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There is a group of Penn students who could be judging you soon, if you’re not careful.

The University Honor Council plays the dual role of advising students on issues of academic integrity and also sitting on the panel at hearings for students facing a violation of the Code of Academic Integrity or Code of Student Conduct.

According to three members of the Honor Council — Engineering junior Aaron Roth, College senior Adam Admur and College junior Tony Vazquez — students who receive such violations generally face accusations of an academic nature, and usually the culprit is plagiarism. They noted this is almost always a question of “convenience over integrity” and explained that these are good people making bad decisions because they feel pressured by stress or deadlines.

Initial violations are issued by the Office of Student Conduct. The ruling is not binding, and this is where the Honor Council comes in. Students are able to appeal the violation to the Council, which gets the final say in issuing punishments. A facilitator, appointed by the Provost, doesn’t vote but rather helps the trial forward.

As Susan Herron, director of the OSC, explained, the Honor Council aids the OSC more than the other way around. However, the administration does assist the Council in terms of education regarding “procedures outlined in the Charter of Student Disciplinary System and [training] how to be an effective hearing panel member.”

Roth, Amdur and Vazquez expressed optimism for current and future initiatives, including the Greek Initiative, which occurs during Spring Rush and educates soon-to-be-Greeks about the importance of academic integrity. The council also plays a role in I-week, a school-specific initiative that targets students during the stressful times around midterms and finals.

The three also discussed steps being taken to incorporate the student viewpoint into current policies. Forefront to this effort, the Council is beginning an initiative that surveys the faculty on their views of the prevalence and proper punishment for behaviors that break the Code of Academic Integrity and Conduct. Through this, the council hopes to standardize the treatment and diagnose the prevalence of Code violations.

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