University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences
College of Medicine
All academic work in the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences College of Medicine will be conducted under the honor system. Medical students and graduate students enrolled in Medical College courses are expected to show appreciation of the trust placed in them by conscientiously adhering to the rules and regulations which the honor code entails.
The Honor Code applies to all activities and all behaviors that pertain to the academic and clinical work of medical students. All academic assignments, all laboratory and research work, all examinations, and all clinical work are encompassed as is the professional character and conduct of students in the College of Medicine.
It is the responsibility of each student to conduct himself/herself in a manner that complies with the Honor Code guidelines. These guidelines include but are not limited to the following:
The student will not:
- Give or receive aid in quizzes, examinations, and/or individual class assignments;
- Plagiarize any source;
- Falsify any clinical report, experimental results, and/or research data;
- Violate the principles of the Code of Professional Conduct of the College of Medicine
If an individual fails to uphold any of these standards it is the responsibility of fellow students, University faculty, and UAMS staff to report this misconduct to a member of the Honor Council.
The Honor Council is an organization of students elected by the student body, who will function to ensure that any student accused of misconduct will receive a fair and impartial arbitration on any proceeding relating to the Honor Code, against him or her. The purpose of the Honor Council is not to police the honor system, nor enforce its rules but rather to promote, encourage, and ensure the fulfillment of the standards of the Honor System.
Honor Pledge
By enrolling in the College of Medicine, each student agrees to be bound by the College’s Honor Code. A reminder of this obligation should be placed on the cover sheet of each major examination, on a computer screen at the beginning of the examination, or announced periodically by an Honor Council representative (the lack of such notification does not remove the underlying responsibility from the student):
Please be reminded that all academic work in the College of Medicine is conducted under the auspices of the Honor Code. Among other responsibilities, students must not give or receive aid in quizzes or examinations.
Procedures Preliminary To Hearings
An accuser, whether faculty, administrator, staff or student who has witnessed an act or has evidence that such has been committed, which is believed to violate academic and/or professional ethics, must report the alleged violation to one of the Honor Council Representatives of the accused’s class. One or both Honor Council members shall inform the accused of the alleged violation and seek reconciliation between the accused and the accuser. The identity of the accuser shall/shall not be divulged to the accused at the discretion of the accuser.
The accused may or may not admit that he or she has violated the Honor Code and may or may not accept the proposed reconciliation.
If all parties involved accept the terms of reconciliation, the matter is resolved. If multiple accusations occur, there will be an attempt to consolidate the demands. If consolidation is not possible, the accused may have to respond to each demand for reconciliation. The Honor Council Representatives will reduce the terms of the reconciliation to writing to be signed by both the accused and accuser. In order to protect the anonymity of the accuser, the accused should be asked to sign first. If the agreement contains matters about which the Honor Council representatives believe course faculty need to know (e.g., sitting for examinations away from an assigned seat), the advisor to the Honor Council should convey the information to the faculty. The signed agreement shall be maintained in the Honor Council file until terms of the agreement expire.
If the terms of reconciliation are not accepted by the accused, the Honor Council Representative(s) shall present the accusation to the President of the Honor Council.
The President of the Honor Council shall contact the accused and notify him/her of an impending investigation. The President shall inform the Chairman of the Investigation Committee of the accusation. The Chairman shall call a meeting of the Investigation Committee to inform the members of an impending hearing, and to organize an investigation of the charges. The Committee shall investigate charges 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 President of the Honor Council shall set a hearing before the Honor Council to determine the facts. The Chairman or a member of the Investigation Committee shall prepare and present the case against the accused. If the Honor Council finds that a student has violated the Honor Code, his/her disciplinary action becomes an academic matter, and the case shall be referred to the appropriate faculty Promotions Committee for determination of disciplinary action using the Academic Procedures. If the Honor Council finds that no violation of the Honor Code occurred, all records related to the accusation, including the investigation and hearing, shall be destroyed. The accused may not be subjected to more than one hearing per incident.
Hearing Procedures
A simple majority shall pass all formal motions.
Reasonably in advance of a hearing by the Honor Council, 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 the designated alternate replace any member(s) 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.
The student may have one (1) 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 complainant 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 raised 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 or Dean’s designee may remove a student from his/her academic place (courses, clerkship, or elective) if the student materially and substantially disrupts the educational process or constitutes a clear and present danger to the health and safety of any other persons, themselves, or property, or infringes on the rights of others.
The Honor Council shall make its determination in writing based upon the evidence presented at the hearing that is relevant to the issue or issues before the Council. The student may not be present during the Council deliberations. The student shall be notified in writing of the determination.
Within seven (7) working days of the date of the determination notice the student may contest, in writing, to the President of the Honor Council that a substantial mistake of fact occurred, a fundamental misinterpretation of official policies is evident, or a significant procedural defect took place. These are the only bases for contesting the determination. If a student contests the determination of the Honor Council, the Honor Council will reconvene to review the student’s 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 shall 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 Student Promotions Committee for consideration as a failure to meet academic standards under the academic procedures.
By-Laws Of The Honor System Of The UAMS COM
Article 1: Structure and Elections
Honor Council
The Honor Council shall consist of two members and one alternate from each class of the College of Medicine and one representative and one alternate from the Graduate School.
Investigation Committee
The Investigation Committee shall consist of one member from each class of the College of Medicine and one member from the Graduate School. The representative of the Graduate School shall act as the Investigation Committee Chairman. Members shall not be members of the Honor Council.
Elections
The freshman members and alternate of the Honor Council and Investigation Committee will be elected early in the fall. The other members and alternates of the Honor Council and the Investigation Committee will be elected near the end of an academic year and shall take office upon their election. The term of office for each member will be one year. In case of a vacancy for any reason, the class concerned will elect another member or alternate within one month of the time the vacancy occurs. If it is not possible to elect a replacement within that time frame, the Class President may appoint a representative to serve until such time as a class meeting can be held or until the absent member or alternate becomes available.
Article 2: Officers
The officers shall be elected annually at a meeting following class elections each spring. They shall take office immediately.
President – The President shall be elected from among the two Honor Council members of the Junior Class.
Vice-President – The Vice-President shall be elected from among the two Honor Council members of the Junior Class. The Honor Council may decide to elect Co-Presidents instead of a President and Vice-President.
Secretary – The Secretary shall be elected from among the members of the Honor Council.
Article 3: Duties of Officers and Members
President (or Co-Presidents)
It shall be the duty of the President (or one of the Co-Presidents) to contact the accused and inform him/her of an impending investigation. The President shall preside at all meetings and hearings of the Council, act as interpreter of the constitution, arrange for hearings, personally notify the accused of an impending hearing, and perform all duties common to this office. Each fall the President shall review the Honor Council file for the purpose of updating and maintaining them.
Vice President
It shall be the duty of the Vice President to carry out the duties of the President in his/her absence.
Secretary
The Secretary shall keep a record (minutes, notes, tape recording, etc.) of all meetings and proceedings of all hearings.
The members of the Honor Council shall act as voting members at all meetings and hearings. Alternates shall vote at regular meetings but not at hearings, unless they are temporarily substituting for a member in his/her absence.
Investigation Committee Chairman
It shall be the duty of the Chairman of the Investigation Committee to call a meeting of the Committee when informed by the President of an accusation. The Chairman shall preside at all meetings of the Committee, oversee all the proceedings of the Committee, and, prepare a typewritten report of the findings of the investigation for each hearing. This report is to 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 must be presented to the President at the beginning of the hearing.
The Chairman of the Investigation Committee shall prepare and present the case against the student at a hearing. If the Chairman is unable to perform these duties he or she will appoint, in writing, one of the Committee members to do so.
Article 4: Meetings
The Honor Council shall meet early in the fall after preclinical classes begin. Special meetings may be called at any time. The Honor Council shall meet in the spring to elect officers. The Chairman, upon notification of an accusation, must call a meeting of the Investigation Committee. All meetings shall be conducted according to parliamentary procedures.
Article 5: Quorum
Seven voting members shall constitute a quorum of the Honor Council for hearings and for meetings. Officers of the Honor Council shall vote. If a member of the Honor Council is unable to attend a hearing, the alternate from the same class shall serve as a voting member for that hearing.
Article 6: Honor Council File
The official Honor Council File shall be kept under lock in the office of the Associate Dean for Student/Academic Affairs of the College of Medicine. The file shall be kept in loose-leaf binders. With the exception of files concerning hearings (see below), these files shall be exclusively for the educational use of the Honor Council members and shall not be used for any other purpose; including honor council hearings or legal proceedings, unless approved for this use by the Honor Council President and the Honor Council Advisor.
The record of meetings will be typed separately from the record of hearings. The tape recording made at a hearing may be reduced to writing at the discretion of the President. Records from hearings shall be kept in permanent locked file cabinets and shall only be available to the Dean of the College of Medicine, the Advisor to the Honor Council, and the President of the Honor Council for use during meetings or hearings, or for official Honor Council business.
In the fall of each year the President will review the file for the purpose of destroying outdated records and updating the file. An outdated record shall be 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 either graduated from the College of Medicine or Graduate School or has otherwise left school.
Destruction of any part of the file shall require the presence and witness of both the President of the Honor Council and the Advisor to the Honor Council.
Article 7: Advisor
The Executive Associate Dean for Academic Affairs of the College of Medicine shall, if willing, serve as Advisor to this Council. If he/she is unable or unwilling to do so, the Honor Council shall elect an Advisor from the faculty. The Honor Council Advisor may advise the Honor Council, its members, accusers, and the accused of procedures dictated by the Constitution of the Honor System.