Article I          Academic Integrity

Section 1: Whereas the Honors College is a community of intellectual individuals, academic integrity should be foremost.

Section 2: Plagiarism shall be defined as using ideas, wording, and/or thoughts not of your own creation without appropriately citing the source(s).

Section 3: Cheating shall be defined as receiving or giving unauthorized help on one’s own work or another’s work.

Section 4: Students will conduct research that conforms to standards for ethical treatment of subjects and honesty in data collection and reporting as specified in guidelines provided on the website for the Office of the Vice-Provost for Research & Sponsored Programs (http://www.etsu.edu/research/researchethics.htm).

Section 5: Any attempts to plagiarize or cheat in any academic matters shall be prohibited.

Section 6: If an Honors student is questioned by a person of authority about an incident of breach of academic integrity, he or she is obligated to give a truthful and honest account of the matter.

Section 7: All matters of violation of Academic Integrity shall be referred to the Dean of the Honors College and Director(s) of the student’s Honors Program(s).

Section 8: Punishment for a first offense shall include loss of tuition and fees supported by the Honors College for (2) semesters while continuing to fulfill the student’s Honors program’s requirements.

Section 9: Students who commit this offense twice shall be dismissed from the Honors College.

Article II         Code of Conduct

Section 1: Students shall be expected to follow all rules contained in the Institutional Student Disciplinary Rules found in the Spectrum Student Handbook.

Section 2: Honors College students shall be expected to respect all Honors facilities and equipment.

Section 3: All matters in violation of the Code of Conduct shall be referred to the Dean of the Honors College and Director(s) of the student’s Honors Program(s).

Section 4: Punishment shall include, in no specific order: verbal reprimand, community service, referral to University Counseling Services, revocation of privilege to live off campus after sophomore year (only for University Honors Scholars), creation of an education program/project dealing with the person’s offense, withdrawal of some or all financial support for succeeding semesters, and in extreme cases, dismissal from the Honors College.

Article III       Classroom Conduct

Section 1: Students shall be expected to conduct themselves in a manner conducive to a structured and organized learning environment.

Section 2: Students shall be respectful to all faculty, staff, and students at East Tennessee State University.

Section 3: Honors College students are expected to attend class regularly, and also attend all Honors College functions as required by the student’s Honors program(s).

Article IV       Judicial Process

Section 1: In all cases tried by the Dean of the Honors College and Director(s) of the student’s Honors Program(s), the accused shall have ample opportunity to explain and/or present his or her case and shall be awarded due process at all times.

Section 2: In all cases, the Dean of the Honors College and Director(s) of the student’s Honors Program(s)’s primary goal shall first be the establishment of guilt or innocence via the evidence submitted, and then to decide on an appropriate punishment for those found guilty.

Section 3: All cases and meetings of the Dean of the Honors College and Director(s) of the student’s Honors Program(s) shall be closed to the public and the proceedings of each meeting shall be confidential.

Section 4: In all cases involving punishment, the Dean of the Honors College and Director(s) of the student’s Honors Program(s) shall take into consideration any action already taken by the University and, where appropriate, state and local law enforcement officials.

Section 5: All accused individuals shall have the right to a speedy, fair, and judicious hearing.

Section 6: Excessive punishment for offenses shall be prohibited.

Article V         Scope and Jurisdiction

Section 1: All members of the Honors College, including University Honors Scholars, Midway Honors Scholars, Fine & Performing Arts Honors Scholars, International Students, and Honors-in-Discipline Students shall fall under the jurisdiction of the Honors Code of Conduct.

Section 2: The Honors Code of Conduct shall go into effect immediately upon      adoption by the students of the Honors College Student Council.

Section 3: This constitution may be amended during any Honors College Student Council meeting by any member submitting a proposal change after approval by the Dean of the Honors College.  The change must be passed by a 2/3 majority vote.