Article XV

Article XV. Academic Honor Board
Section 1. Mandate

The Academic Honor Board is the body that adjudicates infractions of the Academic Honor Code. These infractions include, but are not limited to, cases of academic dishonesty (plagiarism, failure to cite properly, cheating) and time violations on exams (overtimes). The Academic Honor Board provides a safe and confidential environment for students, faculty and administrators to report suspected infractions. The Academic Honor Board prescribes sanctions in cases of honor code violations by assigning penalties appropriate to the infraction. The Academic Honor Board maintains confidentiality in all cases and expects all those involved in a particular case to respect the obligation of confidentiality in order to maintain the integrity of its work.

Section 2. Membership, Duties, Advisers, and Quorum

The Academic Honor Board shall consist of chair, a secretary, and a vice secretary (non-voting members) along with 8 voting members:

  1. The chair;
    1. The student shall be a senior except if vacated and filled by the secretary of the board.
    2. The student shall preside over the board.
    3. The student shall have served as secretary the previous year.
    4. The student shall be in good academic and honor board standing.
    5. The student shall receive all reports of alleged violation of the honor code.
    6. In partnership with the Dean of the College, the student shall be responsible for the introduction of the Academic Honor System to the new students.
    7. In the event that the office of chair is vacated, it shall be filled by the secretary of the board.
    8. The secretary of the board shall preside in the absence of the chair.
    9. The student shall be a non-voting member.
    10. The student shall meet with the SGA President once a semester.
  2. The secretary;
    1. The student shall be a junior.
    2. The student shall be elected in the spring all-college election of the student’s sophomore year.
    3. The student shall be in good academic and honor board standing.
    4. The student shall record the minutes.
    5. The student shall serve as chair the student’s senior year.
    6. The student shall be a non-voting member.
    7. In the event that the secretary cannot attend a meeting, notes shall be taken by the Vice Secretary.
    8. In the event that the office of secretary is vacated, another all-college election shall be held as soon as possible.
  3. The Vice Secretary;
    1. The student shall be a sophomore.
    2. In the spring of the student's freshman or sophomore year, they shall be elected in an all-college election.
    3. The student shall be in good academic and honor board standing.
    4. The student shall copy and prepare the materials for the meetings.
    5. The student shall serve as the secretary the following year (their junior year).
    6. The student shall be a non-voting member.
    7. In the event that the secretary cannot make a meeting, the student will take the minutes.
    8. In the event that the office of Vice Secretary is vacated, another all-college election shall be held as soon as possible.
  4. One representative each from the sophomore, junior, and senior classes, and from the Ada Comstock Scholars class;
    1. They shall be self-nominated from the association at large.
    2. They shall be appointed by the Committee on Appointments.
    3. They shall be in good academic and honor board standing.
    4. They shall be voting members
  5. Three members of the faculty;
    1. They shall be appointed by the president of the college, or his or her designee, for a one- or two-year term.
    2. They shall be voting members.
  6. The dean of the college;
    1. They shall be a voting member.
    2. If they cannot attend a meeting, the associate dean of the college will take their place and serve as a voting member

The honor board adviser, an administrator who is appointed by the dean of the college, works with the chair to process all reports of infractions. The dean of the class of the person called before the board serves as an adviser for the student and is present during the hearing, if one is called.

A quorum of the Academic Honor Board consists of five members of the full board: chair or secretary; two student representatives; one faculty representative; and the dean of the college or a designee. A quorum is authorized to conduct business on behalf of the full board.

Section 3. Types of Hearings

Once the chair reviews the report of an infraction, the chair will consult with the honor board adviser to determine what type of hearing should take place.

  1. Academic Honor Board Hearing -- The full board or quorum will hear the case and determine responsibility and any sanctions for honor code violations brought forward by members of the Smith College community.
  2. Administrative Settlement -- For students who admit responsibility for violating the honor code and for certain types of infractions (such as overtimes), the chair and honor board adviser will determine the appropriate sanctions; there will be no hearing.

If an infraction is reported outside of the normal academic year, and the Academic Honor Board cannot be convened (such as after spring exams but before commencement), the dean of the college or designee will convene an administrative hearing. The dean of the college or designee will constitute the membership of the administrative hearing to adjudicate the alleged infraction.

Section 4. Jurisprudence and Noncompliance
  1. The Academic Honor Board has jurisdiction over all alleged infractions of the honor code by students in Smith courses on or away from campus.
  2. Proceedings of the Academic Honor Board shall take precedence over all non-academic activities and may, in extreme cases, need to take precedence over academic activities. Board members, students who are the subjects of a complaint, and all advisers and witnesses notified by the board shall appear at times designated by the board and shall be excused from other obligations to participate in board proceedings.
  3. The chair, secretary and the honor board adviser may change or modify its rules and procedures. This includes those in this Article, depending on the circumstances or cases before it, in review with the SGA senate and dean of the college (or designee).
  4. The quorum of the Academic Honor Board is authorized to conduct business on behalf of the entire board.
  5. The chair and honor board adviser will adjudicate administrative settlements with a signed agreement by the student who is the subject of the infraction.
  6. The dean of the college or designee has the right to call an administrative hearing to adjudicate an honor code infraction.
  7. The failure of a student to comply with the requests of the Academic Honor Board and its designees may result in appropriate sanctioning. Repeated noncompliance will result in additional sanctions such as, but not limited to, the student being barred from registering for the next semester or receiving a diploma and/or participating in commencement activities until the student complies with all requests to the board satisfaction. The Academic Honor Board shall notify the registrar and the class deans of noncompliance with any of its decisions.
  8. In the event that a student called before the Academic Honor Board fails to appear at a scheduled hearing, the board has the right to meet without the student. The board shall not find the student responsible for the violations in question solely because of the noncompliance, however, the board may elect to make a separate charge of noncompliance to be heard at a future and separate hearing.
  9. The Academic Honor Board and its designees have the authority to impose sanctions. Parents may be notified of the student’s infractions(s) at the discretion of the board.
  10. Sanctions of suspension, dismissal, or permanent separation (expulsion) may only be recommended through an honor board hearing; only the president of the college may impose such sanctions.
Section 5. Reports of Honor Code Infractions
  1. The Academic Honor Board strongly recommends that students self-report any violations of the Honor Code.
  2. Members of the Smith College faculty and administration may refer cases to the Academic Honor Board.
  3. Any student has the right to submit a report to the Academic Honor Board.
  4. All reports should be made in writing via Smith's email to the chair.
Section 6. Student Rights
  1. A student called before the Academic Honor Board shall have the following rights:
    1. The right to discuss the complaint with the chair prior to the appointment of a hearing.
    2. The right to accept or contest responsibility of the infraction
    3. The right to a hearing.
    4. The right to have the class dean who will serve as an adviser.
    5. The right to appeal the final decision (hearings only).
  2. A student called before the Academic Honor Board has the following responsibilities:
    1. Upon formal notification of a complaint by the chair, the student must meet with the chair.
    2. The student shall prepare a written response to the alleged infraction.
    3. The student must meet with the class dean to discuss the alleged infraction.
    4. The student called before the Academic Honor Board shall appear at the time the hearing is scheduled by the board.
    5. The student shall provide honest and forthright responses to all questions. The Academic Honor Board may incite/suggest penalties, including suspension or dismissal, for any student who is not truthful or who intentionally misleads the board.
Section 7. Honor Board Hearings
  1. Prior to the Hearing
    1. The Academic Honor Board shall provide written notification to the student, informing the student of the specifics of the honor code violation. The chair will schedule a meeting with the student to review their rights, options and next steps.
    2. Based on the information gathered and the severity of the alleged infraction, the chair in consultation with the honor board adviser shall decide if there should be a hearing or a settlement.
    3. When and if the honor board decides that a hearing shall continue, the board shall request a typed statement responding to the alleged infraction from the student.
    4. If a hearing is not necessary, the board shall provide written notification to the student who is the subject of the complaint.
    5. If a hearing is deemed necessary, the chair or the secretary or the honor board adviser shall schedule the hearing and notify all concerned persons of its time and place.
  2. Hearings
    1. Normally, a hearing will be held at the earliest convenience of those involved, including members of the honor board.
    2. Hearings shall, in the ordinary course, be held in private including the honor board or its quorum. The honor board in consultation with the honor board adviser may permit designated members of the administration or the college community to observe proceedings.
    3. Members of the honor board may be removed or recuse themselves from sitting on a particular case for reasons of conflict of interest or otherwise.
    4. The secretary shall take minutes of the deliberations at the hearing.
    5. The chair shall summarize the complaint and inform the student who is the subject of the complaint of the specific nature of the complaint or alleged infraction.
    6. The chair shall make decisions regarding procedural questions arising during the hearing. Such determinations may be modified only by a majority vote of the present members of the honor board.
    7. The student who is the subject of the complaint is expected to be present throughout the hearing and may consult with the class dean or designee during the testimony.
    8. The student will read and sign their statement.
    9. The honor board may question the student.
    10. The student shall provide honest and forthright responses to all questions.
    11. Following the conclusion of the hearing, the members of the board shall deliberate privately and reach a consensus on the decision of whether the student is responsible for violating the honor code. If the student is found responsible for one or more infractions, the board shall then reach a consensus on sanction(s) for the student.
    12. Upon the completion of hearings and deliberations, the Academic Honor Board shall make a written decision normally within 72 hours. The decision along with any recommendations and sanctions will be made available to the student and others deemed appropriate by the board. The decision will remain in the honor board's confidential files for seven years
    13. The board may consider any testimony or evidence it deems helpful or relevant. The board's decisions are based on information brought before it at the hearing or in written statements that have been submitted to the board regarding the case.
  3. Appeals
    1. Appeals may be made only on the grounds of gross error in procedure, violation of the student's rights, new evidence, or extreme bias on the part of the honor board. Appeals may not be filed solely based on disagreeing with the board's decision.
    2. Appeals of decisions of the Academic Honor Board shall be made in writing to the dean of the college within seven days of the date on the board's decision letter.
    3. The dean of the college shall appoint an appeal board to review the appeal.
    4. If the appeal board determines that the Academic Honor Board's decisions should be modified, it will make new recommendations and alert the dean of the college who will contact the student.
Section 8. Administrative Settlement
  1. Proceedings
    1. An Administrative Settlement is an agreement with the student, who is the subject of the complaint, and the Academic Honor Board. The student, who is the subject of the complaint, has accepted responsibility for the honor code infraction(s), has agreed to the settlement, has no new evidence, and sees no bias in the process. Students agreeing to Administrative Settlements will sign an agreement waiving their right to an Academic Honor Board Hearing and appeal process. By signing this statement, students accept the outcome of the Administrative Settlement. An Administrative Settlement cannot result in recommendation for suspension, dismissal or permanent separation from the college.
    2. The chair may offer the Administrative Settlement as an option to some students.
    3. A student does not have to accept the offer for an Administrative Settlement if a hearing is preferred.
    4. For serious honor code infractions, the Administrative Settlement may not be an option for students, and a hearing may be required.
  2. Post-Settlement Actions
    1. Since the student has accepted responsibility for the honor code infraction, the chair and honor board adviser will determine sanctions for approval by the dean of the college.
    2. Following approval, the chair shall make a written decision normally within 72 hours. The decision will be made available to the student and others deemed appropriate by the board. The decision will remain in the honor board's confidential files for seven years.
Section 9. Sanctions and Academic Policies
  1. Normally the Academic Honor Board issues a sanction that affects the grade of the assignment in question and/or the final grade of the course.
  2. Students found in violation of the honor code will not be allowed to drop or change the grading option for the course in question.
  3. If a student fails a course as a result of an honor board sanction the student may not use AP/IB or prematriculation credit to make up any credit shortage created by that failure.
  4. If a student taking a course with the S/U option is found to have committed a serious infraction, the Academic Honor Board reserves the right to change the grading option to a letter grade
  5. In the event that a student called before the Academic Honor Board fails to appear at a scheduled hearing, the board shall not find the student responsible for the infraction(s) in question solely because of the noncompliance. However, the board may elect to make a separate charge of noncompliance to be heard at a future and separate hearing.
  6. In the case of a very serious infraction or in the case of repeated offenses, the Academic Honor Board may recommend to the president of the college that the student be suspended or permanently separated from the college (expelled).
  7. Sanctions of suspension, dismissal, or permanent separation (expulsion) may only be recommended through an honor board hearing for review and approval by the president of the college.

Updated August 2023