| HONOR OF THE HAWK - HONOR SYSTEM 2006-2007 (as adopted 2005-2006)
VII. Procedures for Amending the Code Predicated upon the rigorous pursuit of liberal learning and the teachings of the Christian faith, the Shorter College community is dedicated to integrity in the pursuit of truth and honor in the building of community. Individual backgrounds and interests aside, as members of this community, we share a common commitment to keeping the high standards of honesty and honorable conduct required for this pursuit. The Center for Academic Integrity (CAI) defines academic integrity as a commitment, even in the face of adversity, to five fundamental values: trust, fairness, respect, and responsibility. From these values flow principles of behavior that enable academic communities to translate ideals into action. An academic community flourishes when its members are committed to the five fundamental values. Integrity is built upon continuous conversations about how these values are, or are not, embodied in institutional life. As these conversations connect with institutional mission statements and everyday policies and practices, a climate of integrity is sustained and nurtured. Vigorous academic integrity policies and procedures, with faculty and student support, promote the learning process and the pursuit of truth. This also helps create a stronger civic culture for society as a whole (CAI, p4). [1] In the hope, anticipation, and expectation that students engage the learning process in their quest for Truth and knowledge, Shorter College adopts the five fundamental values set forth by CAI. To that end, Shorter College strives to empower students in the development of their character by providing an education within the context of a Christian environment. Shorter College seeks to establish a platform from which all students can succeed. Shorter College, therefore, sets forth the following standards from the CAI publication, The Fundamental Values of Academic Integrity , as the benchmark for the Shorter student. [2] The same integrity that came with being known as a “Shorter girl” in the early days of the college is now found in being known as a “Shorter student.” The Shorter College community assumes one is honorable and a person of integrity. It is the goal of this academic community to preserve and enhance that honor and integrity for those who walk these academic halls, as well as to provide avenues to demonstrate and teach those values to those within a student's sphere of influence while a student and as a graduate. “An academic community of integrity advances the quest for truth and knowledge by requiring intellectual and personal honesty in learning, teaching, research, and service. Honesty is the foundation of teaching, learning, research, and service, and the prerequisite for full realization of trust, fairness, respect, and responsibility (CAI, p. 5). If the adage that one cannot lead where one has never been, then it extends to one cannot expect honesty to be a trait found in society if honesty does not begin with the individual. “Cultivating honesty lays the foundation for lifelong integrity, developing in each of us the courage and insight to make difficult choice and accept responsibility for actions and their consequences, even at personal cost” (CAI, p. 5). “Promoting student moral development requires affirming shared values. More colleges are starting to focus on one value that goes to the heart or the academic enterprise: a commitment to honesty in the pursuit of truth (Pavela, p.6). [1] I hope I shall always possess firmness and virtue enough to maintain what I consider the most enviable of all titles, the character of an honest man.—George Washington 2. Trust “An academic community of integrity fosters a climate of mutual trust, encourages the free exchange of ideas, and enables all to reach their highest potential. People respond to consistent honesty with trust. Trust is promoted by faculty who set clear guidelines for assignments and for evaluating student work; by students who prepare work that is honest and thoughtful; and by schools that set clear and consistent academic standards and that support honest and impartial research” (CAI, p. 6). Shorter College, therefore, seeks to be consistent among all parties to foster an environment that engenders trust among all her participants. In the academy, trust is at the core of all our endeavors. Research findings are valid only to the extent the data that generated the findings is trustworthy, otherwise, the assertions and theories that hinge on the findings lack substantiation. As professors, we make certain assumptions about research findings. Should we not, therefore, make those same assumptions about our colleagues and our students? Few things help an individual more than to place responsibility upon him, and to let him know that you trust him.—Booker T. Washington 3. Fairness “An academic community of integrity establishes clear standards, practices, and procedures and expects fairness in the interactions of students, faculty, and administrators. Fair and accurate evaluation is essential in the educational process. For students, important components of fairness are predictability, clear expectations, and a consistent and just response to dishonesty. Faculty members also have a right to expect fair treatment, not only from students, but also from colleagues and their administration. ...A lapse by one member of the community does not excuse misconduct by another. Rationalizations such as ‘everyone does it' or ‘the curve was too high' do not justify or excuse dishonesty” (CAI, p.7). History is replete with civilizations that have made the horrible mistake of treating different peoples differently. Whether it be the color of one's skin, their cultural background, religion, or ethnicity in whatever form, society, in general, deplores preferential treatment for some and marginalization or an ignored presence of others. Within the Shorter academic community, the treatment of individuals by differing standards is not tolerated. The community strives to treat all as equals; respecting one another for each one's uniqueness. How should we interpret fairness? Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly.—Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. 4. Respect “An academic community of integrity recognizes the participatory nature of the learning process and honors and respects a wide range of opinions and ideas. To be the most rewarding, teaching and learning demand active engagement and mutual respect. Students and faculty must respect themselves and each other as individuals, not just as means to an end. They must also respect themselves and each other for extending their boundaries of knowledge, testing new skills, building upon success, and learning from failure. Students show respect by attending class, being on time, paying attention, listening to other points of view, being prepared and contributing to discussions, meeting academic deadlines, and performing to the best of their ability. Being rude, demeaning, or disruptive is the antithesis of respectful conduct. Members of the faculty show respect by taking students' ideas seriously, providing full and honest feedback on their work, valuing their aspirations and goals, and recognizing them as individuals….Part of respecting people involves fair and honest treatment, and all of this supports an environment of trust” (CAI, p.8). How then does mutual respect play out in the academy? That you may retain your self-respect, it is better to displease the people by doing what you know is right, than to temporarily please them by doing what you know is wrong.—William J. H. Boetcker 5. Responsibility “An academic community of integrity upholds personal accountability and depends upon action in the face of wrongdoing. Every member of an academic community—each student, faculty member, and administrator—is responsible for upholding the integrity of scholarship and research. Shared responsibility distributes the power to effect change, helps overcome apathy, and stimulates personal investment in upholding academic integrity standards…At a minimum, individuals should take responsibility for their own honesty and should discourage and see to prevent misconduct by others” (CAI, p. 9) Shared responsibility has many attributes and conducts itself in the face of adversity and selflessness without shifting shadow. The thorns which I have reap'd are of the tree Defining integrity may be much more difficult than describing it. The CAI defined academic integrity through five attributes. Shorter College offers the following quotes in hopes of finding commonality. Be daring, be different, be impractical; be anything that will assert integrity of purpose and imaginative vision against the play-it-safers, the creatures of the commonplace, the slaves of the ordinary.—Cecil Beaton A righteous man who walks in his integrity. How blessed are his sons after him.—Proverbs 20:7 Don't compromise yourself. It's all you've got.—Janis Joplin Integrity—When you do the right thing even though no one is watching.—Anonymous Integrity is telling myself the truth. An honesty is telling the truth to other people.—Spencer Johnson As this System is student-maintained, our agreement contains two parts: first that we personally adopt the standards of conduct as stated in the Honor Code; and second, that we deal responsibly with those of our peers who fail to do so. By holding one another accountable to this commitment, we ensure the integrity of our academic program and community. Our acceptance of this commitment allows us to enjoy an atmosphere of mutual trust and respect among our fellow students, faculty, and administration. The academic and social advantages therein are many: as students we are trusted to work independently; computer labs are available twenty-four hours a day; personal property is generally safe on campus; and one's word may be considered trustworthy, both on and off campus. It is our shared interest in preserving this atmosphere that motivates our commitment to the Honor System. Privilege bears responsibility. Thus, we at Shorter are responsible for knowing the purpose, design, and procedures of our Honor System, and are required to exhibit honorable conduct in all areas of life: social as well as academic, off campus as well as on. It is solely through the consistency of this commitment that we may both trust and be trusted, respect and be respected, regardless of place or circumstance. Therefore, each of us is expected to do his or her full part in maintaining the integrity of that commitment at all times. When we join the Shorter College community, we sign the Roll of Honor, and formally enroll under the pledge: “On my honor, I will abstain from all deceit. I will neither give, receive, nor use any unauthorized aid in my academic work, nor will I permit such action by any member of this community. I will respect the persons and property of the community, and will not condone discourteous or dishonest treatment of these by my peers. In my every act, I will seek to maintain a high standard of honesty and truthfulness for myself and for the College.” [1] Pavela, Gary. Journal of College and University Law, V24, No.1. Applying the Power of Association on Campus: A Model Code of Academic Integrity. [1] The Center for Academic Integrity. 1999. The Fundamental Values of Academic Integrity. http://www.academicintegrity.org [2] The remainder of the discussion on the five values is taken from The Fundamental Values of Academic Integrity, 1999 by the Center for Academic Integrity. Where a direct quote, from this or another source is used, a citation will occur. Otherwise, the ideas and concepts are taken from that document. In the Shorter College Honor Code, students stipulate abstinence from all deceit and dishonorable conduct. Though many acts may at times be considered deceitful or dishonorable, students at Shorter College agree that lying, cheating, stealing, assault and vandalism are by definition dishonorable, and are therefore always in violation of the Honor Code. There are four (4) categories of misconduct that pertain to the Code, and therefore fall under the purview of the Honor System. Shorter College's policy regarding academic integrity and dishonesty is found in three places: the Shorter College Student Handbook, the Faculty Handbook, and Shorter College Catalog. Other forms of misconduct fall under Student Life Regulations, the violations of which are handled administratively, as outlined in the Shorter College Student Handbook. In general, the four areas that under the purview of the Honor System include: Academic dishonesty may take numerous forms, some of which are outlined below. 1) Lying is defined as any attempt to deceive, falsify, or misrepresent the truth. 2) Cheating is defined as the employment of or rendering of any unauthorized aid in any assigned work. These definitions, developed by the Educational Policies Committee, are found in the current Academic Integrity Policy printed in the Faculty Handbook and related Student Handbook. CHEATING ON TESTS/QUIZZES • Copying answers from another's test/quiz. • Permitting someone else to copy answers from one's own test/quiz. • Using books, class notes, or any other means or devices to obtain answers. • Preparing answers/essays in advance and submitting these rather than work completed during the test/quiz time. • Taking an exam or quiz for someone else or permitting someone else to be tested on one's behalf. CHEATING ON ASSIGNMENTS 1. Inventing data, materials, or sources for assignments. 2. Submitting another person's work as if it were one's own, including take-home assignments, tests, research papers, etc. 3. Falsely claiming to have completed a clinical, internship, or field experience. 4. Failing to do one's agreed-upon share or work in group projects. 3) Plagiarism is defined as the presentation in one's own work of the words or ideas of another person without proper documentation. • Copying words, phrases, sentences, or passages from a text (such as a book, magazine, newspaper, pamphlet, internet site, or work prepared by anyone other than the one who submits the paper) without indicating the source of those words, sentences, or passages using the method required by the instructor. All students enrolling at Shorter College are bound not only to abstain from the above, but also encouraged to report such acts committed by fellow students. When events of a questionable nature occur, the professor has the responsibility to determine if the intent to deceive is present in the infraction. If so, the matter is forwarded to the Honor Council. Otherwise, the professor handles the matter in accordance with the stated policy in their syllabus. It is the responsibility of each student to communicate that information promptly to the Honor Council. Determining whether a violation has occurred is the responsibility of the Honor Council. Failing to report such events amounts to the toleration of dishonor in the community and shall itself be considered a violation of the Honor Code. Students' obligation to the Honor Code is not confined to the boundaries of the College campus, but extends to conduct in the larger community. All student conduct in an academic setting in the city of Rome and in Floyd County shall be subject to the Code, as well as conduct in other locations, that bring discredit upon the College. Academic programs facilitated and events sponsored or sanctioned by the College, whether on or off campus, shall also operate under the Honor Code. Among other programs and events, this shall include study abroad, athletic trips, academic field trips, and events or retreats held by recognized student organizations of the College. All academic work at Shorter College falls under the Honor System. Quizzes, tests, examinations, projects and papers to be graded must be accompanied by the pledge: “On my honor, I pledge that I have neither given, received, nor used any unauthorized aid on this assignment.” followed by an act of student acknowledgement, usually a signature. “Unauthorized aid,” is understood to mean aid that has not been authorized as acceptable by the professor, or aid that has been employed in the completion of the assignment, but not so acknowledged by the student. Credit shall not be awarded for unpledged work or for work that does not include the pledge in full. Students should rember that each professor designates what constitutes authorized and unauthorized aid for each assignment, as well as, determine whether the intent to deceive is present in the infraction . The normal penalty for a first violation of the Honor Code that involves cheating or lying to gain academic advantage in a course is an F in the course. The normal penalty for a second violation of the Honor Code is suspension from the College for the semester of the infraction, and a grade of F assigned to all courses. The student must then petition the college for readmission the following semester. If the student violates the Honor Code again, permanent expulsion from the College may be required . The Honor Council is charged with investigating and hearing alleged violations of the Honor Code and determining whether violations have occurred. Upon determining such violations, the Council is empowered to impose appropriate sanctions, up to and including expulsion from the College. The Honor Council is responsible for assisting in the education of new students concerning the Honor System and for the annual publication of The Honor of the Hawk . Every three years, beginning in the fall of 2005, the Honor Council, with the assistance of the Provost of the College, shall conduct a full review of the System, recommending reforms appropriate for its upkeep. The Honor Council consists of up to eighteen (18) student members: nine (9) seniors, six (6) juniors, and three (3) sophomores. The Council, in order to fill any council openings, solicits applications for Council membership each Spring and selects up to three (3) members from each of the freshman, sophomore, and junior classes to begin service at the beginning of the next year. Care is taken to ensure that Honor Council membership is representative of all aspects of campus life. Student members of the Honor Council normally serve until the end of their fourth year on campus; they are expected to remain on campus through exams each semester for hearings. The President of the Honor Council may ask for the resignation of any student member when there is evidence that his or her behavior threatens the integrity of the Council. If the member in question refuses to resign, the entire student membership of the Council shall be called to consider the matter. Ten (10) student members shall constitute a quorum, and a two-thirds (2/3) vote is required to remove a student from the Council. If a seat becomes vacant for any reason, the Honor Council shall appoint a student from the appropriate class to fill it. Six (6) members appointed annually by the Provost represent the faculty of the College on the Honor Council as non-voting members. One faculty member, designated by the others as a coordinator, schedules two (2) faculty members to sit for each hearing. Faculty members do not have a vote, but do have a voice in the proceedings. Faculty members may ask questions, help guide discussion and deliberation, and provide order and assistance in conjunction with the President of the Honor Council. The Provost is a member, ex officio, of the Honor Council. The Executive Committee of the Honor Council shall consist of the Honor Council President, Vice President, and the Secretaries of the Council, with the Provost serving as an advisor. The Executive Committee shall conduct the initial investigation of possible Code violations, and is responsible for the activities of the Honor Council, including the training of Honor Council members and the designing of an orientation and education program for new students. The President of the Honor Council shall call and preside over all meetings of the Executive Committee, hearings, and meetings of the full Council. He or she shall appoint assistants for the defense of students charged, shall coordinate the selection of members before hearings, and shall review the minutes of each hearing. The President of the Council must be of junior or senior standing, with at least one year of Council experience. The Vice President shall aid in the execution of Council affairs. In the absence of the President, the Vice President shall preside over any meeting of the Executive Committee, hearing, or full meeting of the Council. For any hearing over which he or she presides, the Vice President shall also assume responsibility for appointing assistants for the defense of students charged, coordinating the selection of members before hearings, and reviewing minutes. The Vice President must be of junior or senior standing, with at least one year of Council experience. The Secretaries of the Honor Council shall be responsible for keeping minutes of hearings, for maintaining files of past hearings, for the official correspondence of the Council, and for the financial affairs of the Council. They shall also coordinate the soliciting and considering of applications for membership each spring. The President for each ensuing year is selected in the spring by majority vote of the current Honor Council student membership. His or her name is then submitted in Student Government elections for confirmation by the student body. After the election of the incoming President, the Council must select an incoming Vice President and two Secretaries by majority vote. Elected officers shall assume their responsibilities with the installation of new members each spring. Note: In extraordinary circumstances the President of the College, in consultation with the Provost and the President of the Honor Council, may find it to be in the best interest of the College to forego the usual Honor Council procedures. In such instances the President will determine a just means for handling such extraordinary circumstances. When alternative measures are employed for the resolution of student misconduct, students shall retain the same rights otherwise granted under the Honor System. Students who have violated the Honor Code are encouraged to self-report by contacting the Honor Council or the Provost's office. When students, faculty members, or administrators suspect a student of having violated the Honor Code, they should encourage that student to self-report. The matter must also be brought to the attention of the Honor Council and the Provost, regardless of whether the suspected student reports himself or herself. A list of Honor Council members is provided in the back of the Honor of the Hawk book, along with contact numbers and e-mail addresses for Honor Council officers. Honor Council members are prepared to consult with students who have concerns, but who are uncertain how to proceed. 1. Participants The Executive Committee of the Honor Council and the Provost shall conduct preliminary investigations into reported violations. Two student members of the Committee must be present at all times to constitute a quorum, and the vote of two members is required to convene an Honor Council hearing. In the event that any of its student members are unavailable, the remaining student member(s) may appoint another Honor Council member to fill the necessary role on an interim basis. 2. Procedure a. Any information received or discovered by a member of the Honor Council that would indicate a possible Honor Code violation is to be communicated immediately to the President, or in the absence of the President, to the Vice President. b. Immediately upon reception of such information by the Executive Committee, an investigative team may be appointed from the Honor Council membership. This team, composed of one or two student council members, shall act as a neutral agent, gathering what information is available concerning the possible violation, and reporting to the Executive Committee. c. Upon receiving the report of the investigative team, the Executive Committee may decide to call a meeting. The purpose of this meeting shall be to determine whether information surrounding the report is sufficiently indicative of an Honor Code violation to merit an Honor Council hearing. The student(s) involved in the possible violation shall have an appointed assistant, and shall have the option of attending this meeting to address the report. (i) Should the Committee find information sufficient to merit a hearing, a written statement shall be provided to the Provost including the student's name and the charge to be made. (ii) Should the Committee find information insufficient to merit a hearing, the report shall be dismissed, no record made in Honor Council files, and disclosure of the matter shall be a right reserved solely to the student(s) in question. Should the Executive Committee find information sufficient to merit a hearing before the Honor Council, the accused student shall be provided written notice of the date, place and time of the hearing, along with a description of the violation in question. Unless otherwise agreed upon by the accused student(s), hearings shall be convened no sooner than seventy-two (72) hours, and no later than five (5) days following the delivery of this written notice, excluding holidays which may occur during the semester. Requests to change the date, time, or place of the hearing shall be ruled upon by the Executive Committee. Before proceedings take place, the President of the Council must be certain that any student charged understands that he or she has the following rights: 1. To be assisted in the defense by an appointed member of the Honor Council; 2. To be further assisted in the defense by a student of his or her choosing; 3. To call and to question witnesses; (In extraordinary circumstances where the Executive Committee deems it necessary to shield a witness, he or she may be questioned by way of a third party); 4. To testify on his or her own behalf, and to refuse to answer questions. Note: Between academic semesters and during the summer months, it may be impractical for the Honor Council to conduct hearings. At such times, the Provost of the College, in consultation with the President of the Honor Council, may appoint an Ad Hoc Judicial Committee, consisting of available students, faculty and administrators. Such a committee, when employed, shall reflect as much as possible both the proportions and membership of the Honor Council, and shall bear the same authority and responsibilities. 1. Participants a. In Honor Council hearings, the President or Vice President of the Council shall preside, with one Secretary serving to record minutes. Investigating members of the Executive Committee shall be ineligible to sit as voting members of the Council. b. For any hearing, the presiding officer shall arrange for seven (7) student members of the Honor Council to be in attendance, at least three (3) of whom are seniors, two (2) of whom are juniors, and one (1) of whom is a sophomore, with the remaining member to be selected from any class. In addition, the President shall notify the coordinating faculty representative, who shall provide two (2) faculty representatives for the hearing. Any member of the Council who is a witness to the possible violation, or who has demonstrable bias against or toward the person charged, shall be ineligible to sit on the hearing for that case. c. The Provost shall be present for all academic cases. He or she shall be available for consultation during hearings, but shall have no vote. d. The investigative team, which began investigating the case during the initial inquiries of the Executive Committee, shall serve during the hearing to present the facts of the case as determined during that investigation. This person or team shall introduce and summarize the circumstances of the case, and may present documents, statements, and witnesses before the Council. e. The student charged may be accompanied by his or her appointed assistant, and any other student he or she may have selected to help in the defense. These assistants may speak for the student charged, and may present documents, statements, and witnesses before the Council. f. Prior to the hearing, a list of expected witnesses shall be provided to the presiding officer by each party. Witnesses shall be excluded from the hearing until called, and shall be instructed by the presiding officer not to discuss the case among themselves or with anyone but (1) the person designated to present the information surrounding the offense, or (2) the student's representatives. Character witnesses are normally called during the penalty phase of the hearing, but may be called earlier at the discretion of the President. g. Once called during the hearing, each witness shall be sworn in and reminded by the presiding officer of his or her pledge to uphold the Honor System of the College. Following this reminder, the calling party, the opposing party, and finally the Council itself may question the witness. When the Council is satisfied and no further questions are forthcoming, the witness shall be dismissed from the hearing room. h. The presiding officer is responsible for maintaining order in the hearing. In the interest of time, he or she may limit the number of witnesses called by either party, and may rule that certain information or testimony is irrelevant to the case at hand. He or she shall also rule on requests for recess. Decisions made by the presiding officer may be overturned by majority vote of the Council. i. Hearings shall be closed to the public, unless the student charged makes a written request for an open hearing twenty-four (24) hours prior to the set date and time. In the event of an open hearing, the presiding officer shall have authority to impose reasonable rules for the number of non-participants in attendance, and for their selection. He or she may also remove from the hearing any person whose behavior proves distracting or inappropriate. 2. Procedure Finding Phase a. To begin each hearing, the presiding officer shall read the specification of the charge aloud, and shall verify that the student charged received notification at least seventy-two (72) hours in advance of the hearing. The student charged shall then be asked to declare whether he or she did or did not violate the Honor Code. b. If the student declares that he or she did violate the Honor Code, the presiding officer shall move immediately to the procedures for the penalty phase of the hearing. c. If it is declared by the student that he or she did not violate the Honor Code, the presiding officer shall recognize the investigation team selected for the case. This team shall begin by introducing the circumstances of the case and may at this time submit to the Council any written statement or other relevant document. Sworn witnesses may also be called to speak in support of such information. d. Following the presentation of witnesses by the investigative team, the presiding officer shall recognize the student charged. The student or the student's representatives may then make an introductory statement, present relevant documents, and call witnesses to support his or her declaration. e. Following the presentation of witnesses by the student charged, the presiding officer shall call for summary statements from each side, beginning with the statement of the student charged. At the conclusion of these statements, all parties shall be asked to withdraw from the room so that deliberations of the Council may begin. Deliberations shall be closed to all but voting members of the Council, with the exception of the presiding officer. f. The presiding officer shall instruct the Council that its decision must be based solely upon the information received during the hearing. Discussion may then take place. If the Council feels that more information is required, deliberations may be temporarily adjourned, and the hearing reconvened for questioning of parties or witnesses. At the end of discussion, the presiding officer shall call for a vote by secret ballot. The votes of six (6) members of the Council shall be required in order to find that the student has violated the Honor Code. g. Following deliberations, all parties are called back into the hearing room, and the presiding officer announces the finding. (i) If the committee finds that the student has not violated the Honor Code, the case shall be closed, and all records of the hearing destroyed. (ii) If the committee finds that the student is found responsible for having violated the Honor Code, the hearing shall continue into the penalty phase. Penalty Phase a. If it is declared by the student charged, or found by the Council through deliberation, that he or she has violated the Honor Code, then the student will have the opportunity to make statements, present information, and call witnesses in mitigation before the Council. Character witnesses may also be called at this time. b. Following statements, evidence, and witnesses presented by the student, the investigation team shall be called upon to present further information, or to address misleading statements made in mitigation. If character has been offered as cause for mitigation, the Provost may also be called upon at this time to provide relevant disciplinary or academic records. After offering the student the opportunity to respond to this information, the presiding officer shall clear the room of all but voting members of the Council, and deliberations shall begin. c. The purpose of deliberations during the penalty phase shall be to determine whether information presented in mitigation is significant enough to merit less than the normal penalty. The presiding officer shall remind the Council that normal penalty for a first violation of the Honor Code is an F in the course. The penalty for a second violation is an F in all course and suspension from the college for one semester. The student may petition the college for readmission after the one semester suspension. Should a student have a third violation that occurs after readmission, the student is assigned an F in all courses and permanent expulsion from the college. Discussion may then take place. At the end of discussion, the presiding officer shall call for a vote by secret ballot. Six (6) votes are required in order to deviate from the normal penalty. (i) If the normal penalty is to be imposed, deliberations are adjourned. (ii) If the Council decides to deviate from the normal penalty, a lesser penalty must be designed. Discussion shall continue until a single penalty is agreed upon, or until alternative penalties are designed and voted upon. Six (6) votes shall be required for the selection of a lesser penalty. d. Following deliberations, all parties are called back into the hearing room, and the presiding officer announces the penalty. The student is advised that he or she may appeal the finding and/or the penalty to the Appeals Board, and the hearing is then adjourned. In the absence of an appeal, the accused is informed by Provost when and how the penalty is to be carried out. A note on penalties: In the event of a suspension or expulsion, college fees including tuition and board will be partially refunded, the amount to be based upon the proportion of days remaining in the term from the day the suspension or expulsion was initially imposed as a penalty. There will be no refund after the ninth week of the term of enrollment. Delays in the implementation of the penalty resulting from an unsuccessful appeal will not affect the amount refunded. The Appeals Board will accept for consideration three types of appeal: (1) those questioning a finding of guilt, (2) those requesting a change in penalty, and (3) those citing a procedural error that may have affected the outcome of the case. Only the accused student or the investigative team may appeal a decision. Decisions that find a student not responsible for having violated the Code are not eligible for appeal. The Appeals Board is not empowered to change the penalty imposed by the Honor Council. If the Board upholds a student's appeal, the case will be remanded to the Honor Council. Grounds for remanding a case are left to the discretion of the Board, but shall be communicated to the Honor Council. Faculty members who wish to appeal a decision by the Honor Council may do so and shall follow the same procedure as students. The Appeals Board consists of six (6) faculty members nominated by the Provost's Office, one of whom serves as chairperson and convener. For any appeal, student representation is elected from those members of the Honor Council who did not participate in the original hearing of the case. The presiding officer of the Honor Council and the Provost are members, ex officio , of the Board, available for consultation, but with no vote. Members of the Appeals Board are to be available for duty through the end of the examination period of each semester so that Ad Hoc Appeals Committees need not be formed. Note: In the event an appeal must be heard between semesters or during summer months, the President of the College, in consultation with the Chair of the Appeals Board, may appoint an Ad Hoc Appeals Committee. Ad Hoc Appeals Committees shall reflect as much as possible both the proportions and membership of the Appeals Board, and shall bear the same authority and responsibility. A petition for an appeal must be submitted in writing to the Provost's office, or to the Chair of the Appeals Board within forty-eight (48) hours of the decision of the Honor Council. The petition must state the nature of the appeal (i.e., an appeal of finding, of penalty, or of procedure), and should explain its grounds. When the petition is accepted for consideration, the Chair will attempt to convene the Appeals Board within forty-eight (48) hours of its acceptance. 1. Participants a. For any appeal, the Chair of the Appeals Board shall arrange for seven (7) voting members of the Board to be in attendance, consisting of four (4) faculty and three (3) student members. Any member of the Board who is a witness to the case, who was a participant in the original hearing, or who has demonstrable bias against or toward the appellant, shall be ineligible to sit on the appeal for that case. b. The Provost shall be present for appeals. They shall be available for consultation by the Appeals Board, but shall have no vote. c. The presiding officer of the original Honor Council hearing shall be present for any appeal, and shall be available for consultation by the Appeals Board, but shall have no vote. d. The accused, his or her assistants, and the investigation team will be notified of the time and place of the appeal hearing at least twenty-four (24) hours in advance. These persons must appear in person before the Appeals Board. e. Witnesses who testified at the original hearing may appear at the request of the Appeals Board. Witnesses shall be excluded from the hearing until called, and once called shall be reminded of their pledge to uphold the Honor System of the College. During appeals, witnesses are brought into the room individually as needed, and may be questioned only by the Chair or members of the Board. Once the Board is satisfied and no further questions are forthcoming, witnesses shall be dismissed from the hearing room. f. The Chair of the Appeals Board is responsible for maintaining order in the hearing of appeals. He or she shall conduct the hearing by recognizing participants who wish to address the Board or by recognizing Board members who wish to question participants or witnesses. The Chair may rule that certain information or testimony is irrelevant to the appeal at hand and shall rule on requests for recess. Decisions made by the Chair may be overturned by majority vote of the Board. g. Hearings before the Appeals Board are closed to the public. 2. Procedure a. After the arrival of all voting Appeals Board members and prior to calling additional parties into the room, the Chair may call the presiding officer of the Honor Council to present a written summary of the original case as heard before the Honor Council. At this time, the presiding officer of the Honor Council also may be asked to clarify or explain that summary. b. Once the summary has been presented, and when the Board is ready, the Chair shall call the student, his or her assistants, and the investigation team into the room. The Chair shall open the hearing by recognizing the person making the appeal, or his or her representative, for an elaboration of the argument(s) contained in the petition for appeal. c. The Chair may then recognize other participants who wish to be heard, or any Board member who wishes to ask questions of a participant or a witness. Although questioning witnesses may evoke some new testimony not heard in the original hearing, the primary purpose of such questioning shall be to clarify points of contention. However, the Appeals Board may decide that new testimony is significant enough to warrant a new hearing by the Honor Council. Five (5) of the seven (7) votes shall be required for such a decision. d. When members of the Appeals Board agree that all relevant information has been obtained, the Chair shall clear the room of all but voting members of the Board, and deliberations shall begin. In deliberations, the Chair may allow discussion to take place. Following discussion, a vote shall be called. Five (5) of the seven (7) votes shall be required to uphold an appeal and to remand the case to the Honor Council. If an appeal is denied by the Appeals Board, the accused may make a formal appeal to the President of the College. If the President agrees to consider the appeal, he or she has the authority to: (1) allow the outcome to stand, (2) remand the case to the Honor Council, or (3) set aside the verdict. When remanding a case or setting aside a verdict, the President would make the grounds for that decision known to the Honor Council and the Appeals Board. The decision of the President, or of the Honor Council in the case of a remand, is final and shall not be reconsidered in the absence of compelling new evidence. The Honor Council in consultation with the Provost and Shorter College legal counsel shall have jurisdiction over amending the Code. As situations arise that necessitate changing the Code, the secretaries shall keep a record of those incidents. At the end of each Spring term, the Honor Council shall meet to discuss whether any or all of the cases require an immediate change to the Code. If a change is deemed necessary by a 75% vote of the Honor Council, the Code shall be changed. If a change is not deemed necessary, those records shall be kept for a period of three years to ascertain whether those case types are of a repeating nature and warrant a change to the Code. Every three years, the Honor of the Hawk shall be completely updated and shall be the sole document for administering the Honor Code of Shorter College. Shorter College is deeply indebted to Presbyterian College, Clinton, South Carolina for allowing us to use their Honor Code as a model. Shorter College has adapted pieces of their Honor Code to fit our particular needs and college profile, but the Shorter College's Honor of the Hawk (Honor Code) heavily borrows from Presbyterian College's Blue Book (Honor Code). Presbyterian College has given written permission, which is on file in the Provost's office, to Shorter College to use their document. Quotations on Integrity and the Five Values of Academic Integrity I have found that being honest is the best technique I can use. Right up front, tell people what you're trying to accomplish and what you're willing to sacrifice to accomplish it.—Lee Iacocca Honesty is the first chapter in the Book of wisdom. Let it be our endeavor to merit the character of a just nation.—Thomas Jefferson If the writing is honest it cannot be separated from the man who wrote it.—Unknown One word of truth outweighs the whole world.—Alexander Solzhenitzen To make your children capable of honesty is the beginning of education.—John Ruskin Integrity is telling myself the truth, and honesty is telling the truth to other people.—Spencer Johnson No man, for an considerable period, can wear one face to himself, and another to the multitude, without finally getting bewildered as to which may be true.—Nathaniel Hawthorne Those who think it is permissible to tell white lies soon grow color-blind.—Austin O'Malley With lies you may get ahead in the world—but you can never go back.—Russian proverb Trust A man who doesn't trust himself can never really trust anyone else.—Cardinal De Retz One must be fond of people and trust them if one is not to make a mess of life.—E.M. Forester The only way to make a man trustworthy is to trust him.—Henry L. Stimson To be trusted is a greater compliment than to be loved.—George MacDonald Self-trust is the first secret of success.—Ralph Waldo Emerson The glory of friendship is not the outstretched hand, nor the kindly smile, nor the joy of companionship; it is the spiritual inspiration that comes to one when you discover that someone else believes in you and is willing to trust you with a friendship.—Ralph Waldo Emerson Do not trust all men, but trust men of worth; the former course is silly, the latter a mark of prudence.—Democritus Repetition does not transform a lie into truth.—Franklin D. Roosevelt Trust those who educate us.—George Eliot Trust, which is a virtue, is also a habit, like prayer. It requires exercise. And just as no one can run five miles a day and cede the cardiovascular effects to someone else, no one can trust for us.—Sue Halpern Trust only those who stand to lose as much as you do when things go wrong.—Bralek But we need to trust the outcome, to not be defeated in our hearts, ever knowing that the very core of our being cannot be undone. Not without our consent.—John McEnullty The team that trusts—their leader and each other—is more likely to be successul.—Mike Krzyzewski Mistrust begets mistrust. Trust begets accomplishment.—Tao Te Ching We can gain no lasting peace if we approach it with suspicion and mistrust or with fear. We can gain it only if we proceed with the understanding, the confidence, and the courage which flow from conviction.—Franklin D. Roosevelt Trust each other again and again. When the trust level gets high enough, people transcend apparent limits, discovering new and awesome abilities for which they were previously unaware.—David Armistead For it is mutual trust, even more than mutual interest that holds human associations together.—H. L. Mencken Fairness Thou shouldst not decide until thou hast heard what both have to say.—Aristophanes All virtue is summed up in dealing justly.—Aristotle Fairness requires that we do not make judgments until we know all the facts.—Anonymous Justice is truth in action.—Joseph Joubert True peace is not merely the absence of tension, it is the presence of Justice.—Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Justice consists in doing no injury to men; decency in giving them no offense.—Marcus Tullius Ciscero De Officiis Facts are stubborn things; and whatever may be our wishes, our inclinations, or the dictates of our passion, they cannot alter the state of facts and evidence.—John Adams The best way of avenging thyself is not to become like the wrong-doer.—Marcus Aurelius It makes no difference whether a good man had defrauded a bad man, or a bad man defrauded a good man, or whether a good or bad man has committed adultery: the law can look only to the amount of damage done.—Aristotle We judge ourselves by what we feel capable of doing while others judge us by what we have already done.—Henry Wadsworth Longfellow Never let bitterness become unfairness. Bitterness only hurts you.—Donna Forrest A great deal may be done by severity, more by love, but most by clear discernment and impartial justice.—Johann Wolfgang von Goethe Once the game is over, the king and the pawn go back in the same box.—Italian proverb The only freedom which deserves the name, is that of pursuing our own good in our own way, so long as we do not attempt to deprive others of theirs, or impede their efforts to obtain it.—John Stuart Mill Respect In my day, we didn't have self-esteem, we had self-respect, and no more of it than we had earned.—Jane Haddam The bond that links your true family is not one of blood, but of respect and joy in each other's life. Rarely do members of one family grow up under one roof.—Richard Bach The secret of education lies in respecting the pupil.—Emerson Respect your efforts, respect yourself. Self-respect leads to self-discipline. When you have both firmly under your belt, that's real power.—Clint Eastwood They cannot take away our self-respect if we do not give it to them.—Ghandi If you have some respect for people as they are, you can be more effective in helping them to become better than they are.—John W. Gardner The capacity for getting along with our neighbor depends to a large extent on the capacity for getting along with ourselves. The self-respecting individual will try to be as tolerant of his neighbor's shortcomings as he is of his own.—Eric Hoffer Self-respect is a question of recognizing that anything worth having has a price.—Joan Didion I'm not concerned with your liking or disliking me…All I ask is that you respect me as a human being.—Jackie Robinson “Respect you fellow human being, treat them fairly, disagree with them honestly, enjoy their friendship, explore your thoughts about one another candidly, work together for a common goal and help one another achieve it.”—Bill Bradley “Neither we, nor any other people, will ever be respected till we respect ourselves and we will never respect ourselves till we have the means to live respectfully.”—Frederick Douglas Never esteem anything as of advantage to you that will make you break your word or lose your self-respect.—Marcus Aurelius There are countless ways of attaining greatness, but any road to reaching one's maximum potential must be built on a bedrock of respect for the individual, a commitment of excellence, and a rejection of mediocrity.—Buck Rogers Responsibility My belief is that personal freedom cannot grow beyond personal responsibility. The more people learn to be fully accountable for their lives, the more freedom each of us can enjoy and the more fulfilling all our lives will be.—Reed Konsler The willingness to accept responsibility for one's own life is the source from which self-respect springs.—Joan Didion Most of us can read the writing on the wall; we just assume it's addressed to someone else.—Ivern Ball With every civil right there has to be a corresponding civil obligation.—Edison Haines I believe that every right implies a responsibility; every opportunity, an obligation; every possession, a duty.—John D. Rockefeller, Jr. Duty is what one expects from others.—Oscar Wilde Few things help an individual more than to place responsibility upon him, and to let him know that you trust him.—Booker T. Washington Action springs not from thought, but from a readiness for responsibility.—Dietrich Bonhoeffer We all participate in weaving the social fabric; we should therefore all participate in patching the fabric when it develops holes.—Anne C. Weisberg, Everything a Working Mother Needs to Know, 1994 We are made wise not by the recollection of our past, but by the responsibility for our future.—George Bernard Shaw The world is a dangerous place, not because of those who do evil, but because of those who look on and do nothing.—Albert Einstein Remember always that you not only have the right to be an individual, you have an obligation to be one.—Eleanor Roosevelt Thou shalt not be a victim. Thou shalt not be a perpetrator. Above all, thou shalt not be a bystander.—Holocaust Museum What a man does defiles him, not what is done by others.—William Golding We can believe what we choose. We are answerable for what we choose to believe.—John Henry Newman The first requisite of a good citizen in this republic of ours is that he shall be able and willing to pull his own weight.—Theodore Roosevelt Responsibility walks hand in hand with capacity and power.—Josiah Holland Man must cease attributing his problems to his environment, and learn again to exercise his will—his personal responsibility.—Albert Schweitzer Hold yourself responsible for a higher standard than anybody else expects of you, never excuse yourself.—Henry Ward Beecher A weakened sense of responsibility does not weaken the fact of responsibility.—William Bennett We all have dreams. But in order to make dreams into reality, it takes an awful lot of determination, dedication, self-discipline, and effort.—Jesse Owens Integrity Without integrity, no company can have positive word of mouth.—Jay Abraham Nothing is at last sacred but the integrity of your own mind. Absolve you to yourself, and you shall have the suffrage of the world.—Ralph Waldo Emerson We laugh at honor and are shocked to find traitors in our midst.—C. S. Lewis Integrity is not a 90 percent thing, not a 95 percent thing; either you have it or you don't.—Peter Scotese Integrity: A name is the blueprint of the thing we call character. You ask, What's in a name? I answer, Just about everything you do.—Morris Mandel Integrity is not a conditional word. It doesn't blow in the wind or change with the weather. It is your inner image of yourself, and if you look in there and see a man who won't cheat, then you know he never will.—John D. MacDonald Character is much easier kept than recovered.—Thomas Paine Are right and wrong convertible terms, dependant upon popular opinion?—William Lloyd Garrison The measure of a man's real character is what he would do if he knew he never would be found out.—Thomas Babington Macaulay Quality means doing it right when no one is looking.—Henry Ford Better keep yourself clean and bright; you are the window through which you must see the world.—George Bernard Shaw You don't carry in your countenance a letter of recommendation.—Charles Dickens Conscience is that still, small voice that is sometimes too loud for comfort.—Bert Murray My grandfather once told me that there were two kinds of people: those who work and those who take the credit. He told me to try to be in the first group; there was less competition there.—Indira Gandhi The line separating good and evil passes not through states, nor between political parties either—but right through every human heart.—Alexander Solzhenitsyn I never did, or countenanced, in public life, a single act inconsistent with the strictest good faith; having never believed there was one code of morality for a public, and another for a private man.—Thomas Jefferson, 1809 It is hardly respectable to be good nowadays.—Edith Sitwell If honor be your clothing, the suit will last a lifetime; but if clothing be your honor, it will soon be worn threadbare.—William Arnot What is right is often forgotten by what is convenient.—Bodie Thoene You can't learn too soon that the most useful thing about a principle is that it can always be sacrificed to expedience.—Somerset Maugham The time is always right to do what is right.—Martin Luther King, Jr. You can stand tall without standing on someone. You can be a victor without having victims.—Harriet Woods |
Table of Contents