The Honor case process is divided into four principal stages: reporting, investigating, hearing, and sanctioning.
As a note, the newly implemented sanctioning stage was added to the Honor case process on July 1st, 2023, after the Spring 2023 referendum. Prior to this change, the Committee administered a "single-sanction" when students were found responsible for committing an Honor offense.
The below stages are summarized from the Bylaws, which contain detailed requirements and timeframes regarding each and other components of the case process.
The Honor Committee does not exist to police the student body; instead, it adjudicates allegations that members of the Community bring to its attention. Any person may report an alleged Honor Offense that meets the below requirements, provided that such Report is made within two years of the date of the alleged Act. To make a Report, the reporting witness or “Reporter” should fill out the Report Intake Form. The Vice Chair for Investigations, in their reasonable discretion, may request additional information to supplement the information provided in the original Report. Once a Report has been submitted, it cannot be retracted by the Reporter.
After a student is notified of their Report, they may take accountability, meet with the Reporter to agree upon amends, and file an Informed Retraction (if it is the first Honor Offense for which they wish to do so).
If a student does not file an Informed Retraction, an investigation into the alleged Honor Offense will begin. Two Honor Investigators will collect testimony and evidence from the Reporter, Investigated Student, and other relevant witnesses to determine whether the Offense has occurred.
Following initial interviews and evidence collection, the Reporter and then Investigated Student, subsequently, will be provided all documents that have been collected as of that time for written responses.
Finally, all the interviews, evidence, and responses, if any, will be collected into an “Investigative Log” (or "I-Log") for consideration by the Investigative Panel (or "I-Panel").
The I-Panel, composed of three rotating Honor Committee Representatives, will review the I-Log and decide whether to formally accuse the Investigated Student of committing an Honor Offense based on the more likely than not standard. If the I-Panel does not accuse the Investigated Student, the case is dismissed.
An Accused Student can either proceed with an Honor Hearing with a Panel for Guilt or admit guilt and proceed directly to sanctioning. The fundamental purpose of the Hearing is to pursue the truth about the alleged Honor Offense. Panel for Guilt, consisting of twelve University students (seven randomly-selected students and five Honor Committee Representatives) will hear arguments from the Reporter and the Student, with their assigned Honor Counsel, respectively.
The question before the Panel is whether the evidence against the accused student demonstrates, beyond a reasonable doubt, that an Honor Offense was committed (i.e., all three criteria of Act, Knowledge, and Significance are met).
Guilty Students (or students who have filed an Informed Retraction) are subject to sanctions as administered by the Panel for Sanction to uphold and promote the Community of Trust. The primary purpose of sanctioning is to hold members of our community accountable for their actions while, whenever possible, ensuring an individual has the opportunity to make amends and restore their commitment to honor. A Student and Reporter may present arguments for reasonable sanctions to the Panel for Sanction, which is comprised of the five Honor Committee Representatives from the Hearing.
Sanctions can include, but are not limited to, permanent removal, temporary removal, education, and amends.
All Sanctioned Students will receive a written Outcome Letter stipulating the associated requirement(s) and timeframe(s) of their sanction(s).
Every reasonable effort is made to conduct the entire process in a timely manner. For that reason, certain timelines have been built into the System. In general, however, the Honor Committee suspends all Hearings during non-school days. School days are days when the College of Arts & Sciences is officially in session during the fall and spring semesters, but not during summer session. School days include weekends between class days but do not include any registration or examination periods, breaks, or holidays.
Except as otherwise noted, the entire process will be conducted in accordance with the most recent Bylaws as of the date a case Report is received.
FAQs about the system
Each Honor case is unique, and timeliness can vary based on a student's experiences and participation in the process.
All Members of the University community (including students, faculty, and other community members) are encouraged to come to open Honor Committee meetings, every Sunday at 7pm during the regular session of school in Newcomb 480. There are multiple opportunities at every Honor Committee meeting for community members to give feedback, ask questions, or voice concerns. You can also look out for our community engagement events where we welcome differing perspectives on the Honor System, or email your school’s representative.
Additionally, the Honor Committee has created a standing committee to serve as a liaison between the faculty and the Honor Committee. The Faculty Advisory Committee channels faculty opinion to the Honor Committee and keeps the faculty informed about the Honor System. The Faculty Advisory Committee meets approximately monthly, and if you have comments or concerns, we encourage you to attend a meeting. Please email Sahasra Molleti ([email protected]) for meeting dates.
Under the multi-sanction system, the Honor Committee receives over 70 reports every year, up from 40 cases a year under single-sanction. The Honor Committee received approximately 101 reports during the 2025-2026 term. For a more information about recent cases that have been adjudicated by the Honor Committee, visit the Public Summaries page.
Instead of a purely punitive single-sanction system, our new multi-sancton system prioritizes restoration, rehabilitation, and accountability. Insead of having one sanction, such as expulsion or suspension, as the consequence for committing an Honor Offense, multi-sanction offers a wide variety of sanctions that panels of randomly-selected Honor Committee representatives tailor to each student, based on the unique circumstances of their case.
Maintaining confidentiality for a student going through the Honor System is of paramount concern. Honor Support Officers and all University students involved in cases are forbidden, by the University Judiciary System Standard of Conduct #11, to discuss Honor cases outside of what is required by their obligations.
No. If a student chooses a closed Honor hearing, the only persons to be admitted to the Hearing are the Panelists, the Honor Support Officers involved, the Reporter of the case and the Accused Student(s). The Student(s) may ask to bring guests for moral support and to ensure that the proceedings are fair. The Honor Committee also reserves the right to have up to ten Support Officers or Committee members observe the proceedings for training purposes. All persons attending closed Honor hearings are bound by the Honor Committee’s rules of confidentiality. Students violating said rules may be subject to Judiciary charges under standard #11.
Accused Students may elect to hold an open Honor Hearing. Open Honor hearings are relatively infrequent, but any Student is welcome to attend when they do occur.