Student Discipline

2023 - 2024 Academic Catalog

The Pentecostal Theological Seminary is a community of faith and discipleship. In no area is this truer than in the area of discipline, since it is that which is done, either by oneself or others, to promote development in discipleship. In community, each one is responsible for the other; the community as a whole is responsible for each one; and each and every one is responsible to the community. Our guide for the process of discipline is the teaching of Jesus Christ in Matthew 18:15-18.

Any of the following shall be considered as an adequate cause for dismissal of a student from the Theological Seminary.

Immoral conduct, including cheating and/or plagiarizing of other student papers.
Flagrant violation of seminary rule.

Remediation

An incident by a student may warrant immediate disciplinary action on any particular level. The levels described below are suggestive in nature. Steps and levels described compliment the discipline described in the Student Handbook.

The purpose of the remediation process is to assess and enhance student abilities, competencies, achievement, personal formation and potential for spiritual, personal, ministerial and professional development.

As a result of assessment of a student’s achievement, competency, or personal formation at any time while a student is enrolled at the Seminary, a student may experience remedial action at various levels.

Intervention between students and faculty, Seminary administration or staff
To complete additional work in academic areas, including academic and clinical work
Assistance with personal and professional formation, including personal mentoring, supervision or counseling
To be transitioned to another or related program of study
To be placed on probation
To be dismissed from the Seminary

At the level of intervention between students and faculty, Seminary administration or staff; students may contact:

The faculty person for the relevant course
Their academic advisor
The Director of Student Services
The VP for Academics

Reasons for intervention may include assistance with:

Coursework
Practicum or internship site or supervisory issue
Program requirements
Discipline

At the level of completion of additional academic work in the Seminary, a student may meet with:

The faculty person for the relevant course
Their academic advisor
The Director of Student Services
The VP for Academics

At this level students may be assessed by the Academic Liaison to the VP of Academics or the Discipline Committee to be in need of:

Added courses, practicum and/or internships to improve an area of academics
The retaking of courses, practicum and/or internships to improve academic and/or professional development
Assistance during academic probation or academic dismissal as defined in the Seminary Catalog Academic Policy section

At the level of assistance with personal and/or professional formation, including personal mentoring, supervision or counseling, students may request the Administrative Liaison to the VP of Academics to review a particular incident or require that students:

Receive further academic advising from his or her academic advisor
Receive personal counseling
Receive mentorship from a faculty member or other counseling professional
Receive additional supervision from a practicum or internship supervisor

At the level of transition to another or related program of study, such action may take place at the:

Request of the student
At the recommendation of the student’s faculty advisor
Assessment and determination of the Seminary Academics Office
Criteria for the transition to another or related program may include the student’s:
Academic performance
Clinical performance in a practicum or internship
Student personal preference

Discipline Policy

At the level of probation from the Seminary, probationary action may be taken by the Seminary’s Academics Office. Probationary action may be the result of:

Student unsatisfactory academic progress as defined in the Seminary Catalog in the Academics section.
A violation as described in the Seminary Student Handbook, under the sections entitled, “Student Rights and Responsibilities,” “Student Discipline,” and “Student Grievance Policy”.
Assessment and action by a Discipline Committee.

At the level of dismissal from the Seminary, dismissal may be taken by the Seminary’s Academics Office. Dismissal may be the result of:

Student unsatisfactory academic progress as defined in the Seminary Catalog in the Academics section.
A violation as described in the Seminary Student Handbook, under the sections entitled, “Student Rights and Responsibilities,” “Student Discipline,” and “Student Grievance Policy”.
Assessment by Ministerial Development Committee.

Student Discipline

In a community, each one is responsible for the other; the community as a whole is responsible for each one; and each and every one is responsible to the community.

Any of the following shall be considered as an adequate cause for dismissal of a student from the Theological Seminary.

Immoral conduct, including cheating and/or plagiarizing of other student papers.
Flagrant violation of seminary rule.
Title IX violations.

Procedure for Serious Violations (Including Title IX violations)

All members of the seminary community have an obligation to see that seminary standards and regulations are maintained. Flagrant disregard and violation of these should be reported to the Office (Director) of Student Services.
A student reported for, or accused of a serious violation shall be interviewed first by the Director of Student Services clarification and counseling, and then, if s/he deems it necessary, this shall be reported to the VP for Academics. A committee will be appointed by VP of Academics for:

(a) formulating charges.

(b) determining the degree of repentance and the willingness to reform.

A student may waive the right to appear before this committee and appear before the Discipline Committee if done so in writing.

If further disciplinary action is recommended, the accused shall appear before the Discipline Committee. The committee shall consist of three faculty members from the Ministerial Development Committee, the chair of the MDC shall chair the committee.
All students are hereby advised that in such a case, they have the following rights.
(a) The right to present their case.

(b) The right to be accompanied by an advisor.

The student shall be notified in writing/email of the time and place of the hearing and of the charges to be brought against him or her at least 24 hours ahead of time.
The committee shall meet with the accused and her/his advisor (if the accused so desires).
The chairman of the committee shall read the charges as formulated by the first hearing, along with the resultant findings and recommendations.
The committee shall hear the accused present her/his side of the case with whatever evidence and witnesses s/he may have. (Witnesses shall be heard separately from other witnesses and the accused.)
The accused shall be excused while the committee deliberates and reaches a verdict. Then, the committee determines an appropriate action regarding the verdict. The accused shall then be recalled and informed of the decision(The decision of the committee shall be sent in writing to the Dean/VPA as a Recommendation.) (The VPA shall consider the decision and forward on his/her recommendation to the President.)
The student may appeal the action of the committee to the President within 48 hours, and the decision of the President shall be final. (Once the President has been notified by the VPA, then the clock begins.)
Records of hearings relating to discipline shall be kept in the Office of Student Services.
The Seminary reserves the right to notify the proper ecclesiastical body of any immoral conduct.

Student Grievance Policy

Title IX Grievances

In accordance with Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, the Pentecostal Theological Seminary does not condone discrimination against students, faculty or staff based upon sex in any of its programs or functions, including but not limited to admission, educational programs, and employment. Sexual misconduct is a type of sex discrimination and is prohibited by Title IX and by the Pentecostal Theological Seminary.

The Pentecostal Theological Seminary is committed to responding immediately and effectively to any reports of possible discrimination based on sex. An individual who has questions regarding sexual harassment or sex discrimination should contact the PTS Title IX Coordinator.

Title IX grievance complaints should be submitted to either the Director of Student Services, the Title IX Coordinator, or Human Resources.

Procedure:

The goal of the grievance policy is to provide a procedure where the student can have a voice. To protect the student from a power imbalance when registering a complaint. To encourage participation in the process and to avoid a culture of student silence. To encourage students to build relationships in the academic community.

In dealing with cases that are Title IX-related, the Title IX Coordinator (Karen Holley) and the Vice President for Academics will be notified immediately. The process to investigate and resolve will follow the “Student to Faculty/Staff” procedure.

Identify the structure of the conflict:

a. Student to student

b. Student to faculty

c. Student to staff

*In cases where staff or faculty are involved, a faculty/staff member should be appointed to advocate for the faculty/staff. The position of the Director of Student Services should be relegated to advocate for the student only in such cases.

Where the grievance is student to student, the students involved should seek to make peace by following the steps below:

Choose a time and a neutral location that supports honest dialogue with no interruptions.

a. Employ active listening steps

Decide if you really want to hear what the other has to say. If yes, proceed.
Give the other party 100% of your attention.
Suspend judgment.
Show understanding and acceptance by nonverbal behavior:
- Tone of voice
- Facial expressions
- Gestures
- Eye contact
- Posture
Put yourself in the other person’s place to understand what the person is saying and how he/she feels.
Restate the person’s most important thoughts and feelings.
Do not interrupt, offer advice, or give suggestions. Do not bring up similar feelings or problems from your own experience

If the conflict cannot be resolved, report the grievance to the Director of Student Services.
The Director of Student Services will employ following steps of peacemaking process:

A. Invitation/Safety. “Is everyone willing to search for a constructive, fair and just agreement?

B. Ground rules. (Ask for agreement to each)

Follow the process.
If the process seems unfair, say so.
No interrupting.
Be willing to summarize.

C. Describe, Summarize, and Recognize

- Person A: Describe how you experienced the problem, conflict, or injustice.
- Person B: Summarize
- Person B: Describe how you experienced the problem, conflict, or injustice.
- Person A: Summarize

*Have experiences been recognized? If not, repeat C.

D. Search for Agreements that will:

- Restore Equity: How can you make things as right as possible now? And,
- Clarify Future Intentions: How can you prevent this from happening again?

E. Summarize Agreement and Congratulate.

Write Agreement (when possible).
Set follow-up meeting.
Congratulate for being cooperative.

If no agreement, return to A above for one more round of the process.

The Director of Student Services will follow up on the agreements reached.

F. If no agreement is reached on the said grievance issue, the matter will be referred to the Disciplinary Committee that will be appointed by the VP for Academics.

Student to Faculty or Student to Staff

When a student has a grievance with either a faculty or staff, the student will submit her/his grievance to the Director of Student Service in writing. In cases of Title IX, the grievance may be between student to student or student to faculty or staff.

Upon the receipt of the grievance articulated in writing, the Director of Student Services will report the grievance to the Vice-President for Academics. The Director will also then follow the steps stated below:

The Director of Student Services will contact the person named in the grievance as well as the immediate supervisor of the person named by phone or email. The purpose of the contact is to request in writing, an account of the conflict from their perspective.
After a careful review of both sides of the issue, the Director of Student Services will provide a written report of the grievance to the VP for Academics.
If the grievance cannot be resolved through the use of advocates, an arbitration committee can be appointed by the VP for Academics at the recommendation of the Director of Student Services.

This committee will be composed of three or more members that may include:

a. Faculty member(s)

b. The Director of Human Resources (in Title IX cases)

c. Representative from the student body or staff (in cases where student or staff representation will ensure neutrality of adjudication)

If mediation or arbitration is deemed to be unnecessary, the student that brought the grievance will be notified of the decision of the Disciplinary Committee. The Disciplinary Committee will report its decision to the VP for Academics in writing.
If the student is not satisfied with the decision of the committee, the student may submit an appeal in writing to the VP for Academics. The VP for Academics will then meet with the student to hear the appeal for the purpose of resolving the grievance.
If the grievance is not resolved in a meeting with the VP for Academics, the student may submit her/his appeal in writing to the President within 8 hours after her/his meeting with the VP for Academics.
A final decision on the grievance will be made within two weeks from the time when the final appeal has reached the President’s Office.

PTS POLICY ON PLAGIARISM

The Importance of Academic Integrity

The Pentecostal Theological Seminary encourages fairness and equity for all students. It is the Seminary’s responsibility to create an environment where discovery and communication of knowledge are valued and protected. By enrolling at the PTS, students commit themselves to academic integrity, which enhances the intellectual development of each student and the integrity of the Institution.

Another important responsibility of the Seminary is the accurate evaluation of each student in relation to her or his peers. This requires that instructors have a clear view of each student's ability, ingenuity, and originality. Such a view is only available if all the students are working according to the same set of known guidelines regarding academic conduct. This document makes students aware of what constitutes proper academic behavior that will ensure a fair basis for evaluation.

Students’ work should represent their own efforts and to reflect the outcomes of their learning. However, with the advent of the Internet and easy access to almost limitless written material on every conceivable topic, student plagiarism has become a growing problem that hinders students’ writing, reading, and critical thinking abilities.

Since we are constantly 'borrowing' the language of others, some people have argued that it is very difficult to determine who has ownership of particular words or expressions. In this perspective, all words, expressions, and ideas are part of an intellectual 'free currency', which over time generates a 'commonwealth' of ideas. Related to this perspective is the view in some cultures that all knowledge belongs to the community and that to copy the ideas of another person is a way of honoring that person. PTS acknowledges these alternative views of intellectual property and does not seek to disparage the academic philosophies and conventions of other cultures and institutions. Therefore, PTS does not consider its policy on plagiarism to be a universal norm.

Definition of Plagiarism

In instructional settings, plagiarism is a multifaceted and ethically complex problem. However, a simple and direct definition is: “The action or practice of taking someone else's work, idea, etc., and passing it off as one's own; literary theft” (Oxford English Dictionary, 3rd edn, 2006). Plagiarism occurs when a student deliberately uses someone else’s language, ideas, or other original (not common knowledge) material without acknowledging its source. This definition applies to texts published in print or online, to manuscripts, to lectures, and to the work of other students.

According to the Seminary’s definition, plagiarism includes, but is not limited to, the following:

Copying any other person’s work and submitting it as one’s own, whether as a written document or an oral presentation.
Copying or paraphrasing passages, sentences, phrases, data, statistics, isolated formulas, and visual aids from print, oral, or internet sources without proper acknowledgment.
Using someone else’s ideas without giving credit to the source.
Submitting a professionally prepared research paper as one’s own work.
Submitting work that resulted from an unauthorized collaborative effort as individual work.
Reusing or recycling a paper or research done for credit in a previous course without the permission and approval of all the professors involved.
Offering material assembled or collected by others as one’s own project or collection.
Fabricating or creating material (statistics, text, etc.) to cite as a legitimate source.
Intentionally documenting a source inaccurately.

Students who plagiarize will be subject to disciplinary action by the Seminary (see below).

Acceptable Practices

To properly utilize sources, students may use any of the following:

Direct quotations that are placed within quotation marks or indented in block form, with sources acknowledged in footnotes or endnotes.
Paraphrases and summaries of another’s words with acknowledgment of the source.
Ideas in general taken from a source if the source is adequately acknowledged.
References and resources such as dictionaries and textbooks to correct and revise work. Students may also consult their professors, librarians, Writing Lab tutors, or others for help with correcting and revising their work, but they may not have another person correct and revise their work in its entirety. With the permission of the professor, however, students such as international students writing in a language that is not their first language may make significant use of an editor or proofreader if they acknowledge the contributions of that editor or proofreader in a statement of acknowledgment formally appended to the paper.
Typing performed by another person. The typist may not, however, change the content, organization, or ideas of the writer.

Common Knowledge

The only source material that does not require documentation is common knowledge. Diana Hacker defines common knowledge as “information your readers could find in any number of general sources because it is commonly known. For example, it is well known that Toni Morrison won the Nobel Prize in literature in 1993” (The Bedford Handbook, 6th ed., p. 577). More specific information (such as “forty-eight percent of Church of God pastors in Tennessee in 2012 lacked health insurance”) will require acknowledgement of its source.

Difference between Plagiarism and Misuse of Sources

Plagiarism is intentionally submitting someone else’s text as one’s own or attempting to blur the line between one’s own ideas or words and those borrowed from another source. Misuse of sources is the careless or inadequate citing ideas and words borrowed from another source.

Students must make every effort to acknowledge sources fully and appropriately in accordance with the contexts and genres of their writing. A student who attempts to identify and credit her or his source, but who misuses a specific citation format or incorrectly uses quotation marks or other forms of identifying material taken from other sources, has not plagiarized. Instead, such a student should be considered to have failed to cite and document sources appropriately.

Preventing Plagiarism

To avoid plagiarism, writers must document ideas, statistics, visual aids, and language borrowed from any source – print, oral, or internet. Sources must be documented formally through approved methods of citation (in-text notes, footnotes, or endnotes).

Students should understand research assignments as opportunities for genuine and rigorous inquiry and learning. Such an understanding involves:

Assembling and analyzing a set of sources that they have themselves determined are relevant to the issues they are investigating;
Acknowledging clearly when and how they are drawing on the ideas or phrasings of others;
Learning the conventions for citing documents and acknowledging sources appropriate to the field they are studying;
Consulting their instructors when they are unsure about how to acknowledge the contributions of others to their thought and writing.

Faculty should design contexts and assignments for learning that encourage students not simply to recycle information but to investigate and analyze its sources. This includes:

Stating in writing their policies and expectations for documenting sources and avoiding plagiarism;
Teaching students the conventions for citing documents and acknowledging sources in their field;
Avoiding the use of recycled or formulaic assignments that may invite stock or plagiarized responses;
Engaging students in the process of writing, which produces materials such as notes, drafts, and revisions that are difficult to plagiarize;
Discussing problems students may encounter in documenting and analyzing sources, and offering strategies for avoiding or solving those problems;
Discussing papers suspected of plagiarism with the students who have turned them in, to determine if the papers are the result of a deliberate intent to deceive;

Collaboration and Plagiarism

The Pentecostal Theological Seminary seeks to create an environment conducive to student learning. Any such environment must be free from impediments to the collaborative exchange of thoughts and ideas among students. At the same time, students must develop their own abilities through individual research, study, and critical thinking. It is important that students understand what constitutes acceptable (and encouraged) collaboration, and what constitutes academic misconduct in the form of plagiarism.

The difference between collaboration and plagiarism

Collaboration means working together on a task. Plagiarism means copying another person's work and presenting it as one’s own.

Some academic assignments require a group of students to collaborate by working together and submitting one piece of work for the group. However, most assignments require students to submit their own individual work. Even when the assignment is an individual assignment, it is acceptable to collaborate in a number of ways (see below). When collaborating on an individual assignment, it is important that the final product is one’s own work. Discussing assignments with other students and seeking their comments and advice is acceptable and encouraged. However, it is not acceptable for two students to hand in assignments that are substantially the same or that contain work done by another student.

Types of Permitted Collaboration

In all cases it is up to the instructor to define what constitutes acceptable collaboration for her or his course. What is required for collaboration for one course may be considered serious misconduct for another. Here are some of the ways students commonly collaborate:

Exchanging library references or references to websites when researching for assignments.
Discussing the requirements of assignments with classmates and sharing information.
Exchanging plans or drafts of assignments and commenting on them. Proof-reading each other's final drafts.
Forming study groups to prepare for exams.
Sharing of class notes.

Procedures in the Case of Suspected Plagiarism

No suspected case of misconduct is to be handled by the Graduate Assistants. Even cases deemed to be minor must be addressed by the instructor.

Cases deemed minor by the instructor are to be handled by the instructor and then reported to the Office of Academics. It is important that each case be reported and recorded, in order to determine if the student is committing (or has committed) similar misconduct in other courses.

Cases deemed to be serious and cases where the student and instructor cannot reach agreement about the situation must be forwarded to the Office of Academics, which will oversee the disciplinary process and will keep a record of student academic misconduct. Students have the right to due process, as outlined in the Student Handbook. All cases forwarded to the Office of Academics will be taken up by the Committee for Academic Integrity (CAI), which is comprised of the Assistant Dean, the Director of Student Services, one faculty member (chosen by the VPA) who teaches in an area other than the area in which the suspected offense occurred, and the President of the SGA. The committee will receive testimony from the instructor teaching the course in which the student is suspected of committing misconduct and from the suspected offender. After hearing the evidence, the committee will confer. The committee will decide the guilt or innocence of the suspected student. If the student is found guilty, the committee will determine a penalty that is consistent with the severity of the Offense.

Possible Penalties

Penalties may include (but are not limited to) the following:

A reduced or failing grade for the course, examination, or assignment in which the academic misconduct occurred.
Suspension from the Seminary for a specified period of time or indefinitely.
Reprimand, with a letter placed in a student's file.
A notation on the student's permanent record of the penalty imposed.

Right of Appeal

Students may appeal the decision of the CAI to the VPA, who has authority to veto any and all decisions of the CAI and to change any and all penalties.

Student Affirmation of Academic Integrity

The following statement can be attached to written assignments or adapted as a one-time statement for all assignments within a course:

This project was written by me and in my own words, except for quotations from published and unpublished sources which are clearly indicated and acknowledged as such. The source of any picture, map, or other illustration is also indicated. I am conscious that the incorporation of material from other works or a paraphrase of such material without acknowledgement will be

treated as plagiarism and will be cause for disciplinary action, according to the PTS Statement on Plagiarism.

(Name) (Signature)

Student Intellectual Property Policy Statement

Student intellectual property rights relate to faculty produced course material and student generated intellectual work. The Pentecostal Theological Seminary recognizes the right of students duly enrolled in a course to take notes for personal study. Students do not have the right to take notes or disseminate them for commercial purposes without the written approval of the course instructor. Students shall not distribute or otherwise make notes taken in courses accessible on the Internet in any case unless approved by the instructor.

Students may not record electronically (audio or visual) faculty lectures except for personal study and then only with prior approval of the instructor. At the beginning of each course, faculty members shall notify students what lecture/s, if any, students may record. Student recordings of lectures shall not be distributed to others without the permission of the instructor. In the event of a perceived violation and after conferencing with the offending student, faculty may file a grievance with the Vice President for Academics. The matter shall be handled according to the grievance policies as stated in the Faculty Handbook and Student Handbook.

Student intellectual property is also protected. Student produced ideational content in projects and papers may not be used by faculty, staff, or others in publications, presentations, or for commercial purposes without written approval of the student in question. In the event of a perceived violation and after conferring with the offending faculty or staff person, students may file a grievance with the Vice President for Academics where faculty are concerned or the Director of Administrative Services where staff are concerned. When a grievance cannot be resolved in consultation with the Vice President for Academics or Director of Administrative Services, the matter shall be handled according to the grievance policies as stated in the Faculty Handbook and Student Handbook.

MISCELLANEOUS

International students who are studying on the I-20 should be aware of the fact that getting married while on the student visa may complicate their student visa status (It may even result in the cancellation of his/her student visa). In such cases, the seminary Administration is not responsible for any of the consequences.
Premarital counseling is available through the Director of Counseling and Assessment to any student contemplating marriage.
During inclement weather, listen to local radio stations WBAC and WCLE to find out if classes will meet. See the Emergency Notification System section for more details.
It is the responsibility of each student to keep the Registrar's Office informed of her/his current residence, mailing address and telephone number.
Smoking, drugs, alcoholic beverages, and pornography are not permitted either in the buildings or anywhere on the Theological Seminary campus.
Student organizations desiring to sponsor a social or religious function on or off campus should contact the Director of Student Services to coordinate activity schedules.

State Authorization and Complaint Process

State Authorization is a legal issue related to institutional adherence of the state requirements for colleges to secure authorization to offer Pentecostal Theological Seminary (PTS) instruction in the state. Click here for more information.

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