Year-End Honor Report

To
All Students
From
Hamza Aziz, Chair, Honor Committee

Dear Fellow Students,

Happy summer recess – I am writing to share a brief update regarding the Honor Committee’s work as we approach the implementation of the restorative multi-sanction system, which goes into effect on July 1st. To review a summary of changes or the full text of the new Honor Constitution, please visit our website.

Currently, Committee representatives and support officers are creating policies to govern the new system. Bylaw changes will not only reflect those necessitated by the referendum but also others that improve the efficiency and accessibility of our case processing procedures, like increased standardization in evidentiary rulings and increased support for students navigating the Contributory Health Impairment process. If you would like to share your perspective on the philosophy, sanctions, or other components of the new system, please utilize this survey or contact your school’s Honor Committee representatives, whose contact information can be found on this page.

This summer, the Committee will continue meeting virtually as needed. All Honor Committee meetings are open and include public comment periods; please visit our website to find out when and how to join a meeting. We would love to hear your perspectives on how the Committee can best serve and represent you in this new era of Honor.

Lastly, every semester, the Committee strives to ensure transparency and fair proceedings in our Honor System. Below, you will find a review of case processing regarding cases reported between December 14, 2022, and May 12, 2023.

Please do not hesitate to contact me at [email protected]. I hope you have a safe and restful break!

With gratitude,

Hamza Aziz (he/him)
Chair of the Honor Committee

KNOW THE PROCESS

In summary, the Honor case process is triggered by a report that initiates an investigation and, in some instances, results in an Honor hearing. The Honor Committee does not file reports; rather, all reports are filed by community members, such as students and faculty. All parties involved in a case receive an Honor Advisor to guide and support them through the process.

After a report, a student may file an Informed Retraction (IR), through which they admit to the offense(s) alleged, make amends with the affected parties, and recommit themself to the Community of Trust. By taking accountability and filing an IR, no Honor hearing will take place. This contrasts with a Conscientious Retraction (CR), which must be filed before a report is received. A CR allows a student to admit to an Honor Offense before it comes under suspicion by anyone and serves as a fully exonerating defense if a report is subsequently filed. A student who is considering filing a CR should consult with an Honor Advisor.

The Contributory Health Impairment (CHI) process is intended for students who believe they may have had a health impairment at the time of the reported conduct that contributed to their commission of an Honor Offense. If a student claims a CHI, their Honor case is placed on hold and their CHI determination process is conducted by the office of the Vice President and Chief Student Affairs Officer.

CASE SUMMARY

Summary of Cases Reported Between December 14, 2022, and May 12, 2023. 

Twelve reports have been filed with the Honor Committee.

  1. Four are currently under investigation.
  2. One has submitted an Informed Retraction.
  3. Two cases have been dropped by the Committee.
  4. One student has Left Admitting Guilt.
  5. Three Hearings have been held. Zero students were found guilty. Four students were found not guilty.

Regarding cases reported before December 14, 2022, one case is in the CHI process. Two cases have been returned from the CHI process to the Honor process.

Conscientious Retractions and Informed Retractions

Two students have had the courage and integrity to come forward and file a CR. Two students have filed an IR. One resulted from a case reported before December 14, 2022, and one from a case reported after this date. These are the public summaries, written to maintain confidentiality.

CR 1: “A student admitted to cheating on an exam and filed a CR.”

CR 2: “A student admitted to cheating on an exam and filed a CR.”

IR 1: “A student was reported for lying by providing falsified payment documents to a University department. The student admitted to the Act and filed an IR.”

IR 2: “A student was reported for cheating by plagiarism on an assignment and lying regarding the completion of an assignment. The student admitted to the Acts and filed an IR.”

Honor Hearings

There have been four Honor hearings this semester. One resulted from a case reported before December 14, 2022, and three from cases reported after this date. These are the public summaries, written to maintain confidentiality.

Hearing 1: A student was accused of Stealing by using the reporter’s login information for printing charges without their consent during the Spring 2022 semester.

The Community argued that the files that were printed were owned by the Accused Student, and several of the printing jobs in question were able to be traced back to the Accused Student’s personal laptop through the IP address and MAC address. The Accused Student claimed that their personal laptop was hacked, and they were doing other things far from the printers during the time of the printing jobs in question.

A randomly selected student panel found the Accused Student Not Guilty on the basis of Act.

Hearing 2: A student was accused of Lying by providing falsified payment documents to a University department during the Fall 2022 semester.  

The Community argued that submitting a falsified receipt to appeal a citation is an Act of Lying, and the Accused Student must have known, or a reasonable University of Virginia student should have known, that this would constitute an Act of Lying. The Accused student argued that they did not do this with the intent nor with the Knowledge of gaining a benefit or harming another person.

A randomly selected student panel found the Accused Student Not Guilty on the basis of Act.

Hearing 3: A student was accused of Cheating by plagiarizing on a final project in the Fall 2022 semester.

The professor reported the student. The Community argued that the Accused Student copied online articles in their final project that contained none of their own work and no citations to the original work. The Accused Student argued that the atypical nature of the assignment and their educational experience in another country led them to consult online sources with no citations in their submission. They did not Knowingly commit the Act in question, and therefore the criteria of Knowledge was not met.

A randomly selected student panel found the Accused Student Not Guilty on the basis of Knowledge.

Hearing 4: Two students were accused of Cheating by collaborating on a final exam in the Fall 2022 semester.

The professor reported the students. The Community argued that their similar, unique assumptions and answers were evidence of cheating. The Accused Students argued that these similarities were a result of them not attending class, so they taught each other the class material. They attributed their shared knowledge to studying together before the exam was released, and not to an Act of cheating, so the criteria of Act was not met.

A randomly selected student panel found the Accused Students Not Guilty on the basis of Act.