School of Law Memorandum on Academic Integrity

To: All Students
From: Pamela Bookman, Associate Dean for Academic Affairs
RE: Academic Integrity

This memorandum outlines our obligation to academic integrity as an aspect of professional responsibility and notes some important policies regarding final examinations and papers.

You will be required to certify your adherence to the following honor code for every examination:

By submitting this exam, I certify that I have not consulted, collaborated, or shared any information with anyone, nor have I utilized unauthorized materials, including any artificial intelligence or machine-learning tools, during this exam.

You are reminded that you are bound by the rules set forth in the Code of Academic Responsibility. Any person found violating the code will be sanctioned for compromising the trust and honor of the academic community. Violations will be thoroughly investigated by the Office of Student Affairs.

The following guidelines apply during the examination period:

  • During the final examination period, please do not contact your professor for any exam-related reason.
  • Should you encounter any difficulty during the final examination period, you should contact the Office of Student Affairs at [email protected] or (212) 636-7155 (for medical or personal emergencies), the Fordham Law IT Service Desk at [email protected] (212) 636-6786 (for technical issues), or the Registrar’s Office at [email protected] (212) 636-6800 (for other exam related issues).
  • If you have a medical or personal emergency that may impact your ability to take your exam, you must contact the Office of Student Affairs (OSA) before your exam.  Do not contact your professor. It is imperative that you contact OSA prior to the start of your exam; absent extraordinary circumstances, students who contact OSA after the exam or who do not contact the office risk not being accommodated.  In order to receive an accommodation based on an emergency, you will be required to provide documentation explaining the emergency (e.g., a letter from your treating physician or the facility on letterhead indicating the date you were seen, your diagnosis, and that as a result of your illness you are unable to sit for the scheduled exam).
  • If you are approved for a make-up examination, do not inform your professor to preserve blind grading.
  • Absent extraordinary circumstances, make-up exams are not rescheduled beyond the exam period.

All final papers are due on or before the last day of your class. If you need an extension to submit your final paper, your professor may but is not required to grant you an extension until the last day of the exam period. Any further extensions must be sought from Dean of Students Kimathi Gordon-Somers or Associate Dean for Academic Affairs Pamela Bookman.

Please read Fordham Law School’s Code of Academic Responsibility, and Academic Regulations and pay particularly close attention to Articles XXIII and XXIV of the Academic Regulations, which concern final exams, papers, and related subjects. I also direct your attention to Sections 8 and 9 of Article II of the Code of Academic Responsibility, which discuss cheating and plagiarism.

Rule 9 of Article XXIV of our Regulations requires all of us – every law student, staff member, administrator, and instructor – to report violations of the Code of Academic Responsibility. The Code requires disciplinary proceedings against any student credibly accused of cheating on an exam or plagiarizing a paper. The Law School is strongly committed to enforcing these rules as part of a commitment to academic integrity.

Section 4E of our Code authorizes a range of sanctions. In prior years, sanctions for violations have included a failing grade for the class, suspension, and expulsion from the Law School. If there is a determination that a student has violated the Code of Academic Responsibility, a notation appears on the transcript and disclosure must be made to any jurisdiction in which admission to the Bar is sought.

Complaints of violations trigger an investigation by the Office of Student Affairs. If probable cause is found, the Dean’s designee will review the case and propose sanctions. If the student does not accept that proposal, a hearing is held at which the student may have counsel. If the Hearing Committee finds a violation, it may impose any sanction noted in Section 4E.

To reiterate, any form of cheating is a violation of our policies and will be subjected to disciplinary action. Our respect for the profession, the school’s values, and our community compels us to take these matters seriously. As a matter of principle, this is an important rule to observe. As a practical matter, you have invested far too much to take such a big risk for such a transient and likely illusory advantage.

Reminder: During the final examination period, do not hesitate to contact the Office of Student Affairs [email protected] (212) 636-7155 or the Registrar’s Office [email protected] (212) 636-6800 if you have a question about your exams or observe cheating.