The Council

A. Composition
B. Election Procedures
C. Training & the Council Effect
D. Duties of Members
E. Vacancies
F. Impeachement of Council Members

I. The Undergraduate Honor Council

1. Composition: The Council shall consist of twenty-four (24) members of the Undergraduate student body, eight (8) from the sophomore class, eight (8) from the junior class, and eight (8) from the senior class.  Members must be enrolled at the college, maintain a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.0, and not be found guilty of an Honor offense or responsible of a serious judicial offense, or they will be subject to impeachment.  The Council in consultation with the Assistant Dean for Judicial Affairs, through a simple majority vote, shall make determination of a “serious judicial offense”.

2. Election Procedures:
   1. Elections shall be conducted annually, by the Elections Committee and will consist of non-returning members of the Honor Council.  The committee will be chaired by an Elections Committee Chair, generally the undergraduate Honor Council Vice-Chair. If the Vice-Chair is a junior and/or intends to serve again on Council, s/he must designate a non-returning member of the Honor Council to chair the Elections Committee.
   2. All undergraduate students in the rising sophomore, rising junior, and rising senior classes are eligible to submit an application to run for the Honor Council.
   3. The Elections Committee will advertise and hold meetings for those interested in running for Council approximately one (1) month prior to Election Day.  Those meetings will discuss Honor Council responsibilities and application procedures.
   4. Honor Council Application
      1. The Application Form should consist of the following: A general information sheet, a case study, an essay question about an aspect of the Honor Code, a case study, and two recommendation forms completed by College officials.  An official of the College must complete at least one of the letters of recommendation. “College officials” may include professors, administrators and other college staff (OAs and RAs).  The Application Form is due approximately two (2) weeks after the last information meeting, on a date selected by the Elections Committee.
      2. The Application Forms from candidates shall be reviewed by the Nominating Committee, consisting of the Assistant Dean of Students for Judicial Affairs, one (1) faculty member, one (1) member of the student body at large, and two (2) non-returning members of the Honor Council. The Elections Chair (either the Vice-Chair or his/her designee) shall serve as one of the members of the Nominating Committee.  The Nominating Committee shall have no other members from the current Elections Committee. The Nominating Committee should meet to discuss candidates after application forms have been submitted. The Nominating Committee will, by four-fifths (4/5) vote, remove a candidate from the ballot if:
         1. The applicant has been found guilty of an honor violation.
         2. The applicant has been found responsible for a serious judicial violation. Determination of a “serious judicial violation” shall be granted to the Nominating Committee in consultation with the Assistant Dean for Judicial Affairs.
         3. A recommendation form submitted by a college official reflects negatively on the applicant.
         4. The applicant will be unable to perform his/her duties for more than 15% of the elected term.
   5. Once the ballot is announced, the Elections Committee will promote
      all candidates through available media.  Candidates may not campaign individually and may be removed from the ballot by a majority vote of the Elections Committee for illegal campaigning. Candidates may not promote the election using listservs.
   6. Polling shall be conducted by the Student Information Network (SIN) electronic online voting system through a simple majority voting system. Write-in candidates should be prohibited when possible.  Students are eligible to vote for candidates in all social classes and may cast up to eight (8) votes per class.  A ballot with more than eight (8) votes per class is void.  Voting more than once is considered an Honor Code violation.
   7. The Elections Committee shall certify the results after voting ends on the day of Honor Council elections.  The eight (8) candidates from each class holding the plurality of the votes shall be considered elected.  The chair of the Elections Committee shall notify the Council-elect and those candidates not elected.  A candidate may ask for a recount or contest the election for good reason, as determined by the Elections Committee.
   
   
3. Training & The Council-Elect
   1. Honor Council training and orientation shall be conducted the first Saturday after Student Elections Day. Training shall be organized and conducted by the Training Committee.
   2. The Council-elect should be sworn in as a sitting Council (the New Council) within two (2) weeks of the certification of the election results.  The New Council and the Old Council shall sit concurrently for a forty-five (45) day period, so that the New Council members may be trained.  During this period, the officers elected by the New Council shall conduct administrative duties.
      
      
4. Duties of Members: Duties are required of each Council member. Failure to fulfill any of the below duties or any other policy of the Honor Council will result in impeachment.
   1. Office Hours
      1. Members of the Honor Council are required to sit an office hours during the week in order to take turn-ins, answer questions, and assist in the upkeep and maintenance of the office.
      2. Office hours are held from 10:00am-3:00pm, Monday-Friday when the College is in regular session.
      3. Members who must miss an office hour should notify the Secretary beforehand that s/he must miss an office hour and try to find another Council member who is available to sit for that hour.
      4. Members that miss 3 office hours will be brought up for impeachment by the chair.  Impeachment procedures will follow those outlined in Section F.
1. Attendance at Weekly Business Meetings:
   1. Members are required to attend weekly business meetings.
   2. The Secretary shall take the roll at each weekly meeting, noting the absence of any member.
   3. Members who must miss the weekly business meeting should notify the Secretary via email by 8:00pm the night of the meeting.
   4. Members must make every reasonable effort to arrive at meeting promptly.  If a member arrives more than 5 minutes late, the secretary will take note and record the member as tardy.  If a member is tardy without excuse twice in a given term, it will count as one absence from weekly business meeting.  As per usual policy, after three absences the member may be brought up for impeachment. 
   5. Members that miss 3 unexcused business meetings will be brought up for impeachment by the chair.  Impeachment procedures will follow those outlined in Section F.
   6. The determination of unexcused absences will be left to the discretion of the chair.
2. Assistance with Education Initiatives
   1. Members of the Honor Council must assist with the education of the College community by participating in Orientation, hall meetings, and faculty outreach as planned by the Education, Orientation, Rules, and Faculty-Liaison Committees.
3. Committee Participation:
   1. Members of the Honor Council must sit on committees, both annual and hearing, in order for the Council to function well.
       
5. Vacancies: Should a member of the Honor Council not return to the College for any reason, resign his/her seat, or be removed from Council, the seat should be considered vacant.  The Council may nominate and elect a member of the undergraduate student body, who is in good academic standing and who has not been found guilty of an Honor offense or responsible of a serious judicial offense, to fill the seat until the next annual election.

6. Impeachment of Council Members
   1. Removal from Council
      1. An Honor Council member may be removed from the council for violations of the Honor Code, serious judicial violations, failure to comply with the Honor Council Bylaws and policy set by the Honor Council, or negligence in duties incumbent upon a member of the Council.
   2. Procedure for Removal
      1. The process for removal must begin with the impeachment of a sitting member. “Impeachment” shall be defined as charging a member of the Undergraduate Honor Council with improper conduct and includes, but is not limited, to violations of the Honor Code, serious judicial violations, failure to comply with the Honor Council Bylaws and policy set by the Council, or negligence in duties incumbent upon a member of the Council. “Serious judicial violations” shall be defined by the consensus of the Council in consultation with the Office of the Dean of Students.
      2. The Chair shall examine any recommendations brought from the Council. At the next business meeting s/he will give a presentation of the causes for impeachment and lead a discussion regarding the accused with the accused absent. All discussion is to be kept in strict confidentiality.
      3. The Chair shall record a vote on the matter at the next weekly business meeting.
      4. A vote of two-thirds (2/3) of all Council members is required to remove a member.  The member facing removal may not vote.