Wofford College is committed to the moral as well as the intellectual growth of its students and staff. Freedom and responsibility in such a community demand that its members embrace unambiguous principles of good conduct. Thus, the Wofford College Code of Student Rights and Responsibilities emphasizes personal integrity as its highest value, and members of the community are expected to be honest, trustworthy, responsible and honorable. Dishonesty (lying, cheating, defrauding and/or stealing) is especially destructive of the academic process. Integrity being necessary in research, discovery and expression of ideas, Wofford College has an honor code to express its intolerance for academic dishonesty. The Honor Code requires faculty, staff and students to be honest in their own work and their use of ideas and to encourage others to do the same. The code demands a high standard of personal honor. It requires students to pledge honesty in their academic work, and it sets forth appropriate responses to those who violate that pledge.
The Honor Code at Wofford College governs academic dishonesty. Academic dishonesty is a general term referring here to any cheating, misrepresentation and/or stealing in academic or intellectual work submitted by a student of Wofford College in courses or projects or for college publications. It also applies to dishonesty in academic activities in which students may represent Wofford College (college bowl or mathematics competitions, internships or research projects, for example), even if these activities occur when classes are not in session.
It is impossible to list all acts of academic dishonesty, but acts of academic dishonesty include:
A condition of matriculation at Wofford College is the signing of the Honor Pledge, in which students promise the faculty and fellow students they will not engage in any act of academic dishonesty. The pledge reads as follows:
I understand that Wofford College seeks to develop the character as well as the intellect of its students. I understand that Wofford students are expected to be honest, trustworthy, and honorable. Further, I understand that behavior contrary to these expectations threatens the values of the college and destroys trust among members of our campus community.
I have read and understand the provisions of the Wofford College Honor Code governing academic dishonesty. I understand that academic dishonesty reflects poor judgment and character, undermines the integrity of the academic program, and diminishes the value of the credentials of the graduates of the college.
As a sign of my membership in the Wofford College community and of my allegiance to its principle of honor, I promise the faculty and my fellow students that I will never engage in an act of dishonesty in my academic work.
As a reinforcement of the promise, students will sign work submitted in a course with the word “pledged” and their signature.
The Honor Council, a component of the student government at Wofford College, administers the provisions of the Honor Code. The Council is composed of 12 students. The Honor Council is required to meet once every other week. Members of the Honor Council are selected each spring for the following year. At the beginning of the spring semester, the chair of the Honor Council will solicit the student body for applicants for membership on the council. Candidates will submit an application letter and two recommendations, one from a student and one from a faculty or staff member. The applicants are screened by the Electoral Board, which consists of the outgoing chair of the Judicial Commission, the four outgoing officers of the Campus Union, the six outgoing senior delegates of the Campus Union, the dean of students, the outgoing chair of the Honor Council, and two members of the faculty. The board will pass the names of those applicants it approves to the outgoing senior members of the Honor Council, who will elect from those approved by the board members of the Honor Council for the upcoming year. In making its selection of new members of the Honor Council, the board and the seniors on the council give primary consideration to a candidate’s moral character and commitment to the promotion of academic honesty.
The newly elected members of the Honor Council are eligible to assume their council responsibilities effective at the beginning of spring semester academic holidays. The Honor Council elects its chair, vice chair and secretary. If for any reason a member of the Honor Council vacates a position, the seniors on the council will name a replacement.
The chair of the Honor Council presides at hearings of accusations of academic dishonesty. For each case, the chair appoints a member of the council to serve as college advocate for that case. The chair also appoints a student requested by the accused student to serve as student advocate. If the accused student has no request, the chair will appoint a student advocate from the council. If for any reason the chair is unavailable, the vice chair will act in their place. The secretary is responsible for all records and communications from the council. The Academic Integrity Committee will appoint at least one of its faculty members to observe each meeting and hearing of the council and to give advice and guidance to the council in performing its duties. The faculty member will not vote, nor will they attempt to persuade the council in its verdict or sanction.
While failure to report an act of academic dishonesty is not an infraction of the code, all persons in the Wofford College community are to uphold the values of the Honor Code, and they should not tolerate academic dishonesty by others.
When anyone in the Wofford College community has reason to believe that a student has committed an act of academic dishonesty, it is appropriate and right to report the matter in writing to the provost and the chair of the Academic Integrity Committee or to the faculty member involved. If the report goes to the faculty member, they will notify the chair of the Academic Integrity Committee. Upon receiving a report, the chair of the Academic Integrity Committee will notify the chair of the Honor Council (and the faculty member, if the report did not originate with the faculty member in question) and begin the process of adjudicating the case as described below.
Members of the Wofford College community must use their best judgment in determining whether or not acts are covered by the definitions of this code and therefore constitute academic dishonesty. Instructors who suspect that an instance of academic dishonesty has occurred will report the circumstances to the provost and the chair of the Academic Integrity Committee.
When a case is sent to the Honor Council for a hearing, the accused student is guaranteed the following procedural safeguards:
Upon receiving a report that an act of academic dishonesty may have occurred, the chair of the Academic Integrity Committee will determine whether the accused student previously has violated the code, and then will proceed as follows:
If the alleged infraction would be a first offense:
The professor in question always has the right to determine whether the case will be sent to the Honor Council for a possible hearing or if the professor would prefer to hold an adjudication.
If the professor in question decides to address the case through an adjudication, the chair of the Academic Integrity Committee will call for an adjudication meeting, to be attended by the professor, the accused student, a member of the Academic Integrity Committee and an advocate for the accused. The advocate for the accused must be a current student at Wofford College. The chair of the Honor Council will nominate a member of the Honor Council to serve in this role, but the accused student may at their discretion choose a different person to act as their advocate.
At the adjudication meeting, the professor in question will present the evidence of an offense, and the accused student can offer a defense. The student is not obligated to offer a defense if they do not wish.
If the accused student admits that they did commit a violation, either knowingly or unknowingly, the meeting attendees will discuss an appropriate sanction. The ultimate decision on the sanction rests with the professor in question (in consultation with the attending member of the Academic Integrity Committee); however, the sanction can be no stronger than assigning a grade of F (non-replaceable) for the course.
If the accused student does not admit to a violation of the code or chooses not to accept the sanction selected by the professor, the case is remanded to the council for a hearing, and a recording of the adjudication meeting will be made available to the council. If all parties agree to the selected sanction, the member of the Academic Integrity Committee in attendance will file a report with the chair of the Academic Integrity Committee and the Provost’s Office (and, in the case of a sanction of F, with the Office of the Registrar), briefly outlining the facts of the case and the agreed-upon sanction.
If the alleged infraction would not be a first offense or if the preliminary hearing did not result in an agreement:
The case is remanded to the Honor Council. The faculty advisor to the Honor Council, a member of the Academic Integrity Committee designated by the chair and the college advocate for the case will confer to decide whether there is probable cause for a charge. If two of the three agree that evidence is sufficient, the faculty advisor to the Honor Council will notify the chair of the Honor Council, who formally will charge the student and convene a hearing board to hear the case.
If the advisor, designated member of the committee and college advocate do not find sufficient evidence to make a charge, the chair of the Academic Integrity Committee will inform the accuser that the claim has been investigated and that no charge is being made. The matter is not recorded in the file of the accused student, and the faculty member must not consider the alleged violation in determining the student’s grade in the course. Any written records pertaining to the case will be destroyed.
Unless one already was selected, the chair of the Honor Council will nominate a member of the council to serve as advocate for the accused student. The student may accept that nomination or select a different student to serve in that role.
During the academic year, the chair of the Honor Council will convene six members of the council to conduct a hearing. During vacation periods, including summer terms, the chair has the option to convene a board with as few as three members of the council to conduct a hearing. During such periods, if the accused student wishes to wait until a full hearing board can be convened, they may do so with the knowledge that the hearing may be delayed as necessary until the college is in session. The Honor Council members so appointed will constitute the hearing board for the case. That number shall include the council chair, but not include the college advocate or the student advocate. Any member who has kinship or a close personal relationship with the accused student or a conflict of interest will be expected to recuse themselves from the case. In a case in which the council chair is recused, the chair will not participate as a voting member of the hearing board nor participate in the deliberations regarding responsibility or sanctions for the accused. The council chair may also relinquish the duty of chairing the hearing board to the vice chair. If the vice chair is unavailable, the members of the hearing board will select one of their members to serve as chair. The student will be found responsible for a violation if at least four of the six members of the hearing board (or a 2/3 majority during vacation periods) find that a preponderance of evidence indicates the violation occurred. Otherwise, the accused student will be found not responsible.
If the process leads to the student being found responsible, the attending member of the Academic Integrity Committee will inform the hearing board of any previous conviction the offender may have for academic dishonesty, after which the hearing board will set the sanction. At least four of the six members of the hearing board (or a 2/3 majority during vacation periods) must concur with the sanction. If there is no agreement, the least severe punishment under consideration will be administered. The verdict and the sanction will be announced by the hearing board to the responsible student, the college advocate and the student advocate immediately after the hearing board completes deliberation and makes a decision, and the chair of the council will give the student a written notice of the hearing board’s decision and sanction.
A student accused of academic dishonesty may elect to admit responsibility before or at the beginning of the hearing. In that case, the hearing board will meet only to determine a sanction. The student may attend the meeting to make a statement or may choose to be absent, but they must be present for the announcement of the sanction immediately after the hearing board completes deliberation and makes a decision.
If the accused student is found not responsible, the verdict will be announced to the accused student, the college advocate and the student advocate immediately after the decision is made. All materials relating to the case will be destroyed. The faculty member must not consider the alleged violation in determining the student’s grade in the course.
Meetings of a hearing of academic dishonesty are closed, attended only by the members of the hearing board, other members of the council as observers, at least one member of the Academic Integrity Committee, the accused student and the student advocate and persons invited by the hearing board to give information or testimony. In addition, the provost may aid the prosecution, and the dean of students or an appointed representative may aid the defense. The reporting faculty member may attend the hearing at their discretion, but may be in the room only while they are giving testimony or answering questions from the hearing board. The proceedings of the hearing board will be audio recorded for purposes of reference. The recordings of hearings will be maintained in the Office of the Provost for two years.
Students found responsible by the Honor Council for a violation of the code that occurs in the context of a course will be subject to the following sanction or sanctions:
Mandatory withdrawal of a student from the course, resulting in the professor’s assignment of a grade of F. The council may assign one of two grading sanctions:
Separation of a student from Wofford College for a fixed period of time determined by the hearing board, usually from the time remaining in the academic term to an academic year in length. Wofford will not accept for credit any work undertaken at other institutions by a student during their suspension from Wofford College.
Permanent termination of student status. The hearing board may allow the student to complete the current term.
The hearing board may recommend that the student complete one or both workshops listed below within 30 academic days (exclusive of exams) following delivery of sanction. The recommendation will be recorded with the sanction, and the student’s completion of the workshop within the given time frame will be noted in Honor Council records.
Students found responsible for a violation of the Honor Code outside of the context of a course will be subject to the sanctions defined in Student Conduct System section of the Code of Student Rights and Responsibilities.
For a first offense that occurs within the context of a course, the hearing board has the discretion to impose one of two sanctions:
(1) a grading sanction or (2) both the grading sanction and suspension from Wofford College.
On the motion of the provost, a student may be expelled from Wofford College for a first offense that is flagrant or egregious. In cases where the hearing board believes a workshop may provide the student with important skills to aid in avoiding further infractions, the hearing board also may require the completion of one or both workshops. For an offense outside the context of a course, the hearing board may impose any of the sanctions outlined in Article III of the Code of Student Rights and Responsibilities except expulsion, which may only be considered upon the motion of the provost.
For any subsequent offense, the sanctions will include either suspension or expulsion. If the subsequent offense occurs within the context of course, the sanction is (1) both the grading sanction and suspension as outlined above or (2) both a grading sanction and expulsion from Wofford College. The council also may require the completion of one or both workshops to demonstrate readiness for re-entry. For a subsequent offense outside the context of a course, the sanction is (1) suspension and the hearing board may impose any of the sanctions defined in the Code of Student Rights and Responsibilities or (2) expulsion from the college.
All sanctions take effect at the expiration of the 48-hour appeal period or as soon as the ruling on an appeal is made, except that if the infraction occurs late in a semester, the hearing board may delay the beginning of a suspension or expulsion until the next term or semester. In the case of a suspension or expulsion with immediate effect, grades for the other courses in which the student is enrolled will be F or Was assigned by the professor, depending on whether the student is passing or failing at the time.
Students who have been suspended must apply to the registrar for re-admission at least 30 days before the date they seek to return. Wofford will not accept for credit any work undertaken at other institutions by a student during their suspension from Wofford under this code.
Prior to the resolution of a charge, all parties shall hold the names of students suspected of acts of academic dishonesty in confidence. Once each semester, the secretary of the council, with input from the chair of the Academic Integrity Committee, will provide the student body, faculty and administration with a report on the number of cases resolved and the sanctions imposed. The names of persons involved will be withheld.
When a student is found responsible for an act of academic dishonesty, all records of the adjudication meeting and/or the hearing board, including copies of all correspondence, will be maintained in the Office of the Provost.
Formal charges of academic dishonesty will be communicated by the hearing board to the accused student, the provost, the dean of students and the faculty or staff member teaching the course or sponsoring the academic activity. In addition to the announcement immediately after the hearing board’s decision, the results of the hearing, including the verdict and the sanctions, will be communicated in writing by the hearing board to the accused student, the provost, the dean of students, the advisor to the Honor Council, the chair of the Academic Integrity Committee and the faculty or staff member teaching the course or sponsoring the academic activity. The attending representative of the Academic Integrity Committee will notify the registrar of sanctions.
Formal charges of academic dishonesty, verdicts and sanctions are retained in Maxient software for seven years after students as required by law.
The student has the right of appeal as outlined in the Honor Code. Any person found responsible for a violation of the Honor Code may appeal the verdict or sanction. The appeal must be submitted to the chair of the Academic Integrity Committee within 48 hours (excluding holidays and weekends) after the student has been notified orally by the hearing board at the end of the hearing of the verdict or sanction. Appeals must be submitted in writing and must rest on appropriate grounds (which are exclusively those listed in Appeals in the Student Conduct System section of the Student Code of Rights and Responsibilities). The Academic Integrity Committee, whose decision is final, will consider the appeal, giving the decision in writing within one week to the appellant and to the chair of the Honor Council. The actions of the Academic Integrity Committee are limited to: upholding or reversing the verdict, imposing a lesser sanction from those listed in the Honor Code, or, in the case of new evidence, remanding the case back to the council for further discussion. In the case of a sanction of suspension for more than one term, the Academic Integrity Committee may refer the appeal to the provost, who may uphold or reverse the verdict, impose a lesser sanction from those listed in the Honor Code, or, in the case of new evidence, remand the case back to the council for further discussion.
The Academic Integrity Committee is charged to review the code and its workings annually and to make revisions as needed. Revisions that only correct errors of spelling, grammar or punctuation may be made by the Academic Integrity Committee. All other revisions must be approved by the faculty and by the student body at large (as determined by a campus-wide referendum distributed electronically; if voter turnout is under 40 percent, any changes approved by the faculty will be enforced without student approval.)