Handbook | University Policies and Regulations | Conduct as a student
I. Conduct as a student:
a. Academic Honesty Policy
It is the expressed policy of the University that every aspect of graduate academic life, related in whatever fashion to the University, shall be conducted in an absolutely and uncompromisingly honest manner by graduate students.
Apparent and alleged breaches in this policy are covered in the Graduate Student Academic Policy
(Sen. Doc. no. to 89-026). A copy of this policy is available in the Ombuds Office, Faculty Senate Office and the Office of the Dean of the Graduate School.
See the full text at: http://www.umass.edu/dean_students/code_conduct/
b. Graduate Student Honor Code
It is expected that all graduate students will abide by the Graduate Student Honor code which reads as follows:
We, the graduate students of the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, hereby affirm that graduate students do not lie, cheat, or steal, or willingly tolerate those who do.
We do not plagiarize the work of others, falsify data, or knowingly allow false data to be generated or published with our compliance.
We do not harass or discriminate against others for reasons of race (phenotype), creed, sexual orientation, or political belief, or keep faith with those who do.
c. Academic Grievance Procedure
For the purposes of this procedure: A grievance (Sen. Doc. No. 00-015) is defined as a complaint by a currently enrolled graduate student(s) alleging that some member(s) of the University community has caused the student(s) to suffer some specific harm related to a matter within the authority of the Dean of the Graduate School. However, complaints that concern (1) matters of academic judgement, or (2) the substance (as opposed to the administration) of University, campus or Graduate School policies and regulations shall NOT be considered grievances under this procedure, and grievances which have been brought to a hearing under another campus grievance procedure shall not be brought to a hearing under this procedure. A copy of the Graduate School Grievance Procedure is available from the University Ombuds Office and the Office of the Dean of the Graduate School.
See the full text at:http://www.umass.edu/registrar/media/academicregs05.pdf
d. Military Policy
If a graduate student is called to active military duty during the semester (this does not include voluntary enlistment), the following steps can be taken:
• The student can elect to receive non-punitive withdrawals from any or all courses in which s/he was enrolled at the time called to active duty (The Graduate School will remove course from the record and cancel the bill.)
• Students who decide to withdraw from all courses will receive a full refund of tuition and curriculum fee.
• With the permission of the instructor, a grade of INC can be recorded. (The grade will remain INC until 8 months after the resumption of graduate studies.)
• Students who withdraw from some courses and take INC in others will receive a refund on the basis of the proportion of credits for which the student is withdrawing
• No future refunds will be allowed for courses with grades of INC if the student is unable to complete the course.
While on active duty, the student will receive an open-ended leave of absence, which will extend his/her statue of limitations accordingly. The Graduate School will waive Program Fees for fall and spring semesters. Funding is up to the discretion of the academic program and upon a student's return, the policy urges programs to reinstate a teaching/research assistantship, however this is not guaranteed. The University will not be able to defer student loans while on active duty as the student will be on Leave of Absence from the University. You should contact the agency(ies) with which you have loans to make arrangements for any active military duty deferments for which you may qualify. If a graduate student is newly admitted, admission will be deferred to the next entrance period following discharge. A copy of the procedures for this policy can be obtained from the Graduate Registrar's Office.
