Although the procedure outlined below for dealing with any suspected infringement of the Academic Honor Code may appear to many cumbersome or unduly circuitous, scrupulous adherence to this procedure will ensure in all such cases the preservation of the primary principles of consistency, equity and confidentiality.

1. Whether you discover the infringement yourself or it is brought to your attention by another, you should initially confront the student in person.  In most instances, you should refrain from calling or otherwise communicating with anyone else; however, should you judge it necessary to confer, say, with a colleague, in an effort to determine more precisely the nature and extent of the suspected infringement, please take all the obvious precautions against revealing the student's identity.  If you wish to consult another faculty member, please consult one of the faculty representatives to the Honor Board.

2. If, after confronting the student, you remain satisfied that there is a case to be brought before the Honor Board, ask the student to report herself to the Student Head of the Board.  Under no circumstances should you take it upon yourself to act in place of the Board, e.g., to hear, to deliberate, and to fix punishments.  In deciding that there is a case, you are not deciding that the student is guilty.  You are merely deciding that there is a question which the Honor Board must consider in order to establish whether or not an infraction of the Honor Code occurred and why.

3.  Allow about forty-eight hours for the student to report herself to the Student Head of the Board.  If you have not heard from the head and wish to make certain that the student has reported herself, or if you know that she has not, communicate directly with the Head.  She will encourage the student to consult the dean and the Senior Member of the Honor Board who will serve as the student's counsel throughout the proceedings. (NOTE:  Students at other institutions taking courses on this campus are dealt with in precisely the same way as our own students.  Such students may request that their own deans be present at the hearing.)

A CASE HAS NOW BEEN OPENED

4.  You will be asked to submit a statement of your understanding of the facts of the case.  This statement should be submitted to the Head of the Board, but it may be delivered to the Office of the Dean of the Undergraduate College.  It will be read at the hearing by the student and the members of the Honor Board. The student will prepare a statement, too, which you will see at the hearing.

5.  You will be requested to attend the hearing.  You will have no part in the final deliberations, but you will most likely be asked what final resolution you would consider appropriate. Since the faculty member is the first person questioned by the Honor Board, you are usually required at the hearing for a half-hour or less. The accused student(s) has the right to be present while the faculty member is questioned. The faculty member does not have the option to remain during the student’s questioning. Sometimes the questions from members of the Board make the faculty member feel as if he or she is being viewed as negligent or guilty in some way. That is not the intention. Board members try to ask any question that may have bearing on their decision of both the faculty member and the student(s) involved. If you feel that a particular question is inappropriate, feel free to say so.

6.  You will be informed of the decision of the Board within twenty-four hours of the hearing's end.  Recommendations for exclusion or suspension are made to the President who will then proceed at her discretion, which may include further hearing.  All other decisions made by the Board are binding unless appealed to the President because of procedural errors. The President's decision is final.

7.   Should you wish to discuss the matter further, short of appeal, address yourself to the student's dean, who will generally be able to explain or clarify.

8.  All action taken in response to the Board's decision should respect the strictly confidential nature of the proceedings.  The undergraduates are bound not to discuss the case, and the Honor Board strongly recommends that faculty should deem themselves so bound.