General Questions

  • We renamed our office the Department of Student Conduct and Academic Integrity as of July 1, 2008. This was done to reduce confusion as to our department鈥檚 purpose and scope as well as to emphasize academic integrity as a top priority for the department and the University.
  • SCAI is an administrative department responsible for student disciplinary issues. When a student is alleged to have broken the rules laid out in the KSU Student Code of Conduct, our department investigates and determines whether the student is responsible. Our staff works closely with the Department of Residence Life to coordinate disciplinary matters that take place in any of our on-campus housing areas. We also assess and enforce sanctions on students found responsible for such violations. Finally, we actively promote integrity on campus through outreach efforts to students and faculty.
  • No. Our department is part of the Division of Student Success and we are solely charged with handling student conduct issues. Anyone who believes a University employee has done something inappropriate, unethical, or illegal should contact that employee鈥檚 direct supervisor.
  • No. Our department is part of the Division of Student Success and we are solely charged with handling student conduct issues. Anyone who believes a University employee has done something inappropriate, unethical, or illegal should contact that employee鈥檚 direct supervisor.
  • Our department is not an academic department. KSU offers a minor in legal studies through the Department of Political Science and International Affairs. KSU Continuing Education offers certificate programs for legal assistants and paralegals.
  • No. Although we work closely the Department of Public Safety, we do so because of the natural overlap of our duties. The police are responsible for upholding the law. Our job is to uphold the KSU Student Code of Conduct. Some actions may break law and policy both, such as underage drinking or drug use. In such cases, the police and our department coordinate their efforts, but the two processes remain completely independent and may go on simultaneously.
  • No. Because we are not a court of law, there is no 鈥渄ouble jeopardy鈥� rule barring us from dealing with infractions of our own policy just because the police may also be involved. In fact, our process is usually much faster than the criminal courts.
  • Our office is located in the Carmichael Student Center, 2nd floor, room 274. We are generally open during business hours Monday through Friday unless the entire University is closed. We can also be reached by phone at 470.578.3403 or email at SCAI@kennesaw.edu.

Student Conduct Questions

    • An incident report is created
    • The student is officially notified through their KSU email of the alleged violations, and the next steps in the process.
    • If the student is found responsible/accepts responsibility, appropriate sanctions are assessed.
  • It is always better for the alleged student to attend the hearing. However, if the student does not attend, it is not an admission of responsibility, but does not prevent the hearing officer from making a decision based on the information gathered without the students鈥� input.
  • Conduct meetings may be rescheduled on a short-term basis at the discretion of the conduct meeting officer.
  • No. The Student Conduct process operates separately and independently of the legal system. It is your choice to attend the university conduct meeting, but a decision will likely be made whether or not you are in attendance.
  • Your parents will not be notified, unless you sign the FERPA Waiver giving express permission to allow staff members to talk with others you identify. However, KSU has a parent notification policy that allows us to contact parents of students under 21 when the student is found responsible for violating drug and/or alcohol rules. The notification is not automatic and is done at the discretion of SCAI staff.
  • Yes, with your written permission. However, they are permitted only as Advisors and are not permitted to ask questions or make statements once the hearing begins. Please see the SCAI Misconduct Procedures for more information.
  • You may bring witnesses, but their participation in the conduct meeting is at the discretion of the conduct meeting officer.
  • Sanctions can range from Warning, Probation, and Educational Programs to Removal from Housing, University Suspension, and University Expulsion.
  • KSU has the authority to adjudicate incidents that occur off campus that involve KSU students.
  • If sanctions are not completed by the deadline indicated or to a satisfactory level, a student conduct hold will be placed on your account preventing you from future registration. In some cases, additional student conduct charges may be filed.
  • Yes. The fee covers the administrative and material costs associated with the course. If the fee is not paid within 30 days of being posted to your Owl Express account, the Bursar鈥檚 Office will place a hold on your account.

Academic Misconduct Questions

  • The University鈥檚 official definitions of academic misconduct are part of the KSU Student Code of Conduct. Because of the educational mission of the University, academic integrity violations receive harsher penalties than most other disciplinary issues.
  • SCAI receives far more cases of cheating and plagiarism than all other academic violations combined.
  • Simply put, cheating is helping someone else with graded work without permission or doing anything to get an unfair advantage on your own graded work.
  • Yes. If a professor catches a student with a cheat sheet before he has a chance to use it, the attempt to cheat is still an offense under KSU policy.
  • Unintentional academic misconduct is still misconduct. While some professors may accept mitigating explanations and treat the matter as an error if they have reason to trust the alleged student, many go ahead with charges against accidental cheaters on the basis that students should understand academic integrity rules regardless of whether they actually do.
  • The KSU Student Code of Conduct is published on the SCAI website and in each year鈥檚 student handbook. In addition, faculty must include the plagiarism and cheating regulations in the syllabus of every class taught at this University. In practice, many of these rules are common sense. Don鈥檛 take credit for something that you didn鈥檛 do and don鈥檛 give yourself (or anyone else) an unfair advantage.