Main navigation

Academic Misconduct (COAM)

The Committee on Academic Misconduct (COAM) is a pool of faculty and students from which small panels are drawn to hear cases of alleged academic misconduct. When a panel determines that academic misconduct has occurred, its members decide on the appropriate sanction. The committee as a whole considers the broader issues of academic misconduct and provides feedback to instructors and departments about best practices and policies.

Information on Committee Expectations

Leadership

  • Jay Wellman headshot
    Jay Wellman
    Business, Faculty Senator 2023-2026
    COAM Chair, 2025-2026

Membership

MemberSourceTerm Ends
Thomas McDowFaculty Council2026
Amy BrunellFaculty Council2026
Melanie DickmanFaculty Council2026
Anna HamiltonFaculty Council2026
Marliese NistFaculty Council2026
Libby HertensteinFaculty Council2026
Kristen AdamsFaculty Council2026
Jon QuinnFaculty Council2026
Christina BillmanFaculty Council2026
Steven BengalFaculty Council2026
Steven SalopekFaculty Council2027
Megan MeffordFaculty Council2027
Karen WinsteadFaculty Council2027
Judy VillardFaculty Council2027
Dustin MillerFaculty Council2027
Jennifer DushFaculty Council2027
Travis WestFaculty Council2027
Kayla HerbellFaculty Council2027
Chris FortneyFaculty Council2027
Jay WellmanFaculty Council2027
Ash FaulknerFaculty Council2027
Andrea BaldwinFaculty Council2028
Louise CampbellFaculty Council2028
Galey ModanFaculty Council2028
Sheryl BarringerFaculty Council2028
Lisa Cravens-BrownFaculty Council2028
Thomas KnoblochFaculty Council2028
Bobby RamseyFaculty Council2028
Heidi ShullFaculty Council2028
 Faculty Council2028
Phuong DangCGS2026
Zachary DobosCGS2026
Gianni GiarranoCGS2026
Britten GordonCGS2026
Emily HardickCGS2026
Tanay JawdekarCGS2026
Mia KordowskiCGS2026
Jack LanzaCGS2026
Nishita MeshramCGS2026
Mashnur RashidCGS2026
Connor RouillierCGS2026
Amira SmithCGS2026
Lisa VogelerCGS2026
 CGS2026
 CGS2026
Chin Yu ChouUSG2026
Jeehoo LeeUSG2026
CeVe MockUSG2026
Indrakshi PalUSG2026
Siddhartha ParuchuriUSG2026
Regan PoreUSG2026
Savina ReoUSG2026
Tyler SchollUSG2026
Adam StanoUSG2026
Chandra TupakulaUSG2026
Sam WheelockUSG2026
 USG2026
 USG2026
 USG2026
 USG2026
Danny GlassmanVP OSL Designee 
Jennifer WhetstoneProvost Appointee 

Rule 3335-5-48.7 Committee on Academic Misconduct

(A) Membership

The committee on academic misconduct shall consist of sixty-two members.
 

  1. Thirty faculty, at least half of whom shall be tenure-track faculty. Faculty members are eligible for reappointment, but may not serve more than two consecutive terms.
     
  2. Thirty students.
     
    1. Fifteen graduate students.
       
    2. Fifteen undergraduate students. The term of service shall begin with the summer term
       
  3. Two administrators.
     
    1. The vice president for student life or designee, non-voting.
       
    2. The director of the Office of the Committee on Academic Misconduct, appointed by the executive vice president and provost, who shall not participate in the decisions of the committee. The director may recommend student members for approval bythe appointing body, as specified in paragraph (B)(1) of rule 3335-5-46 of the Administrative Code.
       
  4. Alternate members.
     

Faculty and students who have been regular members of the committee during the previous three years shall be eligible to be alternate members, providing they remain at the university in their same category.

(B) Duties and Responsibilities
  1. Investigate or establish procedures for the investigation of all reported cases of student academic misconduct, with the exception of cases in a professional college having a published honor code, and decide upon suitable disciplinary action. (The term "academic misconduct" is defined in paragraph (A) of rule 3335-23-04 of the Administrative Code.) Instructors shall report all instances of alleged academic misconduct to the committee.
  2. Investigate all cases of lax or irregular methods of conducting examinations that might tend to promote academic misconduct on the part of students, with the exception of cases in a professional college having a published honor code. The committee shall report its findings in these cases to the executive vice president and provost.
  3. Serve as a consultant on questions of academic misconduct for any professional college having a published honor code. (Note: this committee shall not have jurisdiction over cases involving student academic misconduct in professional colleges having published honor codes. These colleges shall follow their own codes in investigating reported cases of academic misconduct and in determining suitable disciplinary action. When the action taken involves suspension, dismissal, or entry on the student's permanent record, a recommendation to that effect shall be made to the executive vice president and provost for review and action.)
(C) Organization
  1. The committee on academic misconduct is authorized to:
     
    1. Establish panels of its members which will conduct hearings and make decisions with the same authority as the committee itself;
    2. Establish rules and procedures to conduct hearings, including the definition of a quorum.
  2. If the caseload of the committee should from time to time become such that cases cannot be set for hearing within four weeks (excluding periods of examinations or between vacations and recesses between semesters, terms, or sessions), the chair shall be empowered to ask alternate members to serve voluntarily and temporarily as members of hearing panels.
  3. As a standing committee of the senate, this committee is also governed by the provisions of rules 3335-5-46 and 3335-5-48 of the Administrative Code.

(Board approval dates: 5/1/1986, 2/5/1988, 11/2/1990, 7/12/1991, 2/4/1993, 11/4/1994, 5/3/1996, 4/4/1997, 4/3/1998, 6/1/2001, 6/7/2005, 5/14/2010, 6/6/2014, 4/7/2017, 5/31/2019)