PREAMBLE
Throughout its history, the Johns Hopkins University has enjoyed a
distinguished reputation for academic excellence and integrity. Each
member of the University bears a personal responsibility to uphold the
ethical standards of the institution. The Undergraduate Academic Ethics
Board has adopted the following procedures for responding in a timely
and impartial manner to infractions of the high ethical standards of
the academic community. Faculty and undergraduate students in the
Krieger School of Arts & Sciences and the Whiting School of
Engineering are expected to understand their responsibilities as
members of The Johns Hopkins University academic community and are
bound by these procedures.
ARTICLE I: THE UNDERGRADUATE ACADEMIC ETHICS BOARD
Section A.
The Undergraduate Academic Ethics Board (hereinafter "The Ethics
Board") is a subcommittee of the Academic Council and an independent
committee of the Student Council. The Ethics Board is comprised of
eight full-time faculty members (four from each school) and up to
eighteen undergraduate students, as well as an Educational Chair, a
Presiding Official and a Chairman, all of whom are undergraduate
students. The faculty members are selected by the Academic Council, and
the undergraduate members are selected by the Student Council's
Committee on Leadership Appointments. Undergraduate members shall serve
terms of one academic year, beginning on September 1st. Faculty members
shall serve terms of three years, beginning on September 1st. A board
member may be removed from the Ethics Board upon the vote of two-thirds
of the members of the entire Board.
Section B.
The Ethics Board is responsible for the maintenance of the academic
integrity of the undergraduate programs in the Krieger School of Arts
& Sciences and the Whiting School of Engineering and for all
matters concerning adherence to this Constitution, including but not
limited to: receiving reports of suspected violations, consulting with
members of the University community on ways to reduce possible
violations, appointing hearing panels, maintaining confidential
records, orienting new students to the philosophy and requirements of
the Constitution, and informing the community of its work.
Section C.
1. The Ethics Board is required to hold three general board meetings
per semester. The final meeting of the spring semester must take place
before the third week of April. This meeting will include current Board
members, as well as the Board members selected for the subsequent year.
This meeting must include training and planning for the upcoming year.
The other meetings should be used to discuss and implement proactive
and educational measures for dealing with the perceived ethical
situation on campus.
2. The duties of the Chairman are:
a) to plan and oversee all general meetings
of the Board,
b) to be available for contact by the accused
student in order to answer any questions or concerns,
c) to organize training of the board members
selected for the subsequent year,
d) to assist in the selection of new board
members when requested, and
e) to provide assistance to the Associate Dean
of Students, the Presiding Official, and the Educational Chair in their
duties when requested.
3. The duties of the Presiding Official are:
a) to oversee all Ethics hearings and to
make procedural decisions as outlined in Article VI,
b) to provide assistance to the Associate Dean
of Students, the Chairman, and the Educational Chair in their duties
when requested.
4. The duties of the Educational Chair are:
a) to organize and oversee all projects
involved with the Ethics Board’s mission to promote and increase
ethical standards in the community,
b) to delegate the responsibilities
corresponding to individual projects to members of the Ethics Board,
c) to provide assistance to the Associate Dean
of Students, the Chairman, and the Presiding Official in their duties
when requested.
ARTICLE II: JURISDICTION
The Ethics Board shall have jurisdiction over all undergraduates in the
Krieger School of Arts & Sciences and the Whiting School of
Engineering. Upon specific written request by the Dean of the School of
Professional Studies in Business and Education, the Ethics Board may
assume jurisdiction over a case involving a full time undergraduate in
a class in the School of Professional Studies in Business and
Education.
ARTICLE III: VIOLATIONS OF ACADEMIC INTEGRITY
Undergraduate students enrolled in the Krieger School of Arts &
Sciences or the Whiting School of Engineering at The Johns Hopkins
University assume a duty to conduct themselves in a manner appropriate
to the University's mission as an institution of higher learning.
Students are obliged to refrain from acts, which they know, or under
the circumstances have reason to know, violate the academic integrity
of the University. Violations of academic ethics include, but are not
limited to: cheating; plagiarism ; submitting the same or substantially
similar work to satisfy the requirements of more than one course
without permission; submitting as one's own the same or substantially
similar work of another; knowingly furnishing false information to any
agent of t he University for inclusion in academic records;
falsification, forgery, alteration, destruction or misuse of official
University documents or seal.
ARTICLE IV: RESPONSIBILITIES OF STUDENTS AND FACULTY
Section A.
Faculty members are responsible for specifying at the beginning of each
semester the basic rules and procedures for any and all coursework,
examinations, and other academic exercises. They are also responsible
for exercising a reasonable degree of caution while writing,
transporting, and administering examinations and other graded work. All
faculty members and teaching assistants are responsible for taking
appropriate action in accordance with this Constitution in all cases of
suspected violations of academic ethics.
Section B.
It is the responsibility of each student to report to the professor in
charge of the course or to the Ethics Board any suspected violations of
academic ethics as outlined in Article III.
ARTICLE V: PROCEDURES FOR HANDLING SUSPECTED
VIOLATIONS OF ACADEMIC INTEGRITY
Section A.
If a student is suspected of a possible violation of academic ethics,
the professor in charge of the course shall review the evidence and the
facts of the case promptly with the student. If, after speaking with
the student(s), the professor believes that a violation of academic
ethics has occurred, the professor may (a) settle the case directly
with the student with appropriate notification to the Office of the
Dean of Students or (b) promptly notify the Ethics Board in writing,
through the Office of the Dean of Students, setting forth the details
of the case.
Section B.
1. A professor has the authority to settle a case with a student if (a)
the current offense does not constitute a second or subsequent offense,
and (b) the settlement does not call for a notation on the student's
transcript. It is the responsibility of the professor to check with the
Office of the Dean of Students to determine whether the student has any
prior record of academic misconduct. If the circumstances surrounding
the case do not satisfy the above criteria, then the professor must
send the case to the Ethics Board for resolution.
2. If the professor settles a case with the student(s), the penalty
or penalties imposed may only be selected from items (b) through (e) of
Article VII. If the professor feels that none of these penalties are
appropriate, he/she must submit the matter to the Ethics Board for
resolution.
3. If a case is settled directly between the student and professor,
then the professor must submit the name of the student and the
settlement agreed upon to the Office of the Dean of Students. Upon
notification that a settlement has been made, the Associate Dean of
Students shall obtain a signature from the student, acknowledging that
he or she is aware of his or her rights regarding the settlement and
has been provided a copy of the Constitution of the Undergraduate
Academic Ethics Board.
Section C.
1. If the student(s) and professor are unable to reach a settlement,
then the professor must file a written charge of a violation of
academic ethics to the Office of the Dean of Students for resolution.
Professors should make every effort to take such action within one week
of the alleged occurrence of academic misconduct.
2. In the event that a case arises near the end of a semester, the
professor must submit a charge (as outlined above) at least one week
before the official last day of classes. Any charge received after this
date may be held over until the following semester. When possible,
hearings could be held during Intersession and summer. For summer
hearings, Officers and board members may be drawn from the Board for
the subsequent academic year at the discretion of the Associate Dean of
Students.
Section D.
Upon receipt of a charge of a violation of academic ethics from a
professor, the Presiding Official shall appoint a hearing panel to
consider the charge(s). The panel shall decide the issue of guilt or
innocence and, if the student is found guilty, shall impose an
appropriate penalty, as specified in Article VII.
Section E.
When the Associate Dean of Students receives a charge of a violation of
academic ethics from a professor, he/she shall:
1) file the professor's written charge in the Ethics Board's file in
the Office of the Dean of Students,
2) collect all pertinent evidence,
The Presiding Official shall:
1) set a hearing date, time, and location,
2) select members of the Ethics Board to serve on the hearing panel,
3) select members of the Ethics Board to act as student
representatives for the Professor and the accused student.
The Chairman shall notify the accused student(s) of the charge and
hearing date, time, & location. This may be done by (a) hand
delivery, (b) certified mail, or (c) an attachment to an email.
Section F.
In the event of a violation of academic ethics in which it is
inappropriate for any one professor to act as the accuser, a designee
of the Dean or Associate Dean of the respective school shall act as the
"professor" as that term is used in this Article.
ARTICLE VI: STUDENT REPRESENTATIVES
Section A.
A student representative will be appointed to both the accused student
and the Professor. Student representatives will be selected from the
members of the Ethics Board at the discretion of the Presiding
Official. Student representatives will assist their respective party
with the gathering of evidence, the preparation of the party’s case,
and the formulation of relevant questions. The student representative
will also answer, or direct to the Chairman, any procedural or general
questions. The student representatives will be present at the hearing
in order to assist their party convey the facts of the case.
ARTICLE VII: HEARING PANELS
Section A.
When required under the conditions outlined in Article V, the Presiding
Official shall appoint a hearing panel of unbiased persons to consider
the case.
Section B.
A hearing panel shall consist of two faculty members and three students
and shall ordinarily be selected from the members of the Ethics Board.
A Presiding Official shall conduct the proceedings of the Hearing Panel
but shall have no vote. He or she is responsible for maintaining
records of all procedural decisions. Under extraordinary circumstances,
such as the Presiding Official's inability to consider a case
impartially, he or she may recuse him/herself. In such a case, the
Chairman shall appoint a replacement.
Section C.
Under extraordinary circumstances, the Associate Dean of Students may
appoint to a Hearing Panel full-time faculty or full-time undergraduate
students from the Krieger School of Arts & Sciences and the Whiting
School of Engineering who are not members of the Ethics Board. Such a
circumstance might occur if a panel could not be appointed from among
the members of the Ethics Board.
Section D.
The professor shall submit all relevant documents to the Associate Dean
of Students at least five business days prior to the hearing. The
accused student shall submit all relevant documents to the Associate
Dean of Students at least two business days prior to the hearing. If
any evidence is submitted after this date, both parties will be
notified of its addition.
Section E.
The accused student shall be notified in writing of a charge of a
violation of academic ethics at least five business days prior to a
hearing. Upon receipt of notification, the accused student(s) shall
have the opportunity to inspect all documents under the supervision of
the Associate Dean of Students.
Section F.
The Hearing Panel members shall not be informed of details of the
charge(s) before the hearing is convened and shall scrupulously avoid
discussing the pending hearing either with the parties concerned,
possible witnesses, or any other persons.
Section G.
The accused student and his or her student representative may discuss
procedures with the Presiding Official, the Chairman, or the Associate
Dean of Students but may not approach members of the panel, the
accuser, or the accuser's witnesses concerning any matter directly or
indirectly related t o the hearing.
Section H.
1. Students charged with misconduct arising from a single incident or
occurrence may have their hearings joined at the discretion of the
Presiding Official. Charges of academic misconduct against a single
student arising from several incidents or occurrences may also be heard
at one hearing at the discretion of the Presiding Official.
2. The accused student shall receive written notification of a
joinder of charges. Objections shall be ruled upon by the Presiding
Official.
3. When a hearing involves a joinder of charges, the guilt or
innocence of each student shall be ruled upon separately. Similarly,
joined charges against a single student shall be ruled upon
individually.
Section I.
1. If an accused student fails to appear for the hearing after having
been duly served with notice, or withdraws from a hearing before its
conclusion without the written permission of the Presiding Official,
immediate suspension of the accused student from the University may be
imposed. Such a suspension shall continue until the Hearing can be
concluded with the student present.
2. Students are responsible for appearing as witnesses before a
Hearing Panel as requested by the Ethics Board, and no student may
willfully interfere with the processes of the Ethics Board or its
Hearing Panels. A student's failure to appear and tell the truth in
response to all relevant questions, or his or her interference with the
processes of the Ethics Board or its Hearing Panels constitutes a
violation of academic ethics.
Section J.
Those present at a hearing of the Ethics Board are limited to the
following: the Presiding Official, panel members, the member of the
University bringing charges, the accused student(s), and the student
representatives. Any witness called by either party may be present only
when their testimony is required. The Chairman must attend the hearing
at the request of the Presiding Official, to assist the Presiding
Official with any and all matters concerning the hearing, but not to
exercise final authority on procedural questions. The Associate Dean of
Students or other administrative officer may also attend the hearing
but shall have no authority to decide procedural questions.
Section K.
A full and complete record shall be made of the proceedings by tape
recording. The accused student shall be furnished with a copy of the
tape recording at his/her request for the purpose of preparing an
appeal. No record of the deliberation shall be made. The hearing panel
shall, however, prepare a brief written report detailing the reason(s)
for the finding of guilt or innocence and any penalties imposed. The
Office of the Dean of Students will maintain a permanent file of all
such reports.
Section L.
1. The Presiding Official shall conduct the hearing in an orderly
fashion. He/she shall have the authority to rule on peremptory
challenges, exclude testimony and evidence that is repetitious or
irrelevant to the charges, and shall make final decisions of all
questions of procedure.
2. The presiding Official may recess the hearing when it is deemed
necessary. During a recess of a hearing, no discussion of the case by
panel members, the accused student, the accuser, or witnesses will be
permitted.
Section M.
The accused student shall be presumed innocent until found guilty. A
determination of innocence or guilt should be reached during
deliberations based solely upon the information presented during the
hearing, and not upon any preconceived assumptions.
Section N.
Upon calling the hearing to order and introducing the panel, the
Presiding Official shall read the charge(s) and ask the accused student
to enter a plea of guilt or innocence.
Section O.
If the accused student pleads guilty to the charge(s), the professor
shall present testimony which can aid the hearing panel in determining
the severity of the offense. The student shall then be given the
opportunity to present information to the Hearing Panel, which he/she
wishes to be considered in determining a penalty. The hearing panel may
also ask questions of both parties in order to ascertain the severity
of the offense.
Section P.
1. If the plea is one of innocence, the professor shall present
testimony and evidence in support of the charges. Evidence may include
documents, the professor's own testimony, and that of any witnesses.
Before calling a witness, the professor should be prepared to establish
that the witness will present evidence relevant to the case at hand.
The accused student may cross-examine all witnesses and the accuser. At
the conclusion of cross-examination, panel members may question those
who testify, as they appear. The Presiding Official may curtail
questioning if it is determined to be irrelevant or repetitious.
2. Following the professor's presentation, the accused student shall
present testimony and evidence under the same restrictions outlined in
section P-1, above.
3. Following the accused student's presentation, the professor and
the accused student may recall witnesses if they can establish the need
to do so. Such recall of witnesses shall be subject to the discretion
of the Presiding Official.
4. After testimony from both sides have been heard, the professor
and the accused student shall be given the opportunity to present a
closing statement and any mitigating circumstances which they feel are
appropriate. If the charge being heard constitutes a second or
subsequent offense by the student, the student shall have the
opportunity to comment on each prior offense individually.
5. Following the closing statements, the professor, the accused
student, his/her representatives, and all witnesses are excused. All
parties shall remain available and shall inform the Presiding Official
of their whereabouts.
Section Q.
1. The panel shall deliberate the charge(s) until each member is ready
to vote or the Presiding Official determines that any further
deliberation will not be productive. The Presiding Official shall not
express any opinion on the case or vote on the outcome, but shall
maintain an orderly discussion, answer any questions of procedure, and
make available the record of the proceedings.
2. The accused student, professor, and/or any witnesses may be
recalled for further testimony at any time during the panel's
deliberation.
3. The individual decision of each hearing panelist on guilt or
innocence shall be based upon a preponderance of the evidence.
4. All voting of the hearing panel shall be by secret ballot. At
least four votes are required for a finding of guilt. If fewer than
four votes of guilty are cast, then the case must be dismissed.
5. The accused student and his/her representative will be asked to
return, and the verdict will be announced.
Section R.
Notice of the outcome of the hearing shall be sent to the student(s),
professor, and the Dean of the Krieger School of Arts & Sciences or
the Whiting School of Engineering, depending on the school in which the
student is enrolled. The student shall return a signed copy of the
notice to the Ethics Board indicating that he/she has read and
understands the notice.
ARTICLE VIII: PENALTIES
Section A.
If a student is found guilty of a violation of academic ethics, whether
by direct settlement with the professor, by pleading guilty at a
hearing, or by a ruling of a Hearing Panel, a notation of the violation
must be made in the student's Academic Advising file explaining the
violation.
Section B.
1. One or more of the following penalties may be imposed upon students
found guilty of violations of academic ethics:
a) A notation placed on the student's
permanent transcript explaining the violation and punishment.
b) Retake of the examination, paper, or
exercise involved.
c) Score of zero on the examination, paper, or
exercise involved.
d) Lowering of the course grade.
e) Failure in the course.
f) Failure in the course with a notation on the
transcript that the grade was for a violation of academic ethics.
g) Failure in the course with suspension from
the University.
h) Failure in the course with suspension from
the University and notation on the transcript that the failing grade
was for a violation of academic ethics.
i) Suspension from the University for at least
one semester.
j) Suspension from the University for at least
one semester with a notation on the transcript that the cause was a
violation of academic ethics.
k) Expulsion from the University with a
notation on the transcript that the cause was a violation of academic
ethics.
2. Hearing Panels shall make every effort to select a penalty
appropriate to the severity of the offense, and may take into
consideration any mitigating circumstances brought to its attention as
well as any record or absence of prior misconduct. A Hearing Panel may
also impose a penalty that is not enumerated above if to do so would
more appropriately reflect the severity of the offense.
3. The penalty for a second or subsequent finding of guilt must be
selected from items (f) through (k) of Section B-1 above.
Section C.
The penalty decided upon by the Hearing Panel must be agreed upon by
4/5 of the Panel.
Section D.
A student found guilty of a violation of academic ethics in a course
forfeits the right to withdraw from the course or to change a graded
course to pass/fail, and any withdrawal from that course or change
effected prior to the finding of guilt shall be voided.
Section E.
A student who has committed a violation of academic ethics has the
option of making a timely and personal report of the offense to the
professor in charge of the course or to the Dean of the respective
school. A self-reported violation of academic ethics reported and dealt
with under this section shall not constitute a first offense.
ARTICLE IX: APPEALS
Section A.
A student found guilty of a violation of academic ethics may appeal the
decision of the Hearing Panel to the Dean of the Krieger School of Arts
& Sciences, Whiting School of Engineering, or the School of
Professional Studies in Business and Education, whichever is
applicable. The appeal must be filed within 10 business days from the
date of the decision from which the appeal is taken. The appeal must be
in the form of a written statement setting forth the grounds for the
appeal. The Dean may disallow an appeal of any procedural error if t
hat error did not cause harm to the accused student. A full written
report of the disposition of each appeal shall be made by the Dean of
the respective school to the Associate Dean of Students.
ARTICLE X: RECORDS
Section A.
The records of the Undergraduate Academic Ethics Board shall be held in
the Office of the Dean of Students, except the tape recordings of
hearings, which shall be held in the Office of the General Counsel.
Section B.
Records of the Ethics Board are available to members of the Board,
faculty and administrative staff, including the pre-medical and pre-law
advisors. Records will only be released if a written request has been
made and approved by the Associate Dean of Students.
Section C.
1. If notification of the plans for an eventual hearing has not been
conveyed to the accused student within three months or within the first
month of the fall semester for charges carried over from the previous
academic year, then any references to the accusation(s) shall be
eliminated from all files into which they had been placed.
2. A case file concerning an accused student shall be retained for
five years after that student graduates or otherwise leaves the
University.
ARTICLE XI: BYLAWS AND AMENDMENTS
Section A.
The Ethics Board may initiate amendment of this Constitution by
submitting amendment language to the Academic Council and the Student
Council. Only identical language approved by both councils may amend
the Constitution.
Section B.
The Constitution and Bylaws of the Undergraduate Academic Ethics Board
are public documents.