Honor Code Concern
Instructors Reporting an Honor Code Concern
Thank you for consulting the Office of Judicial Affairs about your possible Honor Code concern. While at our website, we encourage you to also see the Judicial Charter that, among other things, outlines your rights in the process. The Judicial Officer is responsible for investigating your concern. In submitting a concern, information that would be typically helpful, would include the following:
- Letter/email summarizing the concern (e.g., the class, the assignment, the date of incident, staff involved, the student or students involved -- including their SUID#'s -- how it came to your attention, what the problem is, what has been done with the concern thus far, etc.)
- Relevant materials (e.g., copy of the student's work, copy of plagiarized material, syllabus outlining Honor Code expectations, etc.)
- Copy of any materials that would support your concern (e.g., work of other students on the same assignment that demonstrates how unusual the student’s work is, work of the same student that would illustrate a change in pattern/style and demonstrates how unusual the work is, etc.)
Be aware that all information provided to the Judicial Officer is considered evidence, shared with the responding student, and eventually given to a panel if the concern results in a charge.
The Charter recommends that your concern be submitted to our office within sixty days of the date of the incident. However, in order to accomplish the educational goals of the process, to provide timely due process, and to avoid unnecessary complications to the investigatory process (because witnesses and/or evidence may no longer be available, memories fade, etc.), you are strongly urged to submit your concern immediately upon discovery.
Beyond the formal concern, should you wish to discuss the process informally, please do not hesitate to call/meet with the Judicial Advisor and/or the Judicial Officer. Additionally, since the Judicial Officer is not an expert in your field or on the expectations of your class, you are the expert witness. It is often helpful for the Judicial Officer to meet and review the material with you to better understand the specific nature of your concern before meeting with the responding student. The Judicial Officer is happy to come to your office if a meeting is appropriate.
The Charter also states that, "all parties are expected to be respectful of the confidential nature of any knowledge or information they may have about a judicial case or the other parties involved". Recognizing that discussion amongst the teaching staff serves an important educational function, we would ask that, when it is appropriate to discuss an Honor Code matter with other staff, you use the utmost discretion to maintain the student's privacy (e.g., discuss the incident, not the name of the student).
Students responding to an Honor Code concern should be treated as any other student. Grade all of their work as you would grade any other student's work. If it is time to issue a final grade, do not assign a grade; leave the field blank when entering your grades on Axess. If the student is charged and found responsible for violating the Honor Code in your class, you will determine his/her grade at that time. The Judicial Advisor can offer information about how others have handled grading.
Although this process does require a time commitment from you, we think you will find it fair. Students who are found responsible for violating the Honor Code are held accountable; however, ultimately, we strive to make it a student-centered process with a focus on education.
Again, please check out the rest of our website, which includes the Judicial Charter of 1997, outlining the rights and responsibilities of all participants in our process, the Honor Code and Fundamental Standard, a flow chart, and Important Interpretations and Applications of the Honor Code.