Honor Court Hearings
An Honor Court Hearing may be convened for one of the following reasons:
- Depending on the severity of the misconduct alleged in the report, the faculty member may request for the EVCAA to convene an honor court hearing or the EVCAA may convene an honor court at their discretion upon a first reported offense.
- Upon receiving a second or subsequent Academic Misconduct Report for a student, the EVCAA shall convene an honor court hearing.
- A student may request an honor court hearing to review any sanctions applied directly by faculty due to allegations of academic misconduct.
The Honor Court will be appointed by the Executive Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs and will consist of three faculty members plus one alternate and two student members plus one alternate. The Honor Court will adjudicate the case and will recommend sanctions when necessary.
When an honor court is convened, the student will be sent a written notice to appear at a scheduled hearing. The notice will include:
- The general nature of the charge;
- The time and place of the hearing; and
- The right to be accompanied by an advisor throughout the hearing process. The advisor, with the written permission of the charged student(s) or student organization(s), may:
- Advise the accused regarding preparation for the hearing;
- Accompany the accused to all conduct proceedings;
- Have access to evidence to be introduced at the hearing.
NOTE: Advisors are not permitted to participate directly in the hearing process, or to speak for the charged student(s) or student organization(s).
A student who has violated or who has been charged with the violation of any regulation of the University may not be permitted to withdraw from the University without the permission of the Chancellor. A notation of circumstances under which the accused student was permitted to withdraw shall be entered in the minutes of the Honor Court. The withdrawal of a student with or without approval shall not deprive the Honor Court of the power to hear charges against the student.
The student charged with infractions and the faculty member alleging the infraction shall have the following rights at an honor court hearing:
- The right to be present (either in person or through video conferencing software for all testimony)
- The right to call witnesses
- The right to question witnesses
- The right to testify on his or her own behalf
- The right to enter into the record statements bearing on the matter under consideration
The Honor Court Chair will introduce the case, calling first on the individual making the charge, then on the student charged with the violation. The court members may question all parties who may decline to answer any or all questions. After both sides have presented their cases and all testimony has been given, the court will deliberate the case. All other participants will be requested to leave. The court will reach a decision by a majority vote. Should a tie vote occur, it will be considered as favoring the student charged. If the decision is unfavorable to the student, the court will recommend sanctions according to the regulations below.
Once the court has reached a decision and recommended sanctions (if necessary), the student will be informed both in person (immediately after the decision) and in writing. The results of the hearing will be forwarded to the Executive Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs.
The chair of the Honor Court must make a recording of all judicial hearings. The charged party or parties and their advisor shall have the right, upon request, to listen to the recording in the presence of a staff member of the Office of the Executive Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs. The charged student may request a duplicate copy of the recording at his/her own expense within a period of six months from the date of the hearing.
After the hearing, the Executive Vice Chancellor of Academic Affairs shall be responsible for forwarding the written decision of the University Honor Court to the charged party or parties. The letter from the Honor Court shall consist of a statement of charges; findings of the hearing authority and the rationale for the findings; sanction(s) and the rationale for the sanction(s); and a statement regarding the right to appeal and the appeal procedures.
Students found responsible shall have five class days from the date the decision letter is sent to submit a written request for an appeal. If there is no appeal within this time limit, the Executive Vice Chancellor of Academic Affairs shall implement the decision.
The request for appeal shall be by memorandum addressed to the faculty chair of the Honor Court through the Executive Vice Chancellor of Academic Affairs. The memo must state the reason(s) for believing the decision of the original hearing authority to be improper.
SANCTIONS AND PENALTIES
In the interest of consistency, sanctions and penalties must be imposed as follows:
Faculty Imposed Sanctions
Following the required faculty-student conference, if faculty still believes the student has committed an infraction of the academic code, the faculty member may assign a failing grade for the assignment or the course and submit an Academic Misconduct Report. If the faculty member assigns a failing grade due to academic misconduct, they must submit a report. A student may still request an honor court hearing after the assignment of a failing grade and submission of an Academic Misconduct Report.
All other sanctions and penalties may only be imposed by the EVCAA at the recommendation of Honor Court as described below.
First Violation
Circumstances and the severity of the violation will determine the sanction. Any or all of the following may be imposed for a first offense:
- Withdrawal from the course with a failing grade – an extraordinary step and only by specific direction of the Honor Court.
- A period of review and observation during which a student is under an official warning that subsequent violations of the Honor Code are likely to result in a more severe sanction including suspension or expulsion from the University. Students on probation may be barred from participating in any or all extra- or co-curricular activities.
- “X” on the transcript before a grade denoting an Honor Code Violation.
- Research Project. This sanction can be assigned for the educational benefit of the student and should be related to academic integrity or ethics on the whole or in the discipline in which the offense occurred. The report is submitted to the Chair of the Honor Court.
- Suspension from the University for a period of no less than one semester.
- Expulsion from the University.
- A combination of the above sanctions.
Second Violation
Either of the following sanctions may be imposed, effective immediately:
- Suspension (for up to one academic year); or
- Permanent suspension.
In either case, the student will receive a failing grade in the course in which the violations occurred and a “W” or “"WF" in all other courses. The suspension period will begin immediately following the conclusion of the case. Although a student will not be allowed to enroll in summer school during the suspension period, summer sessions will not count as suspension periods.
Third Violation
A third violation necessitates permanent suspension from USCB.
All statements, information, or comments given during hearings will be held in strictest confidence by members of the USCB faculty, staff and witnesses before, during and after deliberation. Only duly authorized persons or faculty and staff with an educational need to know will be informed of the proceedings and outcome.
Appeals
More information on Appeals can be found on its page.