Honor
System
[Faculty
Handbook Category #2]
“I pledge my honor that during this examination I have neither given nor received assistance, and that I have seen no dishonest work.”
The Honor System at
The following statements outline the basic policies
of the Honor System.
1.
Every
examination is given under the Honor System.
This includes all short quizzes and lab tests. If the nature of the examination is such that
the instructor must remain in the classroom during the exam, each student is
still on his/her honor and the Honor System is still in effect. In such cases, the instructor should explain
to his/her students that he/she is acting as an administrator and not as a
proctor.
2.
The Honor System
is violated whenever information that results in, or could result in, an unfair
advantage for one or more students is given or received before, during, or
after an examination.
3.
The Honor
Council strongly recommends that the entire printed pledge, and not just the
word “pledge,” be on the last page of examination papers when the exam is
handed out. There also must be the
phrase “I have intentionally not signed the pledge. __ (Check only if appropriate.)”
4.
It is the
responsibility of the instructor to remind students verbally of the pledge
before an examination. A visual reminder
should be placed at the front of the room as well.
5.
If the
instructor asks the students to spread out during an exam, the Honor Council
recommends that the instructor make it clear that the reason is to remove cause
for suspicion.
6.
The Honor
Council suggests that a blank sheet of paper be placed on top of lab
examinations.
7.
It is the
instructor’s responsibility to check for unsigned pledges immediately after an
examination. If a pledge is not signed,
the instructor may discretely and confidentially ask the student if the missing
signature was an oversight. If an
unsigned pledge is the result of an oversight, the instructor may proceed as
though the pledge had been signed. If
the absence of a signature is intentional, the instructor must immediately turn
the exam over to the Honor Council. The
instructor’s investigation is limited to ascertaining whether the student
intended to sign the pledge. The
instructor should not investigate the nature of any possible violation of the
Honor System. If the instructor chooses
not to inquire about an unsigned pledge, the exam must be treated as if the
failure to sign the pledge was intentional.
8.
The instructor
should bring examinations with unsigned pledges to the Office of the Dean of
Students as soon as possible. It is
imperative that exams not be sent via campus mail or handled by students.
9.
A suspected
violation of the Honor System can be reported by means other than an unsigned
pledge. A faculty member, or a student
not in a position to indicate his/her suspicions in this way, may submit a
direct report to the Honor Council at the Office of the Dean of Students.
10.
Under no
circumstances is the professor to return examinations when some are still out
due to unsigned pledges.
11.
Take-home
examinations may be given under the condition that regulations for what may or
may not be used on the exam are explicitly stated on the examination form. Professors are encouraged to require that
students hand in all of their work along with their exams.
12.
Faculty members
are encouraged to keep a seating chart or practice some other method designed
to record the location of each student during an examination.
13.
In most cases a
student can plan in advance to take an examination with the rest of his/her
class. The Honor Council strongly feels
that make-up exams should not be given unless absolutely necessary, as in the
case of real illness. The Honor Council
recommends that such make-up exams be given at a specific time and place and
that they not be distributed to students via P.O. boxes.
14.
A student
implicated in a possible violation of the Honor System is considered innocent
until proven otherwise.
15. Since a violation of the Honor System is considered
very serious, there is no warning for a first offense. Penalties are assessed according to the
circumstances of the individual case and are more severe in instances of
multiple violations. Standard penalties
vary from an “F” or a zero on the examination in which the violation occurred
to failure in the course. In
particularly egregious cases, the Honor Council may recommend to the Dean of
Students Office that a student be suspended or expelled; the final
responsibility for such decisions rests with the administration of the college. Under certain circumstances, the Dean of
Students Office may recommend that a student found to have violated the Honor
System receive counseling.
16.
A student who is
assessed a penalty of failure in the course for violation of the Honor System
is not permitted to drop the course in question.
Questions regarding the Honor System should be
directed to the President of the Honor Council, who can be contacted through
the Dean of Students Office.