The Johns Hopkins University Ethics Board

CHAIRMAN (1)

The Chairman coordinates all the activities of the Ethics Board. The Chairman receives all cases as they arise, and must coordinate their resolution. Often this entails numerous letters, phone calls, and other administrative work.

The Chairman must be an exceptionally organized and efficient individual. He or she must be able to know the status of all cases at all times, in addition to coordinating internal activities, meetings, etc. He or she must also be able to communicate effectively with others, and must be able to delegate well.

The bulk of the Chairman's time is spent coordinating the resolution of cases. He or she will spend a good deal of time working with the Presiding Official on this. The Chairman also works closely with Dean Roseman of the Academic Advising Office, and Patti Friend of the General Counsel's Office.

In addition to coordinating day-to-day activities, the Chairman must also plan for the future. The Chairman should be able to sense where the Ethics Board should be heading, and have ideas to realize them.

In addition to administrative work, the Chairman should also hold at least one internal meeting per month to update the members as to the status of various cases and any internal activities. All told, the Chairman should expect to spend 5-10 hours per week on Ethics Board duties.

PRESIDING OFFICIAL (1)

The Presiding Official (PO) works closely with the Chairman to coordinate the resolution of cases. Like the Chairman, the PO must be well organized and able to keep on top of all cases at all times. The Presiding Official's main duty is to run Hearing Panels of the Ethics Board. This job is analogous to a judge at a jury trial. The PO must be able to run the hearing smoothly and efficiently, and be able to answer questions of procedure. The PO sometimes must make decisions as to whether testimony is relevant. The PO does not vote on any cases he or she presides over.

The PO is essentially the Chairman's "right-hand-man" and should expect to work closely with him or her. All told the PO should expect to spend about 5 hours per week on Ethics Board duties.

PANEL MEMBERS (12)

Ethics Board members contribute the least timewise, but are the center of the Board. Members sit on hearing panels of the Ethics Board and decide on accused students' guilt or innocence, and appropriate punishments.

Members of the Ethics Board hold great power, and as such must be highly qualified for their position. Members must be able to analyze situations critically and decide cases fairly and impartially. Members must be able to expel students if necessary, but at the same time they should also be able to consider mitigating circumstances when appropriate.

Considering the nature of hearing panels, it is essential that members have excellent communication and analytical skills; however, it is also critical that they be able to work well in a group, as it is a panel of 5 members who will decide on students' cases.

In addition to serving on hearing panels, members are asked to volunteer on ad hoc subcommittees to deal with certain issues or project as they arise. Members are expected to make a reasonable effort to attend all administrative meetings, which are held at the Chairman's discretion.