Class guidelines This class serves as an update to the class of 2011 of the state of the honor system. It will also be a chance to review a couple of topics that generate a lot of inquiries and questions from cadets. Please remain attentive and alert. Feel free to ask questions following the presentation.

Honor 2-2 Honor in Everyday Life 1)Review and current issues a)Honor as a Junior b)Special Orders/Special Leave c)Charleston Passes d)Overnight/Weekend Signup e)FERPA and the Honor System f)Appeals Process 2)Current issues facing the Committee/Corps a)Class of 2011 Honor Representative Training b)Discussion

Honor as a Junior… Juniors have the responsibility to demonstrate and teach the lower classes about honor in various ways. –Leadership positions –Mentoring knobs and sophomores –In the classroom (set the example) –Honor Representative Training participation/committee takeover

Special Orders Once the activity that you are on Special Orders/Leave has completed, you must return to campus immediately You are not allowed to take General leave in conjunction with Special Orders/Leave if you have prior obligations (Class, Punishments, etc)

Overnight/Weekend Sheets and Online Sign out “My signature below certifies that I have the required leave available and I must be Academic, Conduct, Physically Proficient as of the date and time I sign out on leave.” Ensure that you are proficient before you sign out on leave. Ignorance is no excuse for committing an Honor Violation

Charleston Passes (CP) The abuse of this pass bears no different consequences than the misuse of any other official document. As stated on the rear of the pass: “This is an official document. The use of this document constitutes an official statement. The misrepresentation of this card could violate the Cadet Honor Code. “

All-Ins Remember when you sign your name as a Division Inspector you are certifying that no Cadets are AWOL unless you placed their name in the AWOL Block “The above signatures mean EVERY ROOM in the company was checked at the final All-In.”

Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) What is FERPA? –FERPA is a Federal Statute enacted in 1974 –Compliance is required by all Public Schools by the US Department of Education –Failure to comply with standards could result in the loss of all Federal Funding to institution –All students who attend the Citadel have FERPA rights

How FERPA affects the Honor Code All matters pertaining to the investigation, trial, finds, and appeal are protected under the student’s FERPA rights –This is why we can’t announce specifics about Honor Court findings in the Mess Hall Discussion of honor-related matters to those who do not have a legitimate educational Interest will result in disciplinary action

So what? Blatant violation of FERPA rights could hurt the school financially (through loss of federal funding and law suits) FERPA rights violations can create grounds for an appeal resulting in honor violators staying at our school.

Appeals Process Why are there cadets on campus who have been found in-violation of the Honor Code? Cadets who appeal a guilty verdict remain in good standing with the college until their Honor Board of Review (HBOR) scrutinizes the appeal. If sufficient grounds are found for an appeal, the board will review the entire case and make a recommendation to the President to either affirm or overturn the Honor Court’s ruling President considers appeal and recommendation and makes the final decision

How the Appeals Process works When an accused cadet is found in- violation of the Honor Code three options are given to him/her: –Accept the finding and expulsion –Resign from the College: transcript will read “Permitted to Resign” –Appeal

What are the Grounds for an Appeal? New evidence, available since the Honor Court hearing, which would indicate the findings of the court are in error Evidence that the cadet’s rights were not protected, jeopardizing that cadet’s right to fair and impartial hearing (FERPA) An error in the trial proceedings of such magnitude as to jeopardize the fairness of the hearing

Current Committee Initiatives Lying definition change Combating abuse of the Honor Code Continuing education of the Corps Education of faculty and staff of the college Continuation of Corps Squad training efforts Training of the 2011 Honor Committee

Education of College Faculty The Honor Committee officers have engaged in an effort to educate the faculty of the school about The Honor Code and System So far, we have met with the Psychology, History, and English departments to discuss issues of plagiarism and encourage cooperation with the committee. We have plans to meet with the rest of the academic departments as their schedules permit.

Potential Changes In order to make any substantial changes to the Honor Manual 75% of the Corps has to vote in support of the changes We plan on educating the Corps through use of The Brigadier, Honor Classes, potential town hall style meetings, and the Honor Committee’s website about any developments in our initiative to change the Honor Manual

Abuse of the Code Reports have been received regarding college officials abusing the Honor Code –We have met with the commandant to ensure that he understands that this is a potential problem with some school officials –He will support our efforts to ensure that the Honor Code is used properly and is not an investigative or disciplinary device to be abused by cadets or faculty –Please report any abuse of the Code to your honor representative

Plagiarism Plagiarism has accounted for a large number of honor accusations in the past few months Please remember to give credit to the source of your information when you are writing a paper

2010 Honor Committee Statistics thus far Accusations:86 Resignations prior to trial:3 Trials:26 Dropped Accusations/resigned: 56/4 In Violation:24 –Leniency Granted:2 Found not in-violation:2

Leniency This year has presented the 2010 Honor Committee with two cases that merited leniency verdicts. The cadet that received leniency in the spring of 2009 successfully completed his program and will be reinstated as a cadet in good standing with the college. Another cadet (member of the class of 2011) received a leniency recommendation at the end of last semester. Be on the lookout for messages from him in the mess hall and brigadier regarding his leniency.

Honor Rep Training Training of the 2011 Honor Committee hopefuls will be beginning within the next few weeks. The training program will involve lessons about the Honor System and will occur during some drill periods and lunches. This is a great opportunity to know the Honor System more intimately. Completion of the program is MANDATORY in order to run to become an honor rep.

Training Continued Please notify your battalion honor representative if you are interested in training and have not signed up yet. Pay attention to mess hall announcements and announcements from your battalion honor representative for more details regarding training.

Honor Committee Website Located at: Or – Corps of Cadets – Honor at the Citadelttp:// Quick Reference Information

Questions? Impressions? Opinions?