Judicial charter draft may affect Honor Council

As student leaders, faculty and administrators debate the relative merits of the newest draft of the judicial charter, one student group stands to gain power by the proposed system. The University Honor Council has spent the last year -- since its inception last spring -- attempting to begin a dialogue with the University community about academic integrity. Recently, the UHC has expanded to not only include five new members, but if Chodorow's proposed judicial charter is implemented, the UHC would be more prominent on campus, UHC Chairperson Justin Shellaway said. Previously, the UHC served a more undefined role. According to the College junior, the UHC visited freshman dorms and discussed academic integrity with department chairpeople. The newest draft of the judicial charter allows the UHC to provide "independent advice to the provost." "Members of the UHC also sit on Disciplinary Hearing panels in cases of alleged violations of the Code of Academic Integrity," according to the draft. Shellaway said this definition "makes the Honor Council an integral part of the University." "Our judicial function cannot be ignored now," he added. Under the new draft, Chodorow made the UHC one of five groups that can amend the charter. Chodorow noted that the University Conduct Council, a student body that will perform the same tasks for conduct issues, will complement the UHC. "I think that it is good to form two bodies of students to give advice informed by experience with the system," Chodorow said, adding that the councils can provide a new perspective on integrity and conduct issues, while also educating and communicating with the University community. Although Shellaway expressed general satisfaction with the charter's sensitivity to the UHC's agenda, he said he is concerned that there is no way to ensure that professors turn in offenders. But he admitted that he could not think of a good resolution to this issue. Founded last spring by Provost Stanley Chodorow, the UHC's chief purpose is to educate the University community about academic integrity. "Things like plagiarism are less clear than others," Shellaway said. He added that because academic integrity could seem confusing, the UHC attempts to provide students with a common understanding of the complexities involved. "We want to create a community consensus that academic honesty is not just desirable but necessary," Shellaway said. UHC member and College sophomore Steve Friedman said the group should now look towards the future. Chodorow said in addition to its other tasks, the UHC will also advise the Office of Student Conduct on "procedural issues and practices, sanctions and other aspects of the way the system handles such cases."