About the Honor Code

The CU-Boulder Honor Code system includes several organized bodies working in conjunction to orchestrate a fair process. The responsibilities of governing such a code falls on various committees and positions:

• Honor Code Council
• Campus Ethics Committee
• Vounteer Pool ( that composes the Hearing Panel, Investigators, and Educators)
• Appeals Board

Honor Code Council

The Honor Code Council is comprised of mostly students. The Honor Council is composed of at least four students in the roles of Chairperson, Adjudication Director, Director of Student Education, and Director of Facutly Education. The two non student positions on the Council are the Faculty Advisor and the Honor Council Advisor (Vice Chancellor for Student Affarirs).

The Honor Council is responsible for the maintenance and oversight of all Honor Code operations and procedures including, but not limited to, accusations and appeals. They consider student and faculty concerns and implement those ideas where appropriate. Students interested in applying for the Honor Council must first turn in an application to the Honor Council Office. The Honor Code Council reviews applications and conducts interviews, if necessary, and recommends candidates to the Campus Ethics Committee. The Campus Ethics Committee then appoints the new members based on applications and the recommendations of the previous Honor Code Council. Applicants are voted in by majority vote of the Campus Ethics Committee.

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Campus Ethics Committee (CEC)

The CEC is composed of an undergraduate student from each college/school (determined by that college/school), a University of Colorado Student Union representative, an Alumni Representative, a United Government of Graduate Students representative, a faculty representative from the Boulder Faculty Assembly, the Academic Ethics Chairs from each college/school, the Faculty Advisor, and the Honor Council Advisor. Members of the Honor Council sit on the committee as ex-officio members and the Chair of the Honor Council sits as the Chair of the Campus Ethics Committee. The Purpose of the CEC is to provide input, recommendations, and ideas pertaining to the Honor Code, to advise faculty as to academic integrity, and to promote the discussion of honor and integrity at the University of Colorado at Boulder.

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Volunteer Pool

Hearing Panel

The Hearing Panel is composed of three student panel members and the Adjudication Director from the Honor Council. The Adjudication Director trains the panel members. Student representation on the hearing panel is required from both the accused student’s college/school, and the college/school where the alleged violation occurred. If the accused is a graduate student, at least two graduate student representatives must be on the panel. The Adjudication Director of the Honor Council chairs the Hearing Panel and votes only in the case of a tie. The role of the Hearing Panel is to decide on accusations of Honor Code violations and to determine an appropriate sanction if a violation is found.

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Investigators

Case investigators are assigned to each accusation of academic dishonesty. A case investigators using techniques and skills acquired through training in order to collect information regarding the reported accusation. The case investigator submits a case investigation report which is then reviewed by the Adjudication Director who determines whether there is sufficient evidence to proceed with a hearing.

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Educators

Educators are used campus wide to do informational presentations regarding the honor code. If your interested in having educators present please email the honor code at honor@colorado.edu.

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Appeals Board

The Appeals Board is composed of the Honor Council Chair, as the facilitator and vote tie-breaker, the Academic Ethics Chair of the accused student’s school/college, the student on the Campus Ethics Committee from the accused student’s school/college, the University of Colorado Student Union representative to the Campus Ethics Committee (the United Government of Graduate Students representative if the accused is a graduate student), and the Associate/Assistant Dean from the student’s primary school/college (or another individual designated by the Dean in the event that the Associate/Assistant Dean is also the Ethics Chair). The Appeals Board makes decisions regarding appeals submitted by students or faculty members based on decisions made by the Hearing Panel.

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