These procedures supplement the Student Disciplinary Procedures of New York University, as approved by the vote of the Wagner school faculty on May 14, 2003.
As permitted under New York University by-laws and disciplinary procedures, the faculty of the Wagner Graduate School of Public Service adopts the following procedures for informal resolution of complaints and for cases of formal student discipline. The procedures described below are not exclusive and are not intended to prevent informal resolution.
Students of the Wagner School and New York University have joined an academic community that presumes certain behaviors and norms. As members of this community, students are expected to conduct their academic work with the highest integrity and to avoid any behaviors that jeopardize the well-being of others or disrupt educational activities. Accusations of behaviors that constitute disciplinary violations of either academic dishonesty or community offenses are covered by these procedures.
Academic disciplinary violations include, but are not limited to: cheating on exams or assignments, plagiarism, providing your work for someone else to submit as his or her own, collaborating on work intended to be done individually, or forgery of academic documents. Plagiarism consists of presenting ideas or words without adequate acknowledgement of their source and, as with other acts of academic fraud, is a violation based on fact rather than intent. Any of the following acts constitute plagiarism:
a. Using a phrase, sentence, or passage from another person’s work without quotations marks AND attribution of the source. (Both quotations and attribution are necessary).
b. Using text from a source that is rearranged, paraphrased or discussed without attribution to the source;
c. Submitting work where a central idea for a section/paragraph is taken from a source, written in the student’s own words and not cited in the text;
d. Submitting work completed by another (including work that was accessed via the internet) copied in its entirety or modified without attribution to the source.
e. Submitting your own work towards requirements in more than one class without the explicit prior permission of the instructors.
In addition to the aforementioned examples of plagiarism, below we provide several websites that discuss plagiarism further. For research resources and to help you learn about appropriate citation of the many different sources you will use in your work at Wagner, see Writing under "Academic Services." Resources for understanding and avoiding plagiarism:
Offenses against the community are behaviors that jeopardize the
physical or emotional health or safety of its members or disrupt
educational or Wagner community activities (classroom activities
or other official school sponsored events such as town hall meetings).
These include, without limitation, damaging premises, interference
with access to academic facilities or offices, and physical or other
interference with or harassment of others.
Complaints can be filed by faculty members, students and administrators and will be fielded by the Chair of the Disciplinary Committee. Upon receiving a complaint, and depending on the nature of the offense and whether informal resolution has already been attempted, the Chair may attempt to resolve matters informally, with the consent of all parties. If informal resolution by consent is not possible for any reason, the Chair will conduct a preliminary investigation to determine whether or not it is necessary to proceed with formal hearings.
If the Chair determines that the complaint warrants proceeding with a formal hearing, the Chair will notify the student (hereinafter the ‘student’) against whom the complaint was filed in writing of the charges within 48 hours. The written complaint will state the policies that have been alleged to be violated by the Student. The Chair will then create a Hearing Panel from the available Committee members.
The standing Disciplinary Committee will be composed of a total of five members, with three faculty members (or two faculty and one administrator)– including the Chair – and two student members. The two students will be selected by the Dean’s office from a pool of students either self-nominated or nominated by the Wagner Student Association. The students will join the Committee as first-year, second-term students. All committee members will serve for a minimum of three semesters, with overlapping, staggered terms.
The Hearing Panel will consist of three people, including the Chair (two faculty members and one student or one faculty member, one administrator and one student). Any committee members with conflicts of interest should excuse themselves from serving. In advance of the hearing, the Chair will present the case materials to the Hearing Panel. The Chair will also ask that the complainant and the Student submit the names of all witnesses that they would like present at the hearing. The Hearing Panel has the discretion to limit the number of witnesses appearing at the hearing as it deems appropriate, and the Chair may request certain witnesses to attend the hearing and to testify.
The Hearing Panel shall control the conduct of the hearing proceedings. The Chair shall instruct everyone participating in the disciplinary proceeding of the confidentiality of such proceedings.
The hearing shall not be governed by formal rules of evidence.
Following the hearing, the Hearing Panel shall meet in closed session. The Hearing Panel shall first vote on whether the Student has committed the alleged disciplinary infraction, and then, if necessary, the Hearing Panel will decide the disciplinary sanction to be imposed. A majority vote of the Hearing Panel is necessary for a valid decision.
The Student has the right to have the Hearing Panel request the presence of a reasonable number of witnesses on his or her behalf, though the Hearing Panel cannot compel the attendance of such witnesses.
A tape-recorded record of the hearing shall be made. In addition, the Chair shall prepare minutes of the hearing, which include:
a. A short statement of the charge against the
Student;
b. A summary of the findings of fact and conclusions
made by the Hearing Panel;
c. A statement of the decision of the Hearing
Panel; and
d. The penalty imposed by the Hearing Panel.
The Chair shall inform the Dean of the Hearing Panel’s findings. The Dean shall promptly provide the Student with a copy of the Hearing Panel’s decision, and all appropriate notations in the Student’s record shall be made.
The Student has the right to be informed in writing of the charge(s) against him or her and the name(s) of the person(s) who filed the complaint.
The Student has the right to consult with an adviser or counsel of his or her own choosing (who may be an eligible and consenting faculty member) to assist him or her in the preparation of the defense. No member of the Committee or Dean shall be eligible to serve as an adviser under this section. The adviser or counsel may assist the Student in the preparation of the Student’s case for the initial hearing and any appeal. The adviser or counsel may also appear at any prehearing and hearing and shall have the right to examine by putting questions directly to the witness, or by asking questions through members of the hearing body. The method shall be determined by the hearing body and may be altered by it at any time.
The Committee’s decision, based on current findings and any record of prior infractions, may include any one or more of the following disciplinary sanctions:
a. Warning – Notice to the Student, orally or in writing, that continuation or repetition of the conduct found wrongful, or participation in similar conduct, within a period of time stated in the warning, shall be a cause for disciplinary action.
b. Censure – Written reprimand for violation of specified regulation, including the possibility of more severe disciplinary sanction in the event of conviction of another violation of a University regulation within a period of time stated in the reprimand.
c. Disciplinary Probation – Exclusion from participation in privileges or extracurricular University activities as set forth in the notice of disciplinary probation. Notification that a more severe disciplinary sanction may be imposed if the Student commits a second disciplinary offense while on disciplinary probation.
d. Restitution – Reimbursement for damage to or misappropriation of property. Reimbursement may take the form of appropriate service to repair or otherwise compensate for damages.
e. Monetary Fines – For any offenses as determined by the Committee.
f. Suspension – Exclusion from classes and other privileges or extracurricular activities as set forth in the notice of suspension.
g. Dismissal – Termination of student status for an indefinite period. The conditions for readmission, if any permitted, shall be stated by the panel in the order of dismissal.
h. Expulsion – Permanent termination of a student’s status.
i. Community Service – Specific service as deemed appropriate given the violation.
Appeals of the Hearing Panel’s decision shall be brought to the Dean. The Student may appeal from any adverse determination but only on the grounds that (i) the procedure followed at the hearing deprived the respondent of a fair opportunity to respond adequately to the complaint or (ii) the evidence in the record taken as a whole does not substantially support the Hearing Panel’s action. The appeal must be in writing, must state the basis for the appeal, and must be received by the Dean within 20 working days of the date on which the final report of the Hearing Panel was given to the Student. The appeal shall be limited to a review of the record of the hearing, including the Hearing Panel’s decision, and of any materials presented as evidence at the hearing. The Dean’s decision shall be made within 20 working days of the date on which the Student’s appeal was received. The Dean shall have the power to stay the sanction imposed by the Hearing Panel pending the appeal. The Dean shall prepare a written decision on the appeal and may affirm the Hearing Panel’s action, modify it in any respect (including the imposition of a more severe sanction), reverse it, or remand the case for further proceedings by the Discipline Committee. Any decision by the Dean, other than a remand, shall be final and binding.
The records of all disciplinary cases, preliminary assessments and hearings shall be kept and maintained by the Chair in a confidential manner. The Committee will keep and maintain such records until all appeals have been completed or the time for an appeal has expired. Student files, at a minimum, shall reflect the Hearing Panel’s affirmative findings of a disciplinary infraction while the Student is enrolled at Wagner.
The Committee shall be responsible for preparing an annual reporting summary to ensure that the Wagner community is made generally aware of disciplinary outcomes.