IMPORTANT: Help prevent academic integrity violations.

Dear Students,

Recently, Columbia Southern University (CSU) has become aware of an alarming rate of its students who have utilized homework assistant websites, online essay/paper generators and similar resources to compete assignments. Unfortunately, many of these websites market themselves as “tutoring” sites, when they do not offer tutoring services. Rather, they will complete whole assignments for students or offer previously written assignments for use by students. Please note that the Academic Integrity Policy (found on pages 24-25 of the Student Handbook) outlines these violations explicitly:

• Sharing, selling or buying information related to any graded learning activities
• Using another student’s graded work to complete assignment(s)
• Using sources deemed as inappropriate by the university such as:
  • Homework assistant websites
  • Internet essay/paper generators

As an online academic provider, the cornerstone of CSU was built upon integrity, trusting its students, faculty and staff to uphold its core values through honesty, trust, fairness, respect and responsibility. We understand the opportunities for plagiarism have grown rampant, particularly for students completing their degrees online. It is because of this that we cannot take violations of the Academic Integrity Policy lightly. Should we learn of any violations in the future among our students, we will have no other option but to apply sanctions outlined within the Code of Conduct and/or Academic Integrity Policies, resulting in potential university dismissal or rescinding of degree for the offender(s).

We are confident that all of our students will continue their academic journeys with tenacity, taking pride in their work. If you are experiencing difficulty (personal or academic) that might prohibit you from completing your coursework accurately or within the amount of time provided, we encourage you to reach out to the Writing Center, your Academic Advisor or a student support representative for one-on-one help.

You have what it takes to achieve your educational goals with integrity. Let’s work together to make it happen.

Respectfully,

Jeffrey Barksdale
Provost & Chief Academic Officer