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All academic work in the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences Graduate School will be conducted under the Honor Code. The Honor Code is a system based upon a spirit of trust and intellectual honesty within the university, that manifests itself as a code of ethics shared among all members of the university community. The Honor Code is designed to communicate the importance and meaning of intellectual honesty, and to provide a structure that allows the university community to maintain these standards.

Students enrolled in the Graduate School are expected to comply with the provisions presented in this document. Students should be aware that the Graduate School Honor Code relies on the presumption that each student appreciates the trust placed in him/her and maintains the highest ethical standards of his/her discipline. It is the responsibility of each student to conduct himself/herself in a manner that complies with the Honor Code guidelines.

The Graduate School Honor Code applies to all aspects of the Graduate student’s education, including Graduate School courses as well as research. Actions that should be considered Honor Code violations include, but are not limited to: cheating on class examinations; plagiarism [to take (ideas, writings, etc.) from another and pass them off as one’s own, Websters New World Dictionary, 3rd College edition]; intentional misrepresentation of information on official documents; intentional misrepresentation of research data; and any intentional behavior that is potentially dangerous to others, or acts performed with malicious intent within the university setting. Honor Code violations are confined to acts directly pertaining to university affairs; personal activities not related to the university are not Honor Code violations.

If an individual fails to uphold the highest standards of the profession, this reflects poorly on the individual, the Graduate Program, and the profession as a whole. Therefore, it is the responsibility of the students as well as all others involved to make a conscious effort to comply with all provisions set forth in this document. However, if an infraction does occur, it is the duty of all students, faculty, and administrators of the Graduate School to report any misconduct to the Honor Council and to demand just reconciliation to insure that the infraction will not be repeated.

An Honor Council will be established to enforce the regulations of the Honor Code and to provide a fair hearing for each individual. The Honor Council will consist of one graduate student representing each degree program in the Graduate School. In addition, a Graduate School faculty member will serve as an impartial mediator in all proceedings. The sole purpose of the Honor Council is to ensure just treatment of any individual accused of misconduct.

Reporting Honor Code Violations

When an act believed to violate the Honor Code is witnessed, or if evidence of such an act is known, this information must be reported to an Honor Council Representative. Violations of the Honor Code include cheating on class assignments or examinations, plagiarism, misrepresentation of research data, or other acts that violate professional and academic ethics. The Honor Council Representative will keep this information in confidence and inform only the Honor Council President and the Honor Council Faculty Advisor of the accusation. Once an accusation has been reported, the Honor Council President and Representative will follow the procedure described in the Preliminary Procedures section of this document.

Examinations

An Honor Pledge must be signed by each student following every examination. By signing this document, the individual accepts responsibility for himself/herself, as well as, the responsibility to report any individual he/she observes that does not comply with the Honor Code. An example of the Honor Pledge can be found below:

Before the exam begins, print your name here: _______________________

Honor Pledge

Part I: I have neither given nor received aid from any source during this examination.

Signed: ________________________

Part II: I have not seen aid given or obtained by anyone during this examination.

Signed: ________________________

After each examination, the course director will notify the Honor Council Representative of the appropriate degree program if any student has failed to sign all parts of the Honor Pledge. If this occurs, the representative is obligated to determine the student’s reason for refusal to sign the Honor Pledge. Subsequently, the Honor Council may convene to further investigate the refusal of a student to sign any part of the Honor Pledge.

Preliminary Procedures

Once an alleged violation of the Honor Code is reported, the Honor Council President will inform the accused of the alleged violation and seek reconciliation between the accused and the accuser under the guidance of the Honor Council Faculty Advisor. The reconciliation is an agreement between both the accused and the accuser on the facts surrounding the proposed Honor Code violation. Both parties should concur on whether or not the violation occurred and on any actions needed to reconcile the violation. This information will be drafted in written format and shall be called the terms of reconciliation. The identity of the accuser shall not be divulged to the accused. The accused may or may not admit that he/she has violated the Honor Code and may or may not accept the proposed reconciliation.

If the terms of reconciliation are accepted by all parties involved, the matter is resolved. If multiple accusations occur, there will be an attempt to consolidate the terms of reconciliation. If consolidation is not possible, the accused may have to respond to each accusation separately. The Honor Council Representative will reduce the terms of the reconciliation into a written document to be signed by both the accused and accuser. In order to protect the anonymity of the accuser, the accused will be asked to sign first. If the agreement contains matters about which other faculty need to know, the Honor Council Faculty Advisor shall convey the information to the appropriate faculty. The signed agreement will be kept on record in the Honor Council files until terms of the agreement expire.

If the terms of reconciliation are not accepted by the accused, proceedings for a hearing will be initiated. The Honor Council President will notify the accused of an impending investigation. An Investigation Committee will be formed under the guidance of the Honor Council Faculty Advisor. The committee will investigate charges against the accused as rapidly and discreetly as possible, obtain witnesses for the hearing, and procure all documents necessary for the hearing.

Hearings Before the Honor Council

The Honor Council President will convene a hearing before the Honor Council to determine the facts. The Investigation Committee Chairperson will prepare and present the case against the accused. The accused has the right to prepare a defense against the accusation. The student can address the Honor Council, submit written statements, question witnesses, and provide additional witnesses and exhibits on his/her behalf. Prior to the hearing the accused student is presumed innocent of the accusation, and his/her guilt will be determined based on the preponderance of evidence presented at the hearing.

If the Honor Council finds that a student has violated the Honor Code, his/her disciplinary action becomes an academic matter, and the case will be referred to the Program Director of the convicted student’s degree program for the determination of disciplinary action. In the judgment given by the Honor Council, a recommendation for appropriate disciplinary action can be included and forwarded to the Program Director of the convicted student. If the Honor Code infraction occurred in a class or laboratory of another degree program, the second degree program should be consulted when deciding upon the disciplinary action. If the Honor Council finds that no violation of the Honor Code occurred, all records related to the accusation, including the records of the investigation and hearing, will be destroyed. The accused may not be subjected to more than one hearing per suspected Honor Code violation.

Hearing Procedures

Prior to the Honor Council hearing, the student will be provided notice in writing of the specific allegations, a list of witnesses, and any sworn statements or exhibits which will be used as evidence against him/her. The student will be given a list of the members and alternates of the Honor Council. The student may request that a designated alternate replace any member of the Honor Council for the hearing.

The hearing will be conducted in private. Witnesses will be admitted for testimony only and then asked to leave. The testimony will be tape recorded, but the final deliberations of the Honor Council will not be recorded. All formal motions will be passed by at least a two-thirds majority vote.

The student may have one person present during the hearing, who may be an attorney, to advise him/her. This person may not address the Honor Council, speak on behalf of the student, question witnesses, or otherwise actively participate in the hearing. If the accused chooses to have an attorney present, a University attorney may also attend the hearing. The student may appear in person, make an oral statement, and answer questions from members of the Honor Council. Should the student choose to remain silent, no adverse inference will be drawn against him/her. The student may submit sworn written statements and other exhibits and witnesses in his/her behalf. The student may hear and question all witnesses.

During the period of time prior to the disciplinary hearing, the Dean of the Graduate School or the Dean’s designee may remove a student from his/her academic position (courses, clerkship, elective, or laboratory responsibilities) if the student disrupts the educational process, constitutes a clear and present danger to the health and safety of himself/herself (or other persons and/or university property), or infringes on the rights of others.

The Honor Council will make its determination based upon the evidence presented at the hearing relevant to the issue or issues before the Council. The student may not be present during the Honor Council deliberations. The student will be notified in writing of the determination.

Within seven working days of the date of the determination notice the student may contest, in writing, to the President of the Honor Council. The student may contest the ruling for the following reasons: 1) a substantial mistake of fact occurred; 2) a fundamental misinterpretation of the official policies was evident; or 3) a significant procedural error took place. These are the only bases for contesting the determination. If the determination of the Honor Council is contested by a student, the Honor Council will reconvene to review the student contentions. If the Honor Council concurs with the student, it will correct the procedural defect, re-interpret the policy as appropriate, or review the fact which was originally presented in error, and then review its determination and revise it if appropriate. There will be no appeal from a final determination by the Honor Council.

A determination by the Honor Council that a student violated the Honor Code shall be referred to the appropriate Program Director for disciplinary actions. The Honor Council can recommend disciplinary action for the Honor Code violation in its determination.

By-laws: Honor Code of the UAMS Graduate School

ARTICLE I: Structure and Elections

Honor Council: The Honor Council will consist of one student representative from each degree granting program in the Graduate School. Two alternate members, each representing a different program, will be appointed by the Dean of the Graduate School at the time of Honor Council elections. The Honor Council will have three officer positions: President; Vice President; and Secretary.

Investigation Committee: At the time a hearing is scheduled, an Investigation Committee will be formed from a list of possible representatives identified by each degree program within the Graduate School (see below). The committee will consist of 5 students, each from a different degree program. The Investigation Committee will have one officer, the Investigation Committee Chairperson, who will be elected from the 5 members of the committee at their first meeting.

Each degree program will identify its designated Investigation Committee representative at the beginning of the school year. At the time of the hearing, the Honor Council Faculty Advisor selects the Investigation Committee by random draw from the list of eligible representatives. Representatives from the degree program of the accused student and the degree program where the alleged incident occurred (if different) are not eligible for selection. The accused may request that one eligible representative from any degree program be excluded from the selection if he/she believes there is a conflict of interest that may influence the investigation. The Honor Council Faculty Advisor will inform the selected Investigation Committee Representatives of the impending investigation and help organize their first meeting.

Honor Council Faculty Advisor: The Dean of the Graduate School, if willing, will serve as Advisor to the Honor Council. If he/she is unable to perform these duties, the Dean will appoint an Honor Council Faculty Advisor from the Graduate Faculty. The appointed advisor should be a tenured Faculty member, and the Honor Council must approve the appointment by a 50% vote.

Elections: Honor Council Representatives and Investigation Committee Representatives will be elected by the students of each degree program at the beginning of the fall semester each school year. The term for each member is one year. If a vacancy occurs for any reason, the students of the degree program concerned will elect another member within two weeks of the vacancy of the position. Elections will be administered by each individual degree program for their representatives.

Within two weeks of Honor Council elections, the Honor Council Faculty Advisor will organize a meeting to elect Honor Council officers. The officers will be elected from within the group by a simple majority vote.

ARTICLE II: Duties of Officers and Members

President: The duty of the President is to contact the accused and inform him/her of an impending investigation. This contact should be made via a formal letter to the accused, and copies should be sent to the Honor Council Faculty Advisor and to all officers of the Honor Council. One copy should be kept in the Honor Council files.

The President will preside at all meetings and hearings of the Honor Council, act as interpreter of the By-laws, arrange for hearings, personally notify the accused of the impending hearing, and perform all duties common to this office. Each Fall, the President will review the Honor Council files for the purpose of updating and maintaining the files.

Vice President: The duty of the Vice President is to carry out the duties of the President in his/her absence.

Secretary: The Secretary will keep records (minutes, notes, tape recordings, etc.) of all meetings and the proceedings at hearings.

Members of Honor Council: The members will have voting privileges at all meetings and hearings. Alternates will vote when substituting for a member.

Investigation Committee Chairperson: The Investigation Committee Chairperson will preside at all meetings of the Investigation Committee and oversee all activities of the Committee. The chairperson is also responsible for the preparation of a written report of the findings of the investigation for the hearing. The report will be made an official part of the proceedings of the hearing. The report must be witnessed and signed by all members of the committee, and it must be presented to all members of the Honor Council, the Honor Council Faculty Advisor, and the accused at least 4 days prior to the hearing. The Investigation Committee Chairperson will prepare and present the case of the accuser at the hearing. The case should focus on relevant facts surrounding the case and should be free of personal bias. If the Chairperson is unable to perform these duties, he/she will appoint, in writing, another committee member to carry out this duty.

Members of the Investigation Committee: The members of the Investigation Committee are responsible for performing the investigation of the accusation and preparing the report for Honor Council hearings under the coordination of the Investigation Committee Chairperson.

Faculty Advisor: The Honor Council Advisor is responsible for advising the Honor Council, the Investigation Committee, the accuser, and the accused of procedures dictated by the By-laws of the Honor System. The Honor Council Faculty Advisor does not have voting privileges.

ARTICLE III: Meetings

The Honor Council will meet in Fall after general election to elect officers. Special meetings may be called at any time. All meetings will be conducted according to parliamentary procedures. Seventy-five percent of voting members of the Honor Council will constitute a quorum for hearings and meetings. All officers of the Honor Council will vote. If a member of the Council is unable to attend a meeting or hearing, an alternate will serve as a voting member.

ARTICLE IV: Honor Council Files

The Honor Council file will be kept secured in the Graduate School Office. The file will be kept in loose leaf binders, so that any part of the file is readily accessible for inspection.

The record for general meetings will be kept in a separate binder from the record for hearings. Tape recordings made at a hearing may be reduced to a written transcript at the discretion of the Honor Council President. Records from hearings will be kept in permanently locked file cabinets and will be accessible only to the Dean of the Graduate School, the Honor Council Faculty Advisor (if different), and the Honor Council President only for official business.

In the Fall of each year, the Honor Council President will review the files for the purpose of destroying outdated records and updating the files. An outdated record is defined as one older than six years, or the record of a hearing in which only a reprimand was given and the accused has since left the University. Destruction of any part of the file will be done only in the presence of both the Honor Council President and the Honor Council Faculty Advisor.

ARTICLE V: Privacy

All members of the Honor Council and the Investigation Committee must sign an agreement stating that they will not disclose any information from hearings or investigations to persons who are not members of the Honor Council. This includes information from any hearing, the identity of the accused, the reason for the investigation, and the outcome of the hearing. Any individual suspected of disclosing information may be dismissed from the Honor Council or Investigation Committee as determined by the remaining members of the Council and the Honor Council Faculty Advisor.