Simon Fraser University students can now get a grade worse than F.

SFU’s board of governors and Senate has approved a policy that would see the introduction of a new grade: “FD” — failed for academic dishonesty.

The new grade is part of a wider effort by the university to crack down on academic cheating and plagiarism. The new grade, as well as a variety of other measures to discourage cheating, is the culmination of over three years of work by SFU’s Senate Committee on Academic Integrity in Student Learning and Evaluation (SCAISLE).

“FD is one of the tools in the new toolbox,” said professor Robert Gordon, the chair of SCAISLE. “It acts as a general statement of the university’s zero-tolerance in this regard as well as a general deterrent for students and a specific deterrent to students who repeatedly violate academic integrity policies.”

Only department heads will be able to give out FD grades. Students receiving an FD will have it remain on their transcript for the entirety of their time in university and for two years after they graduate, after which it will then convert into an F.

UVic has recently begun its own review of the consequences it hands out for academic dishonesty. Tim Haskett, the acting chair of a sub-group of the Senate Committee on Academic Standards (SCAS) reviewing current policies, says that while UVic does not currently have a grade to indicate a violation of academic integrity, UVic will consider the option.

“The Senate Committee on Academic Standards is currently undertaking a review of the UVic Policy on Academic Integrity,” said Haskett. “As part of this exercise, SCAS will look at equivalent policies at other universities, so SFU’s new FD grade will be part of this.”