Article I—Purpose and Definitions

SECTION 1. Purpose

The purpose of the Honor Council shall be to foster a spirit of honor at Rhodes College, and to act upon cases of cheating, stealing, or lying in official matters, or the failure on the part of students to report such violations in connection with academic work or campus life.

The Honor Council’s role at Rhodes College is to maintain a system which is symbolic of the perpetual commitment of this institution to the values of truth and honesty. The Honor Council recognizes that the Honor System is more than a guide to campus life; it is a guide to ethical life, both during and after college.

SECTION 2. Definitions

1. The term “student” includes any person admitted to Rhodes College or enrolled or scheduled to be enrolled in a course for academic credit through Rhodes, both full-time and part-time, pursuing undergraduate or graduate studies. Persons who are not officially enrolled for a particular term but have a continuing relationship with Rhodes College are considered “students.”
2. The term “faculty member” means  a person who teaches a course offered for academic credit by an institution of higher education, including teaching assistants, instructors, lab assistants, research assistants, lecturers, assistant professors, associate professors, and full professors.
3. The term “Rhodes College official” includes any person employed by Rhodes College, performing assigned administrative or professional responsibilities. Rhodes College officials include, without limitation, administrators, faculty, and campus safety officers; and resident assistants, Honor Council members and Community Standards Council members when acting in an official capacity.
4. The term "member of the Rhodes College community” includes any person who is a student, faculty member, Rhodes College official, or any other person employed by Rhodes College. A person’s status in a particular situation shall be determined by the OCS Administrator for the Honor Council upon consultation with the Honor Council President.
5. The term “Rhodes College premises” includes all land, buildings, facilities, and other property in the possession of or owned, used, or controlled by the College (including adjacent streets and sidewalks).
6. The term “organization (or Registered Student Organization)” means any group of persons who have fulfilled the formal requirements for Rhodes College recognition.
7. The term “Honor Council” means the governing body of students elected by the student body of Rhodes College or, in the case of a mid-year vacancy, selected by the council by application to implement and interpret the Honor Code, including, without limitation, determining whether or not a student has violated the Honor Code and to impose outcomes.
8. The term “pledge” refers to the statement: “As a member of the Rhodes College community, I pledge my full and steadfast support to the Honor System and agree neither to lie, cheat, nor steal, and to report any such violation that I may witness.” Although this pledge may not be written explicitly on a particular assignment, it is implicit in every assignment or activity completed at Rhodes College, as the initial Honor Code signing before the beginning of the student’s first year at Rhodes binds him or her to the Honor System.
9. The term “Faculty Appeals Committee” means the group of faculty members authorized by Rhodes College to consider an appeal of the Honor Council’s decision that a student has violated the Honor Code or an appeal of the outcome imposed on a student by the Honor Council.
10. The term “OCS Administrator for the Honor Council” means the person designated by the administration of Rhodes College to serve as a liaison from the Honor Council to the administration and to consult with the Honor Council President concerning matters of Honor Council business. The OCS Administrator shall not attend or participate in Honor Council hearings.
11. The term “Eligible Voting Member” means a council member serving as a class representative, and who is not serving a special role (including but not limited to investigator, advisor, acting secretary, etc.) during the hearing. 
12. The term “shall” is used in the imperative sense.
13. The term “may” is used in the permissive sense.
14. The term “Honor Code” refers to the rules regarding proscribed conduct set forth in Article III of the Honor Council Constitution.
15. The term “Advisor” refers to a member of the Council who has been selected by/for the Respondent. The President of the Honor Council shall not act as an Advisor in any case.  The Advisor’s role is limited to informing the Respondent of Honor Council procedures and answering any questions about those procedures. The Advisor is foremost a member of the Honor Council and does not represent the .respondent
16. The term “Respondent (or Charged Student)” refers to a Student (also referred to as a Charged Student) who has received notice of allegations detailing a potential violation of the Honor Code.
17. The term “Complainant (or Reporting Party)” refers to Respondent An individual who submits a report or referral against a Student alleging misconduct under the Honor Code.
18. The term “Witness” refers to  A person who has knowledge of facts or circumstances pertaining to an alleged violation.
19. The term “Investigator” refers to the member of the Honor Council designated by the President to investigate a reported Honor Code violation and present evidence to the Council of such investigation.  An Investigator may be present at  Honor Council deliberations on a matter for which they did the investigation in order to clarify facts, but may not deliberate or vote on that matter.
20. The term “source” refers to, without limitation, class textbooks, other books, journals, newspapers, magazines, information obtained electronically, and other persons’ work.
21. The term “documentary evidence” refers to emails, texts, social media, images, or other documents, whether in hard-copy or electronic format, presented to the Honor Council to determine the outcome of a hearing.