The Honor Board is composed of faculty and students whose responsibility is to determine, by measure of preponderance of evidence, whether a student is or is not responsible for the charges presented. The Honor Board is advised by the Associate Provost for Student Success who is charged with providing guidance and support to the Chair to ensure that the process is fair and follows the due process as outlined below. Ultimate authority of the Honor System and its outcomes resides with the President of the University.
Honor Pledge
Each student of Converse, by virtue of enrolling, is bound by, commits to abide by, and strives to actively support the Honor Tradition. At the beginning of each year, during Opening Convocation, the student body affirms their commitment to the Honor Tradition with the following pledge:
“I do solemnly pledge my honor that as long as I am a student at Converse University, I will faithfully uphold the principles of the Honor system, will cherish and guard its traditions, and will respect and observe its requirements. I make this pledge in view of the pledges of my fellow students, which signifies our mutual Trust and Resolve to keep our honor forever sacred.”
Each new student signs the Honor Pledge during a formal ceremony and the parchment hangs in Wilson Hall during their years at Converse. They are also required to sign their initials, as a pledge, on all graded work. This signifies, on their word, that they have not received unauthorized help in their academic work. Failure to pledge academic work does not release the student from accountability to the Honor Tradition; instructors may choose not to grade unpledged work.
Honor Board: Members & Representation
The Honor Board is comprised of the following individuals:
-Chair, Elected by the student body and serves as a member of the SGA Executive Committee
-Vice Chair, Elected by the student body
-3-5 additional elected student representatives, representatives may also be appointed/confirmed by the Associate Provost for Student Success and the SGA Executive Committee.
-Three faculty representatives, appointed for three-year staggered terms by the Faculty Senate President.
-Associate Provost for Student Success (ex-officio, advisor)
Honor Infractions
Infractions of the Honor System include lying, cheating, plagiarizing and stealing. These infractions are defined as follows:
Lying is the intentional statement of an untruth. Forgery (signing for another) is also considered an act of lying and thus an honor offense. Therefore, the signing for another or false representation on a College document is considered an honor offense.
Cheating is fabricating written assignments; giving aid to any student or receiving aid without the consent of the instructor on tests, quizzes, assignments, or examinations; consulting unauthorized work with the intent of subverting the purpose of the exercise. Cheating includes use of technology such as computers, phones, cameras, smart watches or any other device that provides access to unauthorized information related to graded course material, tests, quizzes, assignments, or examinations. (An assignment shall be defined as any work, required or voluntary, submitted to an instructor for review or grade.)
Double Assignments are also a form of cheating. The use of one assignment (e.g. paper) to fulfill the requirements of more than one course will be considered a violation of the Honor System unless the student has received proper permission from the appropriate instructor(s).
Plagiarizing is the act of presenting the information, ideas, phrasing, or words of another as if they were one’s own. Such an act is plagiarism whether a student acts through ignorance of proper scholarly procedures, fails to observe proper scholarly procedures, deliberately intends to deceive, or unintentionally fails to document or cite the source. Proper citation is required on all assignments submitted to an instructor for a grade including rough drafts, if assigned for a grade.
The following list, though not all-inclusive, demonstrates instances where citations would be required. (We gratefully acknowledge Dartmouth College’s Institute for Writing & Rhetoric (dartmouth.edu/~writing/sources/sources-citation. html) for assistance in formulating this list). You must cite your source at the point you use the material.
You must cite the source when you:
- use quoted material. Offset quotes with quotation marks or in block format.
- use or quote a significant word or phrase. Place the word or phrase in quotation marks.
- paraphrase or restate information, ideas or phrases in your own words.
- use figures, diagrams, graphs, music, song texts, artwork, films, computer code, etc. that are not your own.
- use problem solutions found on a website or other media.
Errors in style and formatting are not considered plagiarism. If you correctly paraphrase, mark quotations, cite your sources, and otherwise note what are not your ideas, words, information, etc., then you have not plagiarized. If, for example, you use MLA style when the assignment required APA, then you have committed an error in style and formatting. You should correct such errors as soon as you discover them. However, if you include proper citations but have strings of words from your source without indicating these words are not your own, this failure to paraphrase does constitute plagiarism.
Stealing is the act of appropriating that which belongs to another individual or the University. This may include:
- the intent to achieve an unfair advantage in academic matters, whether or not the advantage is a personal one, and/or assisting others in such acts (examples include theft of library materials, computer software/equipment, or information regarding course materials such as quizzes, tests or examinations, etc.)
- the taking of others’ belongings that do not belong to you personally such as but not limited to clothing, backpacks, purses, electronic devices, academic materials and University services. In addition to lying, cheating, plagiarizing and stealing, the following expectations also apply and will be addressed by the Honor Council:
Multiple/repeat Offenses. Multiple offenses of the honor system will be taken seriously and may have significant outcomes. Repeat offenses may also result in significant sanctions because it is expected that a student found responsible and held accountable for an honor offense should learn from their mistake.
Classroom Expectations and Procedures for Academic Work. A Converse student’s word is their bond and as such abiding by these regulations protects the freedom granted by our Honor Tradition. College-approved accommodation plans may govern or override specific regulations. All Converse students are expected to abide by and uphold these standards both individually and collectively. Any faculty member or instructor may come and go from classrooms during exams. A violation of these procedures is a violation of the Honor Tradition and should be reported:
- Electronic devices may not be used in the classroom unless permitted by the individual instructor
- Giving or receiving information regarding a quiz, test or exam before, during or after such a situation is not allowed
- Quizzes, tests and exams must be taken in a classroom within the building they are administered unless otherwise approved by the instructor of that specific course
- Students are subject to the fixed time limit
- Students may not comment on the level of difficulty, specific content, or the general nature of any quiz, test or final examination to students yet to take the quiz, test or final examination
- All backpacks and personal bags must be left in the front of any examination room while completing the exam
- Only work carrying the student’s pledge shall be graded
- Student’s written work must be their own. They may ask for support but may not have someone correct it for them
- All creative writing must be original
- Students are expected to prepare all papers utilizing proper citation.
Breach of Confidentiality. In order to maintain the integrity of the Honor Tradition, all information related to the student, the evidence, the testimony and the outcomes are to be kept confidential by all involved in the case. Those bringing charges, as well as accused students, should seek guidance from the Advisor to the Board, or the Chair of the Board.
Failure to complete sanctions. Each Converse student is expected to respect and uphold the Honor Tradition of the University and thus abides by and completes any sanctions imposed upon them. Failure to comply with and complete sanctions may result in additional action by the Honor Board, Appeals Board or the Dean of Students.
Note: It will be considered in an individual’s favor in determining the penalty if an individual tells an untruth concerning a matter but later, on their own initiative, tells the truth concerning the same matter before they are confronted with the untruth. Lying during the process of resolving an alleged honor offense is considered a breach of the Honor System and may result in additional charges.