Honor Code Council
The Honor Code is maintained by the Honor Code Council with and through administrative offices of the College. The Honor Code is authorized by student governance, Office of the Dean of Students, and Office of the Provost.
The Honor Code Council upholds the fundamental values of academic honesty and personal integrity that are central to the College mission. When a student is alleged to have violated the Honor Code or Code of Student Conduct, the role of the Honor Code Council is to provide a fair and effective mechanism for resolving the charge. Full details of the Honor Code Council composition, rights and responsibilities of students navigating an Honor Code procedure, and the procedures to reach a resolution of an alleged violation are outlined in the Code of Student Conduct, available here.
Composition of the Honor Code Council
The elected Chief Justice will be the primary student representative of the Honor Code and will chair the Honor Code Council. The Chief Justice will preside over hearings, be a member of the College Government cabinet, and will be eligible to attend Academic Council. The Deputy Chief Justice may also preside over hearings.
The Chief Justice will be elected in the spring of their junior year. Eligibility to run for election requires full-time student status, a cumulative GPA of at least 3.0, and at least one year of Honor Code Council experience. Candidates will be interviewed and recommended by the outgoing Chief Justice, the Dean of Students, and the Honor Code Administrative Coordinator. If no suitable candidate runs, eligibility will be extended to all rising seniors, whether or not they have served on Honor Code Council, as long as they meet the other criteria. The Deputy Chief Justice will be a rising junior or senior with at least one year of Honor Code Council experience. The Chief Justice will appoint the Deputy Chief Justice through the Student Organizations and Appointments Committees (SOAC) for a one-year term.
The Honor Code Administrative Coordinator is responsible for the Honor Code procedures. This staff member gathers information related to charges, answers questions related to procedures, maintains Honor Code records, and delivers notifications pertaining to cases and decisions. The Administrative Coordinator consults with colleagues and seeks best practices within the field of student conduct administration. Within the Honor Code Council, the Administrative Coordinator makes recommendations for best practice and facilitates training with the Chief Justice. The Administrative Coordinator provides procedural counsel to all parties involved in cases of alleged violation of the Code of Student Conduct and the Honor Code. They attend hearings as a nonvoting procedural resource.
With the Chief Justice, the Honor Code Administrative Coordinator forms the Case Coordinating Team. The Case Coordinating Team, in consultation with the Honor Code Council, determine whether there is sufficient evidence to actually deliver students with charges of alleged violations and potential charges warrant including in a hearing process or other resolution process. The Case Coordinating Team reviews and ratifies Faculty-Student Resolution Process (FSRP) proposals.
Student members will be appointed by the Student Organizations and Appointments Committee (SOAC) for one-year terms. Student positions will be as follows: eight general representatives, one ALNA representative, two student advocates, and one House Presidents’ Council representative. Student Advocates serve as peer advisors to students charged with alleged violations. All students will be voting members of the Honor Code Council and are responsible for promoting the Honor Code to the greater Wellesley community.
Nine faculty members will be appointed by the Agenda Committee of the Academic Council for staggered three-year terms. One faculty member will be the representative to the Hearing Review Panel. All faculty members are voting members of the Honor Code council and serve as Honor Code resources to the greater Wellesley community.
The Dean of Students (or designee) will serve as the administrative representative of the College and will be an advisor to the Honor Code Council. The Dean of Students is a voting member of the Honor Code Council.