear or Respond

10.4.4 Penalties in the Case of Resolution at the School Level

These procedures will not be applied to cases involving alleged offences on final examinations, any other evaluative instruments worth 40% or more of the final grade, allegations of impersonation or allegations of submission of forged documents. Such alleged offences are governed by the Procedures for Resolution of Alleged Academic Offences by the Marine Institute Undergraduate and Graduate Studies Committees, and should be reported to the appropriate School Head as soon as the alleged misconduct is known to have occurred.

1.   In the case of work, other than final exams, which constitutes no more than 10% of the final grade for the course in question, an instructor may determine that a student has committed an offence of either cheating or plagiarism. Such an offence shall be considered a minor offence. In such cases, an instructor may apply a grade reduction penalty, up to and including the reduction of the grade for the portion of work in question, to 0%. In such cases, the instructor shall submit a brief written report to the School Head documenting the nature of the incident, the evidence used to determine that the student committed the offence, and the action taken to resolve the issue. The instructor will inform the student in writing within 5 business days, using their official MI email address, of any penalty incurred. For minor offences, the accuser and/or the accused may choose to have such incidents of alleged academic misconduct resolved by the student’s School Head as described in Step 2 below.

2.   Alleged offences that constitute more than 10% of the final course grade shall be reported to the appropriate School Head as soon as they are known to have occurred. Normally, within one week of notification of the alleged offence, the School Head will interview separately the accuser, the accused and relevant witnesses. In the interview with the accused, the School Head shall state the allegation, review the Procedures for Resolution of Alleged Academic Offences at the School Level including the range of applicable penalties. 

3.   If the School Head believes a mutually satisfactory resolution is possible, they will arrange a meeting between the accuser and accused, and both parties will report jointly to the School Head on the outcome.

4.   If the report is of a resolution which the School Head considers to be fair and equitable the matter shall be considered closed. If the School Head considers the resolution to be unfair and/or inequitable the School Head will endeavor to obtain an alternative satisfactory resolution directly with the parties.

5.   Should all reasonable efforts to obtain a resolution at the School Level fail, the School Head will refer the case to the Chair of the Marine Institute Undergraduate or Graduate Studies Committee and shall inform the accuser and the accused accordingly. From this stage onward Procedures for Resolution of Alleged Academic Offences by the Marine Institute Undergraduate and Graduate Studies Committees will apply.

6.   At any stage of the Procedures for Resolution of Alleged Academic Offences at the School Level, the student may ask that their case be referred to the Chair of the Marine Institute Undergraduate or Graduate Studies Committee, and thereafter the Procedures for Resolution of Alleged Academic Offences by the Marine Institute Undergraduate and Graduate Studies Committee will apply.

7.   Should the accused be found to have committed an academic offence, a brief description of the offence and the penalty(ies) applied shall be forwarded by the School Head to the MI Registrar’s Office, MIRegistrar@mi.mun.ca.

1.   If at any stage of the Procedures for Resolution of Alleged Academic Offences at the School Level, the accused fails to respond to a charge, without reasonable cause, within two weeks of notification of an allegation, action may be taken on the charge in the absence of the accused.

2.   If at any stage of the Procedures for Resolution of Alleged Academic Offences at the School Level, the accuser fails to appear at a scheduled meeting to defend an allegation, without reasonable cause, the action will be dismissed.

A student who has been found to have committed an academic offence will be subject to a penalty or penalties commensurate with the offence. Some cases may warrant more than one penalty for the same offence, and previous academic misconduct will be taken into account in determining the severity of penalties. The range of penalties and their determination are:

1.   Resubmission: of work with appropriate reduction in grade: will allow a student to complete and submit the work a second time.

2.   Reprimand: will be in the nature of a written warning by the School Head to the student that the student's behaviour has been unacceptable to the Marine Institute.

3.   Reduction of grade: will apply to an examination, test, or assignment to which an offence is relevant, and will be decided by the School Head.

10.5.1 General Information

10.5.2 Explanation of Procedures

10.5.3 Failure to Appear or Respond

10.5.4 Appeals Against Decisions of the Marine Institute Undergraduate and Graduate Studies Committees

10.5.5 Penalties in the Case of resolution by the Marine Institute Undergraduate and Graduate Studies Committees or the Executive of Marine Institute Academic Council

10.5.6 Application of Penalties

10.5.7 Transcript Entries

If the matter cannot be resolved following the Procedures for Resolution of Alleged Academic Offences at the School Level, or if, in the opinion of the School Head, the allegation involves a major breach of Marine Institute regulations, or in cases involving alleged offences on final examinations, evaluative instruments worth 40% or more of the final grade, allegations of impersonation or allegations of submission of forged documents, the following Procedures for Resolution of Alleged Academic Offences by the Marine Institute Undergraduate and Graduate Studies Committee shall apply.

1.  If the School Head is satisfied that the student has a serious allegation to answer, they shall inform the student in writing, or through the student’s official Marine Institute email address, normally within one week, of the nature of the allegation against the student. In addition, the School Head shall report to the Chair, Marine Institute Undergraduate or Graduate Studies Committee, c/o Registrar’s Office, who will, normally within one week appoint as an investigator a member of the Marine Institute Undergraduate or Graduate Studies Committee other than Committee members from that School, student representatives, and ex-officio members of the Marine Institute Undergraduate or Graduate Studies Committee. The investigator will interview separately the accuser, the accused and relevant At these interviews the investigator, the accuser, the accused and relevant witnesses all have the right to be accompanied by a registered student or a member of the faculty or staff of the Marine Institute.

2.  Upon completion of these interviews, the investigator shall submit a written report of all findings to the Chair, Marine Institute Undergraduate or Graduate Studies Committee, c/o of the Registrar’s Office. Normally, the report will be submitted within one week of appointment as an investigator.

3.   The Chair of the Marine Institute Undergraduate or Graduate Studies Committee shall present this report to both the accuser and accused for perusal and comment. Once in receipt of this report, the accuser and accused shall have 3 business days in which to submit to the Chair, Marine Institute Undergraduate or Graduate Studies Committee any additional comments on the report that the person wishes to be considered in the deliberations of the Marine Institute Undergraduate or Graduate Studies Committee.

4.   The Chair of the Marine Institute Undergraduate or Graduate Studies Committee shall present to the Marine Institute Undergraduate or Graduate Studies Committee for decision all information received from the investigator as well as comments from the accuser and accused. The investigator shall attend the meeting held to consider the case to answer questions raised by the Marine Institute Undergraduate or Graduate Studies Committee and to provide information pertinent to the case but shall be absent from the voting process.

5.   Once a vote is taken, should the accused be found to have committed an academic offence, the Marine Institute Undergraduate or Graduate Studies Committee shall take appropriate action in accordance with Penalties in the Case of Resolution by the Marine Institute Undergraduate and Graduate Studies Committees.

1.   If at any stage of the Procedures for Resolution of Alleged Academic Offences by the Marine Institute Undergraduate and Graduate Studies Committee, the accused fails to respond to a charge, without reasonable cause, within two weeks of notification of an allegation, action may be taken on the charge in the absence of the accused.

2.   If at any stage of the Procedures for Resolution of Alleged Academic Offences by the Marine Institute Undergraduate and Graduate Studies Committee, the accuser fails to appear at a scheduled interview to defend an allegation, without reasonable cause, the action will be dismissed.

Students who have been found to have committed an academic offence, and/or the associated penalties assigned by the Marine Institute Undergraduate and Graduate Studies Committees, may direct an appeal to the Chair of the Executive Committee of Marine Institute Academic Council at MIRegistrar@mi.mun.ca.When considering an appeal against decisions of the Marine Institute Undergraduate or Graduate Studies Committee, the Executive Committee of Marine Institute Academic Council has the authority to:

• Uphold the decision of the Marine Institute Undergraduate or Graduate Studies Committee and, if applicable, the penalty assigned by that Committee.
• Uphold the decision of the Marine Institute Undergraduate or Graduate Studies Committee and assign a new penalty, if applicable.
• Reverse the decision of the Marine Institute Undergraduate or Graduate Studies Committee and assign a penalty, if applicable.

Penalties resulting from acts of academic misconduct, as previously defined, may be taken from the full range of penalties available including reprimand, probation, grade reduction, suspension or expulsion. A description of each form of penalty can be found below.

1.   Resubmission: of work with appropriate reduction in grade: will allow a student to complete and submit the work a second time.

2.   Reduction of grade: will apply to an examination, test, or assignment to which an offence is relevant, and will be decided by the Marine Institute Undergraduate or Graduate Studies Committee or the Executive Committee of Marine Institute Academic Council. In cases where the student is found to have committed an academic offence on Final Examinations, the course mark shall be 0%.

3.   Rescinding of Scholarships, Bursaries or other awards: the recommendation for rescinding of scholarships, bursaries or other awards will be made by the Marine Institute Undergraduate or Graduate Studies to the Committee on Scholarships and Awards for a final decision. In the case of a decision by the Executive Committee of Marine Institute Academic Council to rescind scholarships, bursaries or other awards, the decision will be forwarded to the Committee on Scholarships and Awards for information. The Marine Institute Undergraduate or Graduate Studies Committee or the Executive Committee of Marine Institute Academic Council will notify the student, in writing or by email, of the recommendation or decision.

4.   Probation: The period of probation shall be from the time of conviction to the end of two academic semesters beyond the semester in which the offence took place. In no instance will the period of probation exceed three academic semesters for any one offence. A student who commits a second offence while under probation may be suspended or expelled upon the recommendation of the Executive Committee of the Marine Institute Academic Council.

5.   Suspension: A suspension may apply to a course, program, or the Marine Institute. The length of the suspension shall be determined by the Executive Committee of the Marine Institute Academic Council and shall be conveyed to the student in writing by the Chair of Academic Council. In no case shall the length of the suspension for any single offence exceed two academic semesters.

6.   Expulsion: Expulsion shall mean that the student is required to withdraw from the Marine Institute. Students who have been expelled shall not be permitted to re-enter the Institute. The recommendation for expulsion shall be made by the Marine Institute Undergraduate or Graduate Committee to the Vice-President (Marine Institute) for their final decision. Prior to the decision of the Vice-President (Marine Institute) the Registrar shall notify the student in writing of the recommendation for expulsion. The student shall be given a period of two weeks from the date of receiving the letter in which to make an appeal before the final decision of the Vice-President (Marine Institute) is made.

1.   A student who has been found to have committed an academic offence by the Marine Institute Undergraduate or Graduate Studies Committee, or the Executive Committee of Marine Institute Academic Council shall be subject to a penalty or penalties in keeping with the seriousness of the offense. Conviction of certain offences shall involve automatic penalties as outlined below:

2.   The Registrar shall be responsible for the enforcement of penalties resulting from the above procedures. In some cases more than one penalty may be imposed for the same offence. Previous academic misconduct will be taken into account in determining the penalty or penalties.

3.   If a student receives a reduction of any portion of a course grade in which they have been found to have committed an academic offence, the student shall not be permitted to write a supplementary examination in the course concerned.

1.   Transcript entries related to the penalty or penalties imposed shall be as follows:

2.   * These entries are removed upon the expiry of the period of Probation or Suspension. The onus is on the student to ensure that the entry is removed at the appropriate time.

Documents relating to allegations under these procedures shall be disposed of as follows:

1.   In cases where the allegation was not supported, no documentation shall be retained.

2.   In cases where the allegation is supported and resolved through the Procedures of Resolution of Alleged Academic Offenses at the School Level documentation regarding the incident shall remain with the School Head. A brief description of the offence and the penalty(ies) applied shall be forwarded by the School Head to, and retained by the Registrar’s Office, separate from the student files.

3.   In the case where the allegation is supported and resolved through the Procedures for Resolution of Alleged Academic Offences by the Marine Institute Undergraduate and Graduate Studies Committees or through the Appeals against Decisions of the Marine Institute Undergraduate or Graduate Studies Committee all documentation shall be forwarded to, and retained in the Registrar’s Office separate from the student files.