The OCC:
- develops and maintains SAIT’s procedures and documents used when addressing student misconduct
- helps SAIT set and maintain community standards for student academic and non-academic conduct
- investigates and manages student non-academic misconduct cases in collaboration with other SAIT stakeholders
- is a resource for students experiencing harassment, bullying, violence or sexual violence
- supports the ongoing development of SAIT’s culture of academic integrity
- works with schools/departments in addressing student academic misconduct cases.
Student academic conduct
SAIT is committed to academic integrity, which is grounded in SAIT’s fundamental values of fairness, integrity, respect, safety and transparency.
Academic integrity also involves honesty, responsibility and trust. SAIT requires students and employees to honour these values at all times. Academic integrity is essential to education and scholarship. It is also fundamental to SAIT’s reputation and the value of SAIT’s credentials.
All members of the SAIT community — students, instructors, academic managers and senior leaders — play a role in developing and supporting SAIT’s culture of academic integrity. In collaboration with the Office of Community Conduct, they are responsible for creating a learning environment where student academic misconduct is discouraged, reported and addressed.
At SAIT, student academic misconduct falls into three categories:
- plagiarism
- cheating
- other types of misconduct.
For a first offence, consequences usually include one or more of the following:
- formal warning/reprimand
- probation and a student contract
- the requirement to complete additional academic integrity training
- resubmission of the coursework in question with a maximum grade of D or 50%
- a zero mark on the coursework in which the academic misconduct occurred.
For a second offence, the consequence is usually a zero in the course and a one-year suspension (365 days) from SAIT’s courses, programs and services.
For a third offence, the consequence is usually permanent expulsion from SAIT.
For detailed information on SAIT’s academic misconduct procedures, see AC.3.4.3 Student Academic Conduct and its four schedules.
SAIT defines academic misconduct as “any action or attempted action that may create an unfair academic advantage for a SAIT student”.
These actions fall into three broad categories - plagiarism, cheating, and other types of academic misconduct.
Schedule A of procedure AC.3.4.3 Student Academic Conduct lists specific examples of each of these categories.
Your instructor will contact your academic chair, who will review the situation.
If your academic chair thinks there’s enough information to follow up on this, they will set up a meeting (or “hearing”) with you and the instructor.
You and the instructor will explain your sides of the story at the hearing. After the hearing, the academic chair will decide if the allegation against you is proven or unproven (“founded” or “unfounded”) and, if it is founded, what the sanctions will be for you.
The academic chair will email you a letter telling you their decision.
You have the right to appeal this decision.
The academic chair’s decision letter to you will tell you how to appeal and will give you a deadline to start your appeal.
At the appeal hearing, you and the academic chair will explain your sides of the story.
The person hearing this appeal will usually be the dean/associate dean. They can overturn or uphold the academic chair’s decision.
If they uphold the decision, they can keep the sanction the same, decrease it or increase it. Their decision is final and binding (which means you can’t appeal the appeal decision).
You can bring a supporter with you to the hearing.
Students often approach Saitsa and ask for one of the student directors to be their supporter at the hearing, but you can ask anyone you would like to be your supporter.
However, the supporter cannot speak for you during the hearing.
If you have a legal guardian or are under 18, you can bring your guardian or parent.
A first offence finding is recorded for seven years on your internal SAIT record (but is not on your SAIT transcript).
A second offence finding (suspension) is recorded for seven years on your internal SAIT record and your SAIT transcript.
A third offence finding (expulsion) is permanently recorded on your internal SAIT record and your SAIT transcript.
You should bring your concerns to your instructor or your academic chair so that they are aware of the need to carefully assess all the projects in the class and can speak to the class as a whole, without singling out any particular students, about observing academic integrity.
If you are uncomfortable approaching your instructor or academic chair about the situation, you can contact the Office of Community Conduct at student.conduct@sait.ca, and the OCC can talk with your instructor or academic chair about this.
It is an offence for students to retaliate against other students in this situation, and students will be subject to non-academic misconduct proceedings if they do this.
Student non-academic conduct
SAIT’s approach to student non-academic misconduct is intended to be educational, prevent future student misconduct, address breaches proportionately to their severity and repair the harm done by a student’s non-academic misconduct to the SAIT community.
In collaboration with the Office of Community Conduct, all members of the SAIT community share the responsibility to create a working and learning environment where student non-academic misconduct is discouraged, reported and addressed.
This environment includes:
- SAIT’s main campus and all satellite campuses (both physical and online)
- SAIT’s facilities
- SAIT’s student residences
- off-campus SAIT-sponsored functions, field trips, work-integrated learning activities, or when a student acts as a designated representative of SAIT or of a student organization, club or team
- study-abroad activities or programs.
Student non-academic misconduct includes a student’s behaviour that:
- threatens the safety, well-being or dignity of/respect for members of the SAIT community
- adversely affects SAIT, a member of the SAIT community, or SAIT’s reputation, educational mission and objectives
- breaches civil or criminal laws
- breaches SAIT’s policies or procedures.
The consequences (or “sanctions”) for non-academic misconduct depend on many factors, such as the misconduct’s circumstances, severity, and effect on others, whether it is a first or subsequent offence for the student, and whether the particular situation involves multiple types of misconduct by the student.
Consequences can range from an apology to permanent expulsion from SAIT.
For detailed information on SAIT’s non-academic misconduct procedures, see AC.3.4.4 Student Non-Academic Conduct and its five schedules.
Non-academic misconduct includes many different types of behaviour, such as disruptive conduct, harmful/offensive conduct, misconduct involving property, misconduct involving information, misconduct relating to smoking, alcohol and drug use, improper use of dangerous objects, and failure to comply.
It also includes situations where a student retaliates against another student in relation to academic or non-academic misconduct proceedings.
Schedule A of AC.3.4.4 Student Academic Conduct lists specific examples of non-academic misconduct.
The Office of Community Conduct will review and investigate the allegation against you.
This involves the OCC gathering information from everyone involved in the situation. As part of this, the OCC will usually meet with you so that you can explain your side of the story.
After the OCC’s investigation is done, the OCC may decide without a formal hearing or set up a formal hearing with you and the other involved individuals before making its decision.
Once the OCC makes its decision, it will email you a letter setting out its decision as to whether the allegation is proven or unproven (“founded” or “unfounded”) and what the sanctions will be, if any.
If the case is severe and likely involves a lengthy suspension or expulsion from SAIT, the OCC will refer the case to the Office of the Registrar for the final decision.
You can contact the Office of Community Conduct directly at student.conduct@sait.ca, as the OCC is a resource for students experiencing harassment, bullying, etc.
The OCC will review and investigate this situation and will work with you and the other student to resolve it.
You can bring a supporter with you to the meeting.
Students often approach Saitsa and ask for one of the student directors to be their supporter at the meeting, but you can ask anyone you would like to be your supporter.
However, the supporter cannot speak for you during the meeting.
If you have a legal guardian or are under 18, you can bring your guardian or parent.
You have the right to appeal this decision.
The OCC’s decision letter will tell you how to appeal and give you a deadline to start your appeal.
At the appeal hearing, you and the OCC will explain your sides of the story. The person hearing your appeal will usually be SAIT’s Registrar or Associate Registrar.
They can overturn or uphold the OCC’s decision. If they uphold the decision, they can keep the sanction the same, decrease it or increase it.
Their decision is final and binding (which means you can’t appeal the appeal decision).
A finding of non-academic misconduct that doesn’t involve your suspension or expulsion is recorded for seven years on your internal SAIT record (but is not on your SAIT transcript).
A finding involving your suspension is recorded for seven years on your internal SAIT record and your SAIT transcript.
A finding involving your expulsion is permanently recorded on your internal SAIT record and your SAIT transcript.
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Oki, Âba wathtech, Danit'ada, Tawnshi, Hello.
SAIT is located on the traditional territories of the Niitsitapi (Blackfoot) and the people of Treaty 7 which includes the Siksika, the Piikani, the Kainai, the Tsuut’ina and the Îyârhe Nakoda of Bearspaw, Chiniki and Goodstoney.
We are situated in an area the Blackfoot tribes traditionally called Moh’kinsstis, where the Bow River meets the Elbow River. We now call it the city of Calgary, which is also home to the Métis Nation of Alberta, Region 3.