1 Honor Code Charter Updated on May 17th, 2023 I. Purpose In

Honor Code Charter

Updated on May 17

, 2023

I. Purpose

In October of 1930, Oberlin College & Conservatory implemented the academic honor code with the

support of the faculty, the student government, and the student body. This system entrusted the student

body with the responsibility to achieve academic excellence while maintaining a set of ethics and a

respect for integrity within the academic space. This system was created to strive for an ideal and allow

the flexibility to question the causes of academic dishonesty. The Honor Code has become a central part

of the Oberlin identity and its ethical pursuit of intellectual growth.

The Honor System establishes high standards for student academic integrity at Oberlin College &

Conservatory and student governance of those standards through the Student Honor Committee (SHC).

The SHC promotes an honor system in which students are recognized as responsible contributors to the

Oberlin College community of scholars and artists. As peers, the SHC requires that the student body be

accountable to each other for maintaining an ethical community of diverse scholars and artists. The SHC

ensures that academic integrity and academic freedom are maintained in the scholarly pursuits of the

Oberlin College Community.

With the privilege of pursuing an Oberlin education comes the responsibility to comply with the standards

and the spirit of the Honor Code.

• Respectful engagement with others with respect to the academic environment.

• Respect for the protected nature of intellectual property.

• A strong commitment to open and thoughtful intellectual exchange.

• An understanding that engaging in the honor code prepares students to utilize integrity in their

future endeavors.

• Submission of original work utilizing only approved resources and appropriate attributions.

Students bear the responsibility of ensuring the maintenance of academic freedom in the community and

reporting possible infractions. Students are required to utilize principled and sound judgment regarding

all interactions within the academic enterprise and to abide by the regulations set forth below. Based on

these foundational principles, professors do not proctor exams but instead support student agency and

peer accountability for adherence to the Honor Code.

The Honor Code: Oberlin College & Conservatory students are on their honor to uphold academic

integrity. All work that students submit is expected to be of their own creation and give proper credit to

the ideas and work of others. When students write and sign the Honor Pledge, they are affirming that they

have not cheated, plagiarized, fabricated, or falsified information; nor assisted others in these actions.

The Honor Pledge: At the end of each academic project, students should write in full and sign the

Honor Pledge: “I have adhered to the Honor Code in this assignment.” Faculty members and

administrators may withhold grades or decline to verify completion of the assignment to encourage

student compliance with the Honor Code.

II. Roles and Terms

A. Roles

1. Student Honor Committee (SHC): a group of appointed students responsible for managing

the Oberlin College Honor System

2. Faculty Honor Committee (FHC): a group of appointed faculty members responsible for

reviewing and upholding SHC decisions, educating faculty on academic integrity, and

recommending policy and procedural changes.

3. Honor System Liaison: the person designated by the Dean of Students to provide guidance

and administrative support to the Student Honor Committee. The Honor System Liaison

maintains a set of tracking files containing both names and case numbers, is an ex-officio

member of the Faculty Honor Committee, facilitates communications with other administrative

offices, and answers questions when classes are not in session or when the SHC coordinator is

not available. The Honor System Liaison coordinates events to bring the constituents of the

system together when necessary. In addition, the Honor System Liaison works collaboratively

with the SHC to recruit and train members, to sponsor the fall orientation program for new

students, plan a new faculty orientation, and to ensure that a panel is available to hear all cases.

4. SHC Executive Committee: a committee composed of the Student Honor Committee Hearing

Coordinator, the Student Honor Committee Membership Coordinator, and the Student Honor

Committee Education Coordinator. This committee acts as the leadership for the Student Honor

Committee.

5. Student Honor Committee Hearing Coordinator: the student responsible for receiving

reports of violations, assigning case managers, keeping a record of cases under investigation

and scheduled for hearings, and managing correspondence with the honor system liaison and

the relevant deans.

6. Student Honor Committee Membership Coordinator: the student responsible for

managing SHC membership including applications, interviews, selection, standards, and

training.

7. Student Honor Committee Education Coordinator: the student responsible for the creation of

educational initiatives for the honor code including Orientation and community outreach.

8. Case Manager: the student responsible for organizing the necessary materials for a fair

hearing and ensuring efficiency in the process. Actions include, but are not limited to, meeting

with the respondent, meeting with the complainant, and organizing and facilitating the hearing

process.

9. Complainant: a member of the Oberlin College & Conservatory community who

reports a violation of the Honor Code.

10. Respondent: the student who is charged with a violation of the Honor Code.

11. Advisor: a member of the Oberlin College & Conservatory community (restricted to staff,

faculty, or another enrolled Oberlin College & Conservatory student) who agrees to provide

guidance and support for a respondent or complainant throughout the investigation and hearing

process. Because this process centers on student agency and learning, advisors are not permitted

to have an active role in the process and may not directly advocate on behalf of their advisees.

12. Relevant Dean: the dean of the college or the conservatory depending on where the

respondent is enrolled or in the case of a double-degree student, the dean of the division in which

the violation is alleged to have occurred.

13. Witness: an individual who participates in a hearing to provide information related to

the charge(s). The relevancy of a witness will be approved by the Case Manager in

consultation with the SHC Hearing Coordinator.

B. Terms

1. Charge: a written notice to a student of an alleged violation of the Honor Code.

2. Cheating: occurs when students do not do their own work in an academic exercise

or assignment. Examples of cheating include, but are not limited to:

(i) Copying from another student’s examination.

(ii) Allowing a student to copy from another student’s examination.

(iii) Using outside materials on an examination that are not authorized for use during

the examination.

(iv) Preparing or obtaining notes to take into a closed-book examination, for example

writing on the hand or desk, preparing a crib sheet, or storing information in any

other format for use and retrieval during the examination.

(v) Collaborating with another student, guardian, tutor, or other individual on a project

that was to be completed individually.

(vi) Using written notes or information, or electronic devices, in an unauthorized

manner to store, share, or retrieve information during a closed assessment.

vii) Utilizing artificial intelligence software or other related programs to create

or assist with assignments on the behalf of a student unless otherwise specified

by the faculty member and/or the Office of Disability & Access.

3. Plagiarism: the appropriation of the work or ideas of another – whether written or not – without

acknowledgement, or the failure to correctly identify the source, whether it is done consciously or

inadvertently. A lack of knowledge of the standards of academic citation is not an excuse for

inadequate or improper citation. Students should consult with a professor, librarian, or writing tutor

if they are unsure about their citations or the proper format.

Plagiarism may take many forms. In its most blatant form, entire phrases, sentences or

paragraphs are used verbatim, without quotation marks or the appropriate citation. It is also

plagiarism to paraphrase the work of another without attribution or to take a written passage and

alter a few words in an effort to make the writing one’s own. Moreover, the use of another’s idea

that cannot reasonably be regarded as common knowledge is plagiarism. Non-textual images

such as drawings, graphs, and maps are also subject to plagiarism as are experiments, computer

programs, musical compositions, and websites of others.

Because footnoting and bibliographical conventions differ significantly between disciplines,

students should consult with their professors regarding the conventions of academic footnoting

and bibliographical documentation expected in a particular course.

Oberlin College & Conservatory maintains a website with useful information concerning the

appropriate use of sources as well as acceptable footnote and bibliographical style. This site is

at: http://www.oberlin.edu/library/citation-help.html.

4. Fabrication: the manufacturing or manipulation of information of data that lacks standard

scientific or academic rigor expected in the appropriate field of study or discipline. Some

examples of fabrication include:

(a) Falsifying citations, for example by citing information from a nonexistent reference.

(b) Manipulating or manufacturing data to support research.

exercise, or writing another student’s paper.

(d) Engaging another individual (whether a part of the college community or

from outside of the college community) to complete the student’s examination,

to complete the student’s academic exercise, or to write the student’s paper.

(e) Multiple Submissions: The same work may not be submitted to more than one course

without the prior approval of all instructors involved. Reasonable portions of a student’s

previous work on the topic may be used, but the extent of the work must be

acknowledged. This includes content produced for courses at other institutions.

(f) Other Acts: Students who misrepresent academic information to college officials, for

example by falsifying grades, forging college documents, transcripts, records,

recommendations, certificates, diplomas, degrees, or signatures, have violated the Honor

Code. Destroying, hiding, and improperly removing or retaining library materials with

the intent of denying others access to those materials also are violations of the Honor

Code. This can also be reported to Student Conduct, and the jurisdiction of the issue will

be determined by the Honor System Liaison, in consultation with the SHC Hearing

Coordinator.

III. Scope

The Honor Code applies to all academic work, including but not limited to examinations, quizzes,

audiovisual works, presentations, projects (including winter term projects), papers, recitals, exercises,

artistic works, theses, and laboratory assignments; and any co-curricular work, exercise, requirement,

or project requiring the application of the Honor Code. The determination of whether a violation falls

within the scope of the Honor Code Policy is made by the Student Honor Committee Hearing

Coordinator, in consultation with the Honor System Liaison.

All Oberlin College & Conservatory community members are responsible for promoting student

compliance with the Honor Code including but not limited to the following:

1. Discouraging violations of the Honor Code.

2. Refusing to assist others in violating the Honor Code.

3. Seeking and providing clarification of how the Honor Code pertains to any assignment, exercise,

or project.

4. Timely reporting known or reasonable suspicions of an Honor Code violation including self-

reporting.

a. Self-reporting is not an admission of responsibility but is meant for the responding student

to communicate whether or not they accept responsibility and the facts from their

perspective to aid the SHC.

5. Participating in the Honor System process as requested.

6. Instructors are expected to make explicit on their syllabi or by some other means of

communication how the Honor System operates with respect to the particular work arrangements

in their courses. Additionally, all instructors must:

a. Leave the room during examinations and quizzes after giving out the test and answering

questions, except in cases when technical or specialized circumstances require the

instructor’s presence (i.e. music samples, oral exams, etc.). The instructor may exercise

discretion in deciding to remain or return for a short period of time as a resource, but

under no conditions shall the instructor proctor an exam or quiz.

b. Contact the SHC regarding suspected infractions of the Honor Code.

c. Instructors are urged to review the Honor Code and pledge statements prior to any quiz or

examination, and to regularly review how these statements apply to specific assignments.

At the end of each academic exercise students who believe they have adhered to the Honor Code shall

write in full and sign the Honor Pledge: “I have adhered to the Honor Code in this assignment.” If a

student does not follow the appropriate procedure, faculty members have the option of withholding the

grade until the student writes the Honor Pledge correctly. Once such an oversight has been corrected,

within a reasonable time, the faculty members may not penalize the students for it. Students in certain

situations may also be asked to write and sign the pledge in association with co-curricular exercises.

(For example, completing a written sanction for an Honor Code of a code of conduct violation,

completing applications for campus employment, and other forms that relate college business and

activities that are not necessarily academic in nature.)

IV. Authority within the Honor System

The SHC and FHC are responsible for educating the Oberlin College & Conservatory community

about the purpose, scope, and spirit of the Honor System. The SHC and FHC are also responsible for

resolving a report of an Honor Code violation.

1. Student Honor Committee (SHC) Membership

a. The SHC consists of a minimum of ten and maximum of twenty

students appointed by

the SHC hearing coordinator, membership coordinator, and education coordinator.

b. Members must be students currently enrolled at Oberlin College & Conservatory in

good standing as determined by the College Registrar. Members must have completed

two semesters at Oberlin College & Conservatory. Reasonable efforts will be made to

ensure that there is a diverse membership such as academic divisions or co-curricular

involvement.

c. Members may be removed from the SHC by a majority ruling of the executive

committee with an appeal option to the Honor System Liaison and the Office of the

Dean of Students. Issues regarding members of the executive committee may be

brought to the Honor System Liaison by other members of the SHC. Removals must

be violations of the SHC established guidelines (Appendix B).

d. When active membership falls below ten members, the coordinators of SHC must

notify the faculty honor committee and the Honor System Liaison.

e. Newly appointed members are required to participate in training before serving on a

hearing panel.

f. The coordinators (Hearing, Education, and Membership) are hired positions by the

Dean of Students Office in consultation with the Faculty Honor Committee.

2. Quorum: A quorum is defined as the majority of appointed members.

V. Procedures of the Honor System

1. Filing a Complaint: All members of the Oberlin College & Conservatory community are

required to timely report potential violations of the Honor Code when they suspect one has

occurred. Community members should encourage suspected violators to self-report. Students

should report potential violations either to their professor or to the SHC. Professors are to

report directly to the SHC. The Honor Code violation complaint form is available here.

a. Faculty Informal Resolution Option: Faculty may request permission from the SHC to

resolve an incident informally when the faculty member believes that the suspected

violation is minor, and if the alleged violator accepts responsibility for the violation. The

SHC reserves the right to review each request to determine whether it views the potential

violation as a minor one and to verify that the student being reported has no prior reports.

The SHC has the sole discretion to determine whether an incident may be resolved

informally by a majority vote of all SHC members. The request will be reviewed with

consideration of the respondent’s past case history, academic year, and the nature of the

violation. The faculty must report the resolution of the violation to the SHC within 10

College business days. When a faculty member reports that a student has not complied

with the sanction reached through informal resolution, the SHC reserves the right to

investigate the matter and hold a formal hearing regarding the initial report. Examples of

possible educational outcomes of an informal process include: receiving a failing grade

for the assignment or having to resubmit the assignment, meeting with the professor of the

course about the violation, meeting with academic support systems available at Oberlin,

etc. These are decided by the SHC members. An informal resolution, in regards to other

cases, would count as an Honor Warning. While the resolution is informal, the

sanctioning can influence any future cases

b. Non-compliance: Oberlin College & Conservatory community members who reasonably

suspect that a faculty member is not fulfilling their obligations under the Honor System

are responsible for reporting this information to the Faculty Honor Committee (FHC). The

Honor System Liaison will consult with the relevant Dean’s office to conduct appropriate

follow-up.

2. Investigation and Pre-Hearing

a. The SHC is responsible for gathering all information pertinent to the case. In the process

of gathering information, confidentiality will be maintained to the extent reasonably

possible. Information gathering will take the form of meeting with the respondent and

complainant as well as compiling notes from these meetings and any other evidence

deemed necessary for the fairness of the hearing.

b. The SHC Hearing Coordinator will assign a case manager.

c. If the complainant wishes to remain anonymous, the case manager will reach out to the

faculty member of the course and respondent. If the faculty member does not wish to

pursue a complaint and there is not enough evidence for the SHC to act as the

complainant, the case manager can dismiss charges prior to a hearing. This request to

dismiss charges will be reviewed and upheld or declined by a majority vote of the Faculty

Honor Committee.

i. The Case Manager will interview the complainant and respondent prior to a

hearing.

d. All documents deemed relevant to the case will be made available to the panel,

respondent, and complainant through the Office of the Dean of Students when possible

within five College business days before the scheduled hearing. All panel members must

review these documents prior to the hearing.

3. The Hearing

a. The SHC is responsible for reviewing the hearing procedures outlined in Appendix A on a

triennial basis.

b. The case manager is responsible for scheduling the hearing. The case manager is a non-

voting member of the hearing and will leave prior to deliberations. They will only present

the facts that have been discovered during their investigation.

c. The respondent maintains the right to request the complainant be present during the

hearing, though not necessarily in the same room at the same time as the respondent is

present. The respondent or complainant

must declare to the case manager the desire to

have the complainant present at least five business days prior to the hearing. The case

manager may also request the complainant’s presence. Following that declaration, the

case manager will determine the feasibility of the request and accept or deny the request.

d. A hearing panel will consist of three members of the SHC. Members of the committee

who have conflicting interests in a case should withdraw from the process when the case

is first brought to the attention of the committee. The respondent also maintains the right

to object in writing to proposed members of the Honor Committee serving on the

respondent’s hearing panel. The respondent must provide an explanation for each

objection. The written objection(s) must be submitted to the case manager(s) within one

(1) business day of the respondent’s initial meeting with the case manager(s). Case

managers retain the discretion to decide whether to grant or deny the request.

e. Committee members shall maintain privacy to the extent reasonably possible. Under no

circumstances shall any person with knowledge of the case (faculty, administrator, or

student) reveal information that would identify the complainant or the respondent.

f. The respondent is expected to appear at the scheduled hearing. However, in the case of

the respondent’s absence, the hearing may proceed. In the case of a documented

emergency, however, the hearing may be rescheduled at the discretion of the case

manager. In such cases, and where possible, the respondent must notify the panel in

advance.

g. All information upon which a decision may be based must be introduced at the formal

hearing. The committee sometimes must review material that involves plagiarism or

copying. The committee recognizes that in some instances the material may be too

technical or in other ways too difficult for the committee to judge whether a violation of

the Honor Code has occurred. The committee reserves the right to bring in consultants or

present written statements from consultants from the college community who might be

experts in the field or who have some training in determining the original author of a

work. The committee also reserves the right to pause a hearing to consult an expert in the

appropriate field. This may require another meeting to be scheduled to continue the

hearing. This continuation of the hearing should be no more than five business days from

the start of the original hearing.

h. The committee reserves the right to call other witnesses that it feels will help in the

process of gathering information. The presence of a witness may take the form of a

physical appearance or a written statement, determined at the discretion of the case

managers. Character witnesses are not permitted. The case managers may permit

witnesses to withhold their identity from the respondent.

i. All hearings will be recorded.

j. The standard of proof is the preponderance of the evidence. A respondent will be found

responsible when the information presented at the hearing convinces the panel that it is

more likely than not that the alleged violation(s) occurred.

k. After a hearing panel reaches a finding and recommended sanctions, it is sent to the

Faculty Honor Committee for review.

i. If the Faculty Honor Committee requests clarification or reconsideration of the

decision, this process will normally occur within five business days of the request.

The Faculty Honor Committee may request clarification or reconsideration based

on but not limited to the following: sanctions that don’t meet set precedent or to

rectify procedural error.

ii. Once the Faculty Honor Committee has approved and enforced the decision, the

chair of the Faculty Honor Committee will inform the Dean of Students in

writing. This notice will ordinarily be copied to the SHC. The SHC will then

provide the Honor System Liaison with the respondent’s and complainant’s

names and other necessary information. The Honor System Liaison will send a

letter notifying the respondent of the decision. The letter will be copied to the

complainant (if permitted by applicable law), the SHC, and the relevant dean.

iii. If the FHC and SHC are unable to make a decision, the FHC holds the ability to

make a determination based on the SHC recommendation.

l. All records related to Honor Code violations will be maintained by the Honor Code

Liaison for a minimum of seven (7) years after the student separates from the College.

4. SANCTIONS FOR HONOR CODE VIOLATIONS

a. Sanctions that may be considered include, but are not limited to:

i. Status Sanctions

1. Honor Warning.

2. Honor Probation, which is a significant status. Future violations are likely

to result in the loss of privileges in college employment opportunities,

and suspension. In line with Oberlin’s record retention policy, Honor

Probation may be disclosed to third parties, including other higher

education institutions, and certain on-campus student employers or

offices.

3. The loss, limitation, or restriction of certain nonessential rights in college,

such as participation in extracurricular activities or representing the

college off-campus.

4. Withholding the diploma of a graduating senior until the completion of

the sanctions.

5. Prohibiting participation by a graduating senior in the commencement

ceremony.

6. Suspension. The rights and privileges of being a student at Oberlin

College may be suspended for a specific period of time, the minimum of

which will be to the end of the current semester. The student must leave

the campus and may return at the end of the period of suspension without

petitioning for readmission. However, the returning student must go

through a reinstatement process that is initiated through the Office of the

Registrar.

a. Students who are suspended are expected to vacate their college

residence within five business days of notification of suspension.

It is the student’s responsibility to consult with the Office of

Residential Education to clarify any questions about its

guidelines for properly vacating a housing unit.

b. The sanction of suspension will be a part of a student’s

permanent disciplinary record, and a part of the student’s

academic record and transcript for the term of suspension. In the

event a student withdraws from the College prior to the end of the

term of suspension, the penalty will remain on both their

academic and disciplinary records.

c. Normally, suspended students may not earn credits toward their

Oberlin Degree until after they have been reinstated at Oberlin

College. Under special circumstances, a suspended student may

be permitted to transfer a maximum of six credits for academic

work done at another school – during the period of suspension –

toward their Oberlin degree. However, the student must receive

permission in advance of taking coursework at another school

and must make arrangements for the transfer of credit prior to

enrolling in the courses to be transferred. Students seeking

transfer credit must apply in writing to the Academic Advising

Resource Center (AARC) providing the following information:

title and description of each course; number of credit hours; name

and location of institution; an explanation of how each course fits

into the student’s Oberlin program; why it is appropriate

complete to the course(s) while suspended rather than upon return

to Oberlin.

ii. Educational Sanctions

1. Educational sanctions include, but are not limited to:

a. Research Papers

b. Reflective Papers

c. Studying Academic Resources

d. Academic Workshops

e. Visiting the Reference Desk at the Library

iii. Restorative Sanctions∙

1. Restorative sanctions include, but are not limited to:

a. Revision of the work in question

b. Letter of Apology to the complainant or other impacted parties

b. Multiple sanctions may be assigned at the discretion of the SHC and upheld by the FHC.

c. While the honor committee may recommend the faculty member issue a failing grade, the

grading of an assignment or course is at the discretion of the individual faculty member.

i. However, if a student is found not responsible for an honor code violation, the

honor committee recommends that the faculty member grade the assignment

based on its merits and not the reported violation.

d. In the case of a first offense, the administrative notation of honor probation or warning

will not appear on the Respondent’s official transcript, held in the Office of the Registrar.

However, both may be reportable on a disciplinary check by an employment agency,

transfer undergraduate institution, or post-secondary education institution. In the case of a

violation while a respondent is on honor probation, the committee is urged to adopt a

sanction of suspension, or dismissal. In the case of a graduating senior, suspension may be

substituted by refusing to allow the Respondent to participate in commencement exercises

or withholding a degree.

e. Failure to comply with sanctions will result in disciplinary proceedings under the Oberlin

College Student Conduct System.

f. If a degree is withheld or a student is suspended or dismissed as a result of being found

responsible for an Honor Code violation, the sanction will be retained as part of the Honor

System record held in the Office of the Dean of Students. In addition, the sanctions shall

be recorded on the respondent’s official transcript and reflect that the sanction is the result

of an Honor Code violation for the term of the sanction. After the term of the sanction has

been fulfilled, normally the suspension will be removed from the transcript; however, all

suspensions will remain a part of the individual’s Honor System record. As noted in 6.a.

above, if a student who has been suspended withdraws from Oberlin College before the

term of the suspension ends, then the notation of suspension shall remain on the

individual’s transcript permanently. The Office of the Dean of Students shall release this

information with other academic or disciplinary information upon the violator’s written

request.

VI. APPEAL

1. Appeals may be granted for four reasons:

a. A mishandling of the case from a procedural standpoint

b. A sanction grossly disproportionate to the violation(s).

c. New information not reasonably available at the time of the hearing.

d. A decision made in the absence of a respondent who missed the original hearing because

of a documented emergency that could not reasonably be reported prior to the scheduled

hearing.

2. Both respondents and complainants have the right to appeal.

3. The respondent may appeal in writing to the Dean of the College or of the Conservatory

within 5 (five) business days after the student has been notified of the decision via email. The

letter to the dean from the respondent must indicate which of the four reasons above is

pertinent and give a clear rationale explaining why the appeal should be granted. The letter

must be submitted under the cover of the appeal request form mailed to the respondent with

the final decision letter.

NOTE: The date that the letter is delivered to the student’s email will begin the 5 business-

day appeal period. It is the responsibility of the respondent per college policy to check their

personal email on a regular basis during times when classes are in session. Recess periods do

not delay the appeal submission deadline.

4. Upon receiving an appeal letter, the relevant dean has the authority to uphold, reduce, or

increase the sanctions imposed. Prior to rendering a decision in response to an appeal, the

relevant dean (or the relevant dean’s designee) will review the case file and investigate to

determine whether the appeal is substantive. The relevant dean shall give deference to the

recommendations made by the Student Honor Committee and approved by the Faculty Honor

Committee when responding to appeals. Deviations from prescribed procedures will not

necessarily invalidate a decision or proceeding, unless the relevant dean determines that

significant prejudice to the respondent may result from a decision to uphold the

recommendation of the Student Honor Committee as approved by the Faculty Honor

Committee. When the sanctions for an offense include suspension or dismissal, the sanctions

may only be reduced when the relevant dean (following consultation with representatives of

the hearing panel and the Faculty Honor Committee who recommended the original decision)

determines the sanctions to be grossly disproportionate to the offense.

5. The relevant dean is urged to communicate the appeal decision to the respondent,

complainant, the FHC, and the SHC within five business days, together with a brief rationale.

Recess periods generally should not delay the response deadline.

6. The decision of the relevant dean is final.

VII. RECORDS

Honor Code System records are maintained by the Dean of Students Office and consistent with

the Oberlin College FERPA policy.

The Student Honor Committee Coordinator maintains a database including at least the names of

respondents, charges, committee findings, and sanctions imposed that is accessible by the HS Liaison.

The database will be used to help the Dean of Students (or the dean’s designee) to complete dean

certification forms and letters in response to a written request of a respondent. The database will also be

used to help track academic integrity trends as well as the impact of preventive work by the SHC.

A Note About the Release of Information Pertaining to Disciplinary Records

The Office of the Dean of Students, where Honor Code Records are stored, will only release information

regarding a current or former student’s disciplinary record to third parties (including, but not limited to

law schools medical schools, graduate schools, and military branches) after receiving a written request

from that individual and a signed waiver for the third party. As a rule, the college only reports information

pertaining to cases that have resulted in probation, suspension, or dismissal alone or in combination with

other lesser sanctions.

Current and former students desiring the Office of the Dean of Students to report disciplinary history that

it does not customarily report (such as cases that resulted in deferred probation or less) may authorize the

office to share such information by making a specific written request. Individuals wishing to speak with

someone about a dean’s letter or dean’s certification may contact the Office of the Dean of Students at

(440) 775-8462.

VIII. REVISIONS AND MODIFICATIONS

1. The Honor System Charter may be amended by a two-thirds vote of the SHC and FHC,

subject to the approval of the student governing body, the Student Life Committee, and the

General Faculty (or the General Faculty Council).

2. The Honor System will be reviewed every year ending in 3, 6, and 9 using a process approved

by the Dean of Students. The SHC is encouraged to do an informal review each year to

determine whether minor amendments are needed.

APPENDIX A: SHC Hearing Procedures

The hearing procedures are as following:

(i) At the start of the hearing, the case managers shall introduce the case and all people present shall

state their names and roles.

(ii) All documents previously made available to the respondent, complainant, and panel members

are brought before the entire group at this time.

(iii) If a complainant is present, they will present their position in the case. The case managers

will introduce relevant information at their discretion.

(iv) The respondent will present their position in the case, and the case managers will introduce relevant

information at their discretion.

(v) The panel will question the respondent, and then the complainant for further clarification as needed.

(vi) The respondent and complainant may ask questions of each other through the case managers. (If both

are not present in the room together, questions may be presented for the panel to be asked when the other

party is present. If the complainant is exempt from the hearing and the respondent has some questions

prior to the hearing, then the respondent should contact the case managers with the questions at least three

days prior to the hearing.)

(vii) Witnesses who have been approved by the case manager(s) are allowed to testify and to be

questioned by the panel. The complainant and the respondent may question the witnesses through the

case managers.

(viii) The case managers will inquire whether the respondent understands the events of the hearing that

has just taken place and will allow the respondent a reasonable chance to voice any final questions,

thoughts, or statements. For good cause, any time limit in these procedures may be extended by the

case manager.

DELIBERATIONS

a. The panel will deliberate within two College business days after the hearing and render a decision.

b. Ideally, panelists will arrive at a decision by consensus. However, a majority of 2 of 3 voting SHC

panel members are necessary to render a responsibility finding.

APPENDIX B: YEARLY GUIDELINES REVIEW

● At the beginning of every academic year, the SHC will meet to discuss a set of community

guidelines to be followed by every member of the SHC.

● The meeting will be organized and facilitated by the SHC Membership Coordinator

● A quorum must be reached before the meeting can commence.

● All members of the SHC must be given the opportunity to lend their opinion in some form.

● The presence and/or advice of the Honor System Liaison can be requested by the SHC.

● Guidelines may cover, but are not limited to:

○ Treatment of other members of the SHC

○ Timeliness and responsiveness to emails

○ Attendance of meetings and the communication of the lack of attendance

○ Respect towards respondents and complainants

○ The relationship between the Executive Committee and the SHC as a whole

● These guidelines may be used by the Executive Committee as well as the Honor System

Liaison in issues regarding membership and the termination of membership on both the

SHC and the Executive Committee