The faculty adopted a statement on “Plagiarism, Documentation and the Community of Knowledge” in JMay 1996. Excerpts are as follows:
Plagiarism is presenting either the exact words or the ideas of someone else as though they are your own. It is never acceptable, and getting caught at it in an academic situation generally means failing the assignment and sometimes failing the course. Yet while everyone knows in a general way that plagiarism is dishonest, it is sometimes difficult to know just how to present and document the material you use in your writing in order to avoid plagiarizing.
This guide presents some suggestions and examples for using sources properly. It is not meant to cover all situations or to substitute for study and practice of the research process. Nor is it a substitute for careful attention to your instructors’ instructions, which may differ in the specific form of documentation they require. It is meant, however, to help you understand just when and how to credit material from sources.
There are at least three reasons for giving credit for ideas and language not your own. The obvious one is that not to do so is dishonest, at odds with the Honor System under which Bluffton University operates and in a broader sense out of harmony with what we believe are the laws of God and people as well. The second is that identifying sources enables your readers to follow the material you used if they want more detailed information.
The final reason is at once practical and abstract. Learning to be a part of the ongoing conversations of humanity means learning to use, synthesize, evaluate and critique the prior work of others, not merely to steal it. A properly documented, thoughtfully organized essay which draws on many sources takes on some of the strengths of its sources as it names, quotes and discusses them. It is far more impressive to the instructor, even if its language and ideas are not always ‘professional,’ than a cut-and-paste paper patched together out of the undocumented prose of others.
While the first kind of paper is more work to write, the work it requires will teach you things, both about your subject and about the process of learning, of coming to understand and sharing your understanding with others. If you learn those things well, the learning will serve you forever.
A more in-depth explanation of plagiarism is avilable through the English department.
Affirmative Action policy
The description of Bluffton's Affirmative Action program is found in the Faculty/Staff Handbook which is available in any administrative office. Portions of the Affirmative Action program that apply to students are as follows:
At a minimum this means that Bluffton University will not discriminate against any student or employee because of race, color, creed, gender, religion, ethnic or national origin, disability and age except that because of our heritage and mission we do give preference in appointing faculty and staff who share a commitment to Christian faith which is consistent with the Mennonite/Anabaptist beliefs of Bluffton's founding and supporting church. However, our religious beliefs compel us to develop a campus community which includes people of various cultures and of diverse race, color, creed, gender, religion, ethnic or national origin, disability and age.
Harassment policyExamples of the types of harassment that are unacceptable include threats or verbal abuse directed toward another member of the community, including verbal assaults, derogatory racial, sexist or homophobic remarks, defamation of character or any other type of behavior that knowingly puts another member of the community in a state of fear or anxiety. This applies to any type of communication (e.g. telephone, e-mail, face-to-face, group interaction) and it may involve a single or repeated incident.
Students who believe that they have been harassed by (a) a faculty member should take their complaint to the vice president of academic affairs, (b) a staff member should take their complaint to the supervisor of the staff member or (c) another student should take their complaint to the dean of students. One of several options for the students is to have the incident resolved through the regular judicial process.
Discrimination
See Affirmative Action Policy
Students who believe that they have been discriminated against should first seek resolution of the situation through the normal administrative channels (see Harassment Policy.) If there has been no resolution after completing this process, the individual should notify the affirmative action officer, Julie Krupp, director of human resources, ext. 3377.
Disability discrimination/disability services
Bluffton University does not discriminate against qualified disabled students. The mission of disability services at Bluffton University is to ensure that qualified students with disabilities are provided access to all programs in order to maximize their educational potential, develop independence to the fullest extent possible and perform at a level limited only by their abilities, not their disabilities. Any disabled student who seeks modifications in accordance with the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, such as academic adjustments or auxiliary aids or services, must submit a request to the university's section 504 coordinator. The section 504 coordinator will work with the student and other persons as necessary to determine the appropriate modifications. Students who show some academic difficulties that interfere with their learning abilities may be referred for testing. The office of the section 504 coordinator/counselor for disability services is located on 2nd floor College Hall within the Learning Resource Center and can be contacted at 419-358-3215.
Emergency removal and return of students
This policy outlines how the university will respond in situations where students with mental or psychological conditions voluntarily request a leave of absence or withdrawal from the university for medical reasons or where the university must place such a student on involuntary leave or involuntarily withdraw the student from the university.
Conditions which could warrent involuntary leave or involuntary withdrawal
Involuntary leave or involuntary withdrawal of a student will occur only in situations where the university determines there is a significant risk of substantial harm to the health or safety of the student or other individuals.
The following are some examples of situations that may be covered by this policy. They include, but are not limited to:
Procedure
The dean of students, when made aware of a student’s request or of a situation which could warrant involuntary leave or withdrawal, will work with the university’s section 504 coordinator, the campus counselor, director of residence life and other appropriate persons knowledgeable about the student’s condition (e.g., parents, healthcare providers) to determine the student’s ability to safely participate in the university’s programs.
The determination that a student poses a direct threat shall be based on an individualized assessment of the individual’s present ability to safely function at the university. This assessment shall be based on a reasonable medical judgment that relies on the most current medical knowledge and/or on the best available objective evidence. In determining whether an individual would pose a direct threat, the factors to be considered include:
If it is determined through the above process that a student’s behavior poses a direct threat to themselves or others, the dean of students or designee may withdraw the student or restrict the student’s access to campus for an interim period before a final determination is made. Every attempt will be made by the dean of students or designee to meet with the student before deciding on an interim withdrawal of the student. If the student is to be withdrawn on an interim basis, the decision will be communicated in writing to the student. A student withdrawn on an interim basis shall be given an opportunity to appear personally before the dean of students within two school days from the effective date of the interim withdrawal. Notification of an informal meeting with the dean of students will be communicated to the student in writing and/or orally. The request will include a statement of the reasons for the university’s concern. Appropriate university personnel may be present and/or consulted at this meeting. Parents, spouse or any person who would be of support to the student may, with the consent of the dean of students and of the student, participate in the informal meeting. At the meeting the reasons for the university’s concern will be stated and the student will be given an opportunity to respond to the concerns. If, after the meeting, it is determined that the student does not present a threat to himself/herself or others, the student will be informed in writing by the dean of students and permitted to continue as a student.
If, after the meeting, the dean of students, in consultation with appropriate personnel, decides that the student should withdraw from the university, the student shall be informed in writing of the decision and the basis for the decision within five (5) school days of the informal meeting. The student may be required by the university to provide information from a healthcare professional to the dean of students indicating the student’s ability to continue at or return to the university. The section 504 coordinator will be involved where a student seeks a return to the university.
Appeal
If a student wishes to appeal a decision of the dean of students, the appeal must be made in writing to the vice president for enrollment management and student life within five (5) university working days of the receipt of the decision. (All decisions sent to the student via U.S. Mail will be considered received in three (3) working days.) Following notice to the student, the vice president for enrollment management and student life will conduct a meeting with the student, the dean of students, other appropriate university personnel and a representative or family member selected by the student to serve as his/her advisor. In addition, the vice president for enrollment management and student life may require the student, at his or her expense, to obtain a psychiatric/medical evaluation from sources external to the university to be presented. The decision of the vice president for enrollment management and student life is the university’s final decision.
Grievance procedure for complaints of disability discrimination
Bluffton University’s policy is to provide a prompt and fair method of resolving complaints of discrimination based upon a disability.
Procedure
Telephone and voice mail policies
The purpose of the voice mail system on the Bluffton campus is to facilitate communications between all members of the campus community. It is understood that the standards of campus conduct will be followed on voice mail no less than in face-to-face communication.
When a member of the campus community feels that those standards have been violated and that inappropriate messages have been left in her/his mailbox, then the following steps may be taken:
1. Students should discuss the message(s) in their mailboxes with the dean of students.
2. The dean of students, vice president for enrollment management and student life, and vice president for fiscal affairs will decide whether tracing will be implemented. Before the tracing feature will be turned on, the person alleging voice mail abuse must agree that the two administrators may have access to her/his mailbox and to all messages there, during the time the mailbox is being traced. The confidentiality of messages other than the allegedly offending one(s) is assured. At the time the tracing is implemented, a temporary voice mail passcode will be assigned to the mailbox being traced.
3. Information about all calls made to that mailbox, as well as from the phone number suspected, will be provided to either the dean of students or vice president for fiscal affairs (depending on whether the alleged misuse involved a student or faculty/staff mailbox) to be used in resolving the situation and/or dealing with it through the campus judicial system. The rights to confidentiality in communication are important, and the ability to trace calls into the voice mail system will be used only when it is judged necessary because of prior misuse.
Ohio law provides under penalty of fine or imprisonment or both that:
No person shall, while communicating with any other person over a telephone, threaten to do bodily harm or use or address to such other person any words or language of a lewd, lascivious or indecent character, nature or connotation for the sole purpose of annoying such other person nor shall any person telephone any other person repeatedly or cause any person to be telephoned for the sole purpose of harassing or molesting such other person or his family. Any use, communication or act prohibited by this section may be deemed to have occurred or to have been committed at either the place at which the telephone call was made or was received. (Approved by Administrative Staff on February 25, 1993)
Access to the student information mailbox distribution list is limited to those who are making announcements on behalf of the university or student organizations. Access will not be provided for individual private use such as advertising, soliciting or campaigning. (Approved by Administrative Staff on April 11, 1996)
E-mail policies
Bluffton University must maintain a standard bluffton.edu e-mail for all users of the campus information system. A student’s official e-mail address is his/her bluffton.edu mail account. Bluffton faculty, staff, registrar, financial aid and business office personnel will contact students at this official address. Therefore, students are responsible to check this account on a regular basis. Please refer any questions regarding e-mail to the Help Desk at 419-358-3600, on campus at extension 3600 or by e-mail at helpdesk@bluffton.edu.
Responsible use of campus computing and networking resource
Bluffton University computers and the campus network are the property of Bluffton University and are maintained as an educational resource for use by members of the campus community and guests with authorized network passwords. Authorized users agree to use the Bluffton network in accordance with the Bluffton standards for campus conduct and to abide by all relevant academic standards and laws with respect to copyright and the responsible use of network and Internet resources. As with all networks, Bluffton users should understand that network activity is shared. Network users are responsible for the use of their password and all associated activity. The university does not guarantee that network activity, including websites visited and information downloaded, is private.
Be responsible
In a shared computing environment, individuals must assume responsibility for using available tools to maintain the security of information stored on computer systems and to maximize educational computing resources. All users are responsible to:
Respect Others
As members of a community of respect, whether using a Bluffton computer or a personal computer connected to the network, all users are expected to:
Bluffton recommends, as a guide for fair use of electronic resources, the following statement on software and
intellectual copyright distributed jointly by the Information Technology Association of North America and by EDUCAUSE, the nonprofit consortium of colleges and universities committed to the use and management of information technology in higher education:
Respect for intellectual labor and creativity is vital to academic discourse and enterprise. This principle applies to work of all authors and publishers in all media. It encompasses respect for the right to acknowledgement, right to privacy and right to determine the form, manner and terms of publication and distribution. Because electronic information is volatile and easily reproduced, respect for the work and personal expression of others is especially critical in computer environments. Violations of authorial integrity, including plagiarism, invasion of privacy, unauthorized access and trade secrets and copyright violations, may be grounds for sanctions against members of the academic community.
Additional information about information technology and its responsible use is available through the Bluffton Technology Center.
