EXAMINATIONS AND HONOR CODE
Examinations may be written, oral, practical, or a combination of these types, depending upon the department concerned. Sample questions will be given by some lecturers. A student may be excluded from any examination for excessive absence, regardless of the cause, at the discretion of any department head. Any department has the option to re-examine any student at any time during a course under its jurisdiction, or to give additional tests for the purpose of arriving at a more accurate evaluation of achievement.
The Honor Code was established by a student Honor Council and approved by the student body and faculty of LSUHSC. It governs all examinations and all aspects of your academic life, and is applicable to all students enrolled in the School of Medicine. A copy of the Honor Code is given to each student as part of the Stage-Two Application for Admission, and the student's signature ensures its enforcement. A copy of the Honor Code is included here. Please read it.
LSUHSC-S Student Honor Code
Preamble
We, the student body of the Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center in Shreveport believe that students in medical and graduate school should explicitly uphold basic principles of behavior that constitute acceptable academic, professional and ethical conduct, and hereby set forth this Honor Code. Agreement to the Honor Code by signature is required of each student before completing registration to enter the Medical and Graduate Schools. The Honor Code is not intended to be a mere listing of matters that constitute infractions but is intended to be a general statement by each student to uphold the high standards of integrity and honesty of the medical science professions.
The Student Honor Council is to be made up of an elected Chair, two elected representatives from each medical school class, and two representatives from the graduate school. The Student Honor Council is responsible for the general maintenance of academic and professional integrity, including but not limited to receiving reports of suspected violations, consulting with members of the medical school community concerning ways to reduce possible violations, and orienting new students to the Honor Code. Any member of the Student Honor Council can be removed from duty upon two-thirds vote of the entire Council. All members of the Student Honor Council are bound to maintain the confidentiality of students accused or found guilty of Honor Code violations and understand that breaches of confidentiality constitute a severe Honor Code violation.
I. Violations
To act in any way contrary to academic honesty or professional and ethical conduct is considered a violation of the Honor Code. Specific examples of violations include, but are not limited to the following:
A. To obtain an unfair advantage by (a) stealing, reproducing, circulating or otherwise gaining access to examination materials prior to the time authorized by the instructor; (b) stealing, destroying, defacing, or concealing library materials; (c) unauthorized collaboration on an academic assignment; (d) retaining, possessing, memorizing, using, or circulating previously given examination materials, where those materials clearly indicate that they are to be returned; (e) intentionally obstructing or interfering with another student's academic work, or (f) otherwise undertaking activity with the purpose of creating or obtaining an unfair academic advantage over another student's academic work.
B. To cheat or attempt to cheat; to gaze at or look upon the work, exam or answer sheet of a classmate during an examination.
C. To communicate, in any manner with any unauthorized person, during an examination.
D. To plagiarize or to misrepresent the work of another person as one's own.
E. To misrepresent or falsify research data.
F. To misrepresent or falsify data or results concerning a patient's clinical status or to break the confidentiality of any person in treatment or rehabilitation.
G. To file a false complaint with malicious intent, or testify falsely under this Honor Code.
H. To treat patients or fellow colleagues in a manner contrary to those standards of integrity deemed necessary of the medical science professions.
I. To misrepresent oneself as a physician or degreed professional prior to completion of education.
J. To fail to report an observed violation of this Honor Code.
K. To falsify any document or form.
L. To misappropriate or steal the property of another.
II. Procedures and Policies for Alleged Honor Code Violations
A. General Policies
1. It remains the sole responsibility of the student to conduct him/herself in a manner which supports and promotes the high standards of integrity and honesty required in the medical science professions. Ignorance of a violation cannot be a defense for the accused.
2. Faculty members are responsible for specifying at the beginning of each course the basic rules and procedures for course work and examinations. The faculty should make a reasonable effort to deter violations of the Honor Code, using measures deemed appropriate. This could include, but is not limited to, the use of controlled seating arrangements and active proctoring during exams. It is the faculty's responsibility to provide adequate testing conditions including sufficiently large testing rooms and stated rules concerning restroom privileges and leaving the testing center. Students may issue a written complaint to the Assistant Dean for Student Affairs in the case of Medical Students or the Assistant Dean for Graduate Studies in the case of Graduate Students if these measures are felt to be unsatisfactory or excessive. (Hereafter in this document the appropriate Assistant Dean for each student population will simply be referred to as the Assistant Dean.) If an alleged Honor Code Violation occurs outside of the purview of an academic department, the Assistant Dean, with the approval of the Dean, will appoint a faculty member to act in lieu of a department head in reviewing the alleged Honor Code violation.
3. All faculty members are responsible for taking appropriate action in accordance with this Honor Code in ALL cases of suspected violations. The handling of suspected violations outside the provisions made in this Honor Code is strongly discouraged.
4. Procedures shall be implemented in writing through the Assistant Dean.
5. Should a student elect to withdraw from school rather than follow the procedures outlined herein, the circumstances of the withdrawal shall be noted in the student's academic transcript and in any subsequent letters of recommendation. The investigation, however, may proceed in the student's absence. Should any subsequent proceedings be deemed necessary, the involved party shall be notified and shall maintain all the rights guaranteed herein.
6. The investigative process (Section D) shall begin within two weeks of the written accusation being filed with the Assistant Dean.
B. Report of Violations
1. If a faculty member observes a possible violation of the Honor Code, (s)he shall notify the Course Director who will review the evidence and the facts of the case promptly with the Head of the Department and then with the student suspect. The Course Director will then proceed, with the approval of the Head of the Department. If after speaking with the student, the Course Director believes that a violation has occurred, (s)he may (a) settle the case directly with the student as outlined below or (b) promptly report allegations of violations to the Assistant Dean in the form of a written statement including the description of the circumstances that gave rise to the charges. The Assistant Dean shall advise any person submitting a statement of their obligations in any investigation and hearing.
2. If a student observes a potential Honor Code violation, (s)he shall promptly report it to a member of the Student Honor Council, who shall promptly discuss the matter with the Course Director involved. Every reasonable effort shall be made to maintain in confidence the identity of persons who submit statements of violations during the preliminary stages of the investigation, although their confidentiality cannot be preserved during the hearing.
C. Settlement with the Course Director
A Course Director, with the concurrence of the Department Head, has the authority to settle a case where the alleged student misconduct has occurred within the departmental purview. Penalties imposed in this matter may only be selected from the following four items:
1) Retaking of the examination or exercise involved.
2) Scoring of zero on the examination or exercise involved.
3) Lowering of course grade.
4) Failure in the course.
The Course Director, after a thorough discussion of the matter with the accused student and the Department Chair, must submit to the Assistant Dean a document describing the nature of the violation and the penalty assigned. This document shall bear the signatures of the Course Director and the Head of the Department, with a copy to the student. This document shall be maintained in confidence by the student, Course Director, Department Head, and Assistant Dean. If the penalty imposed is failure in the course, that grade may appear on the transcript as it would in the case of academic failure. However, in this settlement with the Course Director, no statement which connects the penalty imposed with an alleged honor code violation shall appear on the academic transcript of the accused. If the student concurs with the assigned penalty, (s)he shall sign the above described document with the Course Director and Department Head, indicating agreement with the penalty. In the event that a student feels that (s)he has not been treated appropriately or has not been allowed due process, (s)he may write an appeal letter to the Dean. After reviewing the student=s appeal, the Dean shall either concur with the penalty imposed by the department, or shall return the matter to the Course Director and Chairman, who will have ten working days in which to file a written report of alleged Honor Code violations with the Assistant Dean for further resolution as outlined in this Honor Code.
D. Allegations Investigated by the Assistant Dean
Upon receipt of the written report of alleged Honor Code violations, the Assistant Dean shall give the accused immediate written notification of the nature of the charges that have been filed. The accused shall be provided with a written outline of all procedures and informed of his/her rights with respect to the same.
Investigation of alleged violations shall be conducted by the Assistant Dean, who may select and convene an investigating committee composed of faculty and students. Students shall be selected from the membership of the Student Honor Council when appropriate. Faculty shall be selected from the General Faculty. At such time that the Assistant Dean concludes that sufficient evidence exists, with the concurrence of the Dean of the School, (s)he shall formulate the charges against the accused in writing.
E. Hearing of Charges
The accused, the Department Head, the Elected Faculty Council Chair, and the Student Honor Council Chair shall be notified in writing that a hearing is to be conducted and a Hearing Panel chosen. At the time of written notification, the accused may choose a faculty advocate to review the evidence, assist in preparing for the hearing, and assist at the hearing. A Student Honor Council member shall be available to meet with the accused to explain policies and procedures.
The assignment of a date for the hearing will be made by the Assistant Dean within four school weeks following written notification of the accused concerning the charges. The date of the hearing may not necessarily fall within the four-week period, but shall be as soon as is feasible, commensurate with other academic matters. The accused shall be informed of his/her rights with regard to the hearing. The Assistant Dean shall be responsible for notifying all witnesses, including those for the accused.
The Hearing Panel shall consist of the Chair of the Elected Faculty Council (or his/her designee from the Elected Faculty Council), four members from the Elected Faculty Council selected by lot (two selected from the Basic Science Departments and two from the Clinical Departments), the Chair of the Student Honor Council or his/her designee, and three members of the Student Honor Council selected by the Student Honor Council Chair. Should three members of the Student Honor Council not be available, student representatives shall be selected from among the class officers. No member of the Administrative Staff, the Assistant Dean of the Medical School or the Assistant Dean of the Graduate School, or anyone who is judged to have a conflict of interest shall serve on the Hearing Panel. Members of the investigating committee shall not serve on the Hearing Panel. Each of the nine Hearing Panel members shall have one vote. In the event of emergency absences, at least seven (7) of the members of the Hearing Panel must be present to constitute a quorum for vote, and a majority of the members present shall rule. The Chair of the Hearing Panel shall be the Elected Faculty Council Chair or his/her designee.
Persons to be present for the formal hearing include the members of the Hearing Panel, the designated witnesses, the Department Head or his/her designee who will present the case, and the accused; if the Department Head is a witness to the violation, (s)he shall function only as a witness, and shall designate a faculty member to present the case. The accused may be accompanied during the hearing by any one faculty member of his/her choice from LSU Health Sciences Center-Shreveport. The accused may not have any other advocates or observers in the hearing, except for witnesses. Witnesses shall be present one at a time during the time of witness testimony. Legal representation for either the accused or accuser(s) shall be prohibited in the hearing.
Evidence and personal testimony supporting the allegations shall be presented to the Hearing Panel by the Department Head involved or his/her designee. Thereafter, the accused may present a defense and offer evidence or testimony of witnesses that support the defense. The accused and accuser(s) are limited to three character witnesses each.
At any time during the presentation of evidence and personal testimony, any member of the Hearing Panel, the person presenting the case, or the accused may ask questions. Following the presentation of evidence and personal testimony, the accused and the person presenting the case shall orally summarize their positions. These final presentations shall not be interrupted by questioning.
The Chair of the Hearing Panel shall control the proceedings and shall conduct a hearing that is both thorough and fair. The hearing is intended to allow informal but complete presentation of all relevant information. The proceedings of the Hearing Panel shall be confidential. A professional stenographer shall take and transcribe written notes of the proceedings, which shall be maintained in confidence by the Chair. No tape recorders, other than the stenographer's, shall be permitted at these proceedings.
Following the presentation of the evidence and testimony, the Hearing Panel shall deliberate privately and determine the recommendation to be submitted to the Dean. The stenographer is not required for these deliberations. The Chair of the Hearing Panel shall submit to the appropriate Dean the written recommendation, its basis, and a transcript of the proceedings within five working days of the Hearing Panel's decision. A copy of the recommendation, and its basis shall be submitted simultaneously to the accused and to the Department Head involved. These persons may, at their request, receive a transcript of the entire proceedings.
Any member of the panel who dissents from the recommendation may submit his/her reasons in writing when the recommendation is submitted to the appropriate Dean.
F. Recommendations of the Hearing Panel
Should the Hearing Panel find that evidence does not support the charges, no mention of the accusations or proceedings shall be made on the student's permanent record. Should a student be found guilty, the Hearing Panel shall submit a recommendation of penalty to the appropriate Dean. The Dean of the School of Medicine or the Dean of the School of Graduate Studies may accept or reject the recommendation, in whole or in part, or may remand the matter to the Hearing Panel for further investigation, if appropriate.
One of the following penalties shall be imposed upon students found guilty of violations by the Hearing Panel:
1) Failure in the course
2) Failure in the course with suspension from school for one year.
3) Expulsion from school at LSUHSC-Shreveport.
Upon the Dean=s concurrence with the recommendation of the Hearing Panel, the Registrar will place a notation of the designated penalty on the student=s academic transcript. The notation will consist of the statement of penalty assigned (from the above list), naming the course involved, if any, followed by:
AResult of an Honor Code Hearing, <month>/<day>/<year>.@
III. Appeals
A student may appeal the decision of the appropriate Dean to the Chancellor of the Health Sciences Center. If there is an appeal, the transcript of the hearing, the recommendations of the Hearing Panel, and the decision of the Dean shall be transmitted to the Chancellor for review. The disposition of the case by the Chancellor of the Health Sciences Center shall be final.
IV. Amendments
Any member of the student body or faculty may propose amendments to the Honor Code described herein. Ratification of the proposed amendments shall require approval by two-thirds of the Student Honor Council, a simple majority of those voting from the student body, and a simple majority of a quorum of the General Faculty.
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This revision was ratified as specified above: Approved by Student Honor Council, Student Body, and finally by the General Faculty at the May 20, 1997 meeting. In addition, the Elected Faculty Council and the Administrative Council have approved the amendments.