Aggie Code of Honor
The processes, procedures, rules, and definitions associated with Student Rule 20 - Academic Misconduct may be found at https://www.tamug.edu/studentrules/Academic_Rules/20_Academic_Misconduct.html. Questions regarding Academic Misconduct should be directed to the Office for Community Standards via email at ocs@tamug.edu.
Texas A&M University is dedicated to the discovery, development, communication and application of knowledge in a wide range of academic and professional fields and assumes as its historic trust the maintenance of freedom of inquiry and an intellectual environment nurturing the human mind and spirit. Living in accordance with the Aggie Code of Honor is critical to these ideals, to the goal of assuming a place of preeminence in higher education, and to the development of the whole student.
Academic integrity is an essential force in the academic life of a university. It enhances the quality of education and celebrates the genuine achievements of others. It is, without reservation, a responsibility of all members of the Texas A&M University Community to actively promote academic integrity. Apathy or acquiescence in the presence of academic dishonesty is not a neutral act -- failure to confront and deter it will reinforce, perpetuate, and enlarge the scope of such misconduct.
As such, a primary responsibility assumed by Texas A&M students is to promote the ideals of the Aggie Code of Honor. Various methods of encouraging integrity exist, such as setting an example for new students, education through student organizations, and student-to-student moral suasion. Students have the responsibility to confront their peers engaging in compromising situations, and if unsuccessful, to report the matter to the Galveston Aggie Honor System Office, which is a part of the Office for Community Standards. Self-reporting is encouraged and may be considered a mitigating circumstance in the sanctioning phase of a particular case.
Instructors are expected to take proactive steps to promote academic integrity. All syllabi shall contain a section that states the Aggie Honor Code and refers the student to the Aggie Honor System Rules and Procedures on the web. Instructors should have an open discussion about academic integrity with students in their courses early in the semester. Instructors and staff share in the responsibility and authority to challenge and make known acts that violate the Aggie Code of Honor. Additionally, instructors are expected to adhere to the policy pertaining to the reporting and adjudication of violations of the Aggie Code of Honor. Initiating formal procedures is a necessary and obligatory component of this shared responsibility.
Collaboration and sharing information are characteristics of academic communities. These become violations when they involve dishonesty or are used in ways that give a student an unfair advantage. Instructors shall make clear to students their expectations about collaboration and information sharing. Students should seek clarification when in doubt. While Texas A&M values and affirms all cultures, it is important to recognize that only one standard of academic integrity will be tolerated; this is the Aggie Code of Honor.
If the alleged misconduct meets the definition of "misconduct in research or scholarship" under System Regulation 15.99.03 - Ethics in Research and Scholarship and relates to federally funded research, either by an active federal research project or the use of data that was compiled in whole or in part with federal funds the procedures set out 15.99.03 and University Rule 15.99.03.M1 - Responsible Conduct in Research and Scholarship will apply.