VI. STUDENT HONOR CODE

PART IIIHONOR COUNCIL



Sec. 3-1Powers of the Honor Council. The Honor Council is vested with the sole power to adjudicate alleged violations of the Honor Code. The make-up and procedures of the Hearing Panel are described in Parts V and VI below. The Honor Council is vested with the power to adopt rules governing its procedures, consistent with the procedures established in the Honor Code.

Sec. 3-2Composition. The Honor Council shall consist of eleven members, including the Chairperson, all of whom shall be students enrolled in the Law School.

Sec. 3-3Election of Members. The SBA will hold annual elections for the Honor Council. Candidates shall submit an application to the SBA which will be reviewed by the SBA and the Assistant Dean to determine eligibility. Students shall be eligible for election if they are in academic good standing, meet University requirements for participation in campus activities, and have not been convicted of a violation under this Honor Code. Members of the Honor Council shall take office upon election and shall serve for a one year term. Service shall continue until all cases pending at the end of that term have been resolved. Each member of the Honor Council shall have full and equal voting rights.

Sec. 3-4Member Appointment. If general elections do not fill all of the available seats on the Honor Council, or a student fails to complete his or her term, the SBA shall accept applications to fill the position. Candidates shall be selected by a majority vote of the Student Bar Association with approval of the Dean of Students. The elected student shall serve until the next annual election.

Sec. 3-5Officers. The Honor Council shall elect from its members a Chairperson and a Vice-Chairperson by majority vote to serve an annual term. These elected officers will administer the Honor Code. Whenever the Chairperson is unavailable, his or her functions shall be performed by the Vice-Chairperson.

Sec. 3-6Removal. An Honor Council member shall be removed for:

(1) violation of the Honor Code or

(2) dereliction of duty or other good cause upon a unanimous vote of the other members of the Honor Council.

Sec. 3-7Recusal Policy. If a member of the Honor Council has a conflict of interest at any time during the consideration of an alleged Honor Code violation, such member shall recuse himself or herself and refuse to act in the proceeding in order to avoid any impropriety, either actual or perceived. A conflict of interest arises when a person has an interest in or knowledge pertinent to the proceeding that would render the person incapable of making an objective judgment or would cause any appearance of impropriety. The Respondent or Complainant may request the recusal of any Honor Council member on the grounds of conflict of interest. Upon such a request, the challenged member shall decide whether to recuse himself or herself. If he/she elects not to recuse himself or herself, the party requesting recusal may call for a vote of all disinterested Honor Council members to determine whether the challenged member should participate in the proceedings. A majority vote will be required to exclude the challenged member.

Sec. 3-8Quorum. Eight members shall constitute a quorum.