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Student Discipline
The President’s Advisory Committee On Student Discipline (PACSD)
Under Section 61 of the University Act, the president of the University has the authority to take disciplinary action regarding student misconduct. The PACSD hears student misconduct cases and recommends the disciplinary action to be taken by the president. The PACSD hears both academic and non-academic discipline cases. A non-academic discipline case may involve activities such as stalking or vandalism. Academic discipline cases involve cheating, plagiarism, or collaboration.
The University expects students to inform themselves about its policies on cheating and plagiarism and to abide by these policies. You need to inform yourself! The faculty of arts has a very good webpage discussing academic integrity.
Each year the President’s Office releases a Student Discipline Report detailing the disciplinary action taken in the previous year by the PACSD. The Student Discipline Report acts as a useful guide for discerning what the likely outcome may be in a particular case. However, the Student Discipline Report is not necessarily indicative of what type of disciplinary action the PACSD will recommend as each matter is considered on a case by case basis.
Process
The academic discipline process begins at the faculty level when a faculty member suspects or discovers an incident of academic misconduct and then reports the incident to the head of the department or to the dean of the faculty. At this stage there are two possibilities: the department or faculty may deal with the incident internally or it may forward the matter to the PACSD. You have the opportunity to request a meeting with the department head, dean, or other appropriate person before your PACSD hearing.
If you are to appear before the PACSD, you will receive a package from the PACSD prior to scheduling a hearing date. The PACSD package contains a cover letter from the PACSD that outlines the allegations against you and directs you to arrange a date to meet with the PACSD, a copy of UBC’s Academic Regulations as found in the UBC Calendar, and all the information forwarded to the PACSD regarding the allegations.
A PACSD hearing lasts between 30 to 45 minutes on average. At the hearing, the chair will state the allegation against you and ask whether you admit or deny the allegation. Next the chair provides you with the opportunity to make an oral statement to the panel. After your oral statement, the panel will question you about your account of events. The PACSD focuses on any inconsistencies or weak areas in a students account of events.
If there are witnesses, the chair may call them before or after you have the opportunity to make an oral statement. Witnesses are called individually to answer the panels questions; you will also have the opportunity to question witnesses and may want to prepare a list of questions in advance. The office for the PACSD will be able to tell you whether there will be witnesses at your PACSD hearing if you are unsure.
At the end of the meeting, you will have the opportunity to make final submissions. The panel will then inform you that you will receive a letter detailing the PACSD decision within two to three weeks.
The AMS Student Advocacy Office helps students prepare for PACSD hearings and also represents students at the hearing.
Typical Punishment
The standard disciplinary action dispensed by the PACSD is a one year suspension, a zero in the course in which the alleged cheating/plagiarism occurred, and a record of disciplinary action on the student’s transcript for two years after graduation when the student may apply to the president to remove the notation. Disciplinary action may range from a letter of reprimand to expulsion; however, expulsion only occurs in rare cases.
Makeup
The makeup of the PACSD is stated as being composed of approximately 10 people. There are at present two student representatives appointed to the PACSD: one from the GSS and one from the AMS. A panel is formed to hear each case; the panel is composed of the chair, who is a non-voting member, and three voting committee members. Each member is given preparatory material beforehand (the same material as the student receives in their PACSD package), and the panels last for a full morning or afternoon. The composition of the PACSD is presently undergoing changes due to an increase in disciplinary cases.
Notation on Transcript
Many students receive a notation of academic or non-academic discipline on their transcripts. If this is the case, you may apply to the president to have this notation removed two years after you graduate from UBC. You need to make a formal request to the president asking that the notation be removed. This formal request should include an appeal letter and substantiating documentation if any. Additionally, the President’s Office asks that a student making such a request submit two character reference letters.
Applying for Re-admission
Students who are suspended from the University may have to apply for re-admission. You will need to contact the UBC Undergraduate Admissions Office at 604-822-2844 to determine what steps you need to take to be eligible to register for courses. Students cannot register for courses until the day that their suspension ends. For example, Jon’s suspension ends May 1, 2011. Jon cannot register for 2011 summer courses until May 1 when his suspension ends. If a course in which Jon wants to register is full, he will need to contact the course instructor to get permission to register in that course.
Appeals
You have the right to appeal the decision of the president to the
Senate Committee on Student Appeals on Academic Discipline. To appeal a decision of the president, you should send a notice of intent to appeal to the University Registrars Office.