Medical Student Honor Code Council

The Medical Student Honor Code Council (hereinafter referred to as the Council) will conduct fair and impartial hearings regarding honor code violation complaints referred to the Council by the Associate Dean for Student Affairs. The Council will consist of nine members:

  • three faculty members (appointed for two-year term by the Dean of Wright State University Boonshoft School of Medicine, hereinafter referred to as the Dean of Medicine)
  • four students (elected annually by each medical school class, one delegate and one alternate per class)
  • the Associate Dean for Student Affairs (hereinafter referred to in this section as the Associate Dean) or his/her administrative appointee
  • the chair (an impartial administrator or faculty member appointed by the Associate Dean)
  • a "quorum" is defined as the majority of the voting committee members

Violations

Since it is not possible to predict all conceivable instances of honor code violations, students have the responsibility always to act in a professional manner and to seek clarification from appropriate sources if they suspect their or that of another student's actions may be in conflict with the goals and intended spirit of the honor code.

Violations of the code, include, but are not limited to:

  • Breach of patient confidentiality. Confidentiality violations include sharing or posting of patient information or photos from any clinical setting anywhere in the world.
  • Plagiarism of material or misrepresenting submitted work as being a product of a student's own personal creative effort. When written sources of information are used, whether from the medical literature or the internet, students must reference them appropriately.
  • Sharing, reproducing, and/or removing secure assessment materials. Such violations are grounds for immediate dismissal.
  • Cheating for personal advantage or giving unauthorized academic aid to other students by any method in order to leverage grades, meet deadlines, or complete assigned clinical tasks.
  • Falsifying clinical reports, patient records, university materials or experimental research data.
  • Conducting research involving human subjects anywhere in the world without assuring it has met requirements for ethics review.
  • Restricting access to reference materials used by students to prepare for examinations or clinical assignments. Medical Student Handbook 2017-2018 12
  • Fraudulently assisting or knowingly misleading another student in order to place one in academic jeopardy.
  • Sexual, physical, mental, and any form of verbal abuse/harassment of patients, peers, faculty, staff, or any others.
  • Theft or malicious damage of property, including computer hacking. • The use, possession, theft, or sale of illicit drugs or inappropriate use of prescription drugs (e.g. narcotics).
  • Participating in any clinical or academic activities while impaired as a result of ingesting alcohol or mood-altering drugs on school, hospital, or clinical premises.
  • Misrepresentation of a student's status as a physician or resident.
  • Failure to personally fulfill mandatory clinical duties, responsibilities and/or assignments, or to leave clinical placements during assigned hours without permission.

Reporting Violations of the Honor Code

For concerns about unprofessional or self-destructive behaviors of peers, including substance abuse, addictions, on- or off-campus or on the internet, concerned observers should use mature judgment when addressing honor code violations or other concerns.

If this self-regulating person-to-person interaction does not resolve the concern, the observer should report it as soon as possible, with specific details to the most relevant person in authority, whether an examination proctor, faculty member, preceptor, course director, ombudsperson or follow the University policy found at Wright State Raider Cares.

If concerns remain, the observer should speak with the Associate Dean and provide all available material evidence or documentation that substantiates the alleged violation.

  • Academic dishonesty: copies of the student's work with a written explanation should be provided.
  • Misconduct on an examination: a copy of the examination and details regarding the process of discovery should be provided.
  • Plagiarism: copies of the original source with the plagiarized text highlighted should be provided.

Administrative Responsibilities

  1. The Associate Dean assesses the evidence supporting the alleged violation (to protect the student from slander and/or libel, defamation of character or unsubstantiated allegations) and determines if sufficient cause for investigation exists. The Associate Dean attempts to resolve the concern when the evidence is judged insufficient to warrant formal investigation by the Council.
  2. The Associate Dean will be circumspect in reviewing allegations and in interacting with faculty and students and will maintain strict confidentiality while investigating allegations of improper behavior.
  3. The Associate Dean will notify the chair of the Council within seven working days when referring a reported violation and schedule a meeting of the Council within 30 days of the filing of the report, unless the academic schedule precludes convening the Council. If the Council cannot be convened because of breaks in the academic calendar, honor code violations may be referred to the Student Promotion Committee or the Deans’ Council.
  4. If in the course of investigating student misconduct the Associate Dean observes conduct by a student that requires immediate intervention, he/she may do so to protect the welfare of the student or of others. If indicated a formal hearing by the Council will be scheduled as soon as possible following such action.
  5. The Associate Dean, at his or her discretion, may elect to refer complaints involving professionalism, including alleged honor code violations, to the Deans’ Council or the Student Promotion Committee, rather than the Honor Code Council.

Honor Code Council Procedures

  1. At least seven days in advance of the Honor Code Council meeting, the student charged with a violation will be given written notification in person, via electronic mail (request delivery and read receipts), and/or by certified mail of the date, time, and location of the hearing. This written notification will include a description of the alleged violation, a copy of the Medical Student Professional Honor Code, a list of the Council members, and the names of any witnesses who will give testimony at the hearing. If the student chooses not to appear before the Council as notified, the hearing will be conducted in the student's absence.
  2. Prior to the hearing, the student has the right to challenge the objectivity of a member by communicating to the Council chair or the Associate Dean in writing. The chair may consult with the Associate Dean and the Council member in question to determine if the Council member should be disqualified. Members of the Council who believe they have a conflict of interest may disqualify themselves. If a student member of the Council is disqualified, the designated alternate will replace the disqualified member.
  3. The student may select a faculty or administrative advisor to assist prior to and during the hearing.
  4. The student's appearance before the Council is a confidential academic hearing and not a legal proceeding. Therefore, an attorney may not accompany the student.
  5. In order to preserve the integrity of the testimony presented at the Council hearing, the Office of Student Affairs will audio tape the sessions and archive the printed summary.
  6. The student is encouraged to present a written and/or verbal rebuttal to the allegations and may ask witnesses to be present. Evidence supporting the allegation(s) will be presented at the hearing.
  7. The student or assistant may question witnesses.
  8. At the conclusion, Council members will deliberate in private and make a recommendation by majority vote. The chair will not vote except in the event of a tie.
  9. The Council may consider previous infractions of the Honor Code, including infractions determined by the Student Promotions Committee or other relevant academic committees, in arriving at a recommendation.
  10. The Council may take one of the following actions:
  • No corrective action when there is insufficient evidence to support the allegation of an Honor Code violation.
  • A sealed written reprimand to be placed in the student's academic file that chronicles the violation. The reprimand will remain sealed and will be destroyed after the student's graduation if there are no further honor code violations.
  • A written reprimand to be placed in the student's academic file that chronicles the violation. This information can be included in the student's Medical Student Performance Evaluation (Dean's letter) at the discretion of the Council and remain a permanent component of the student's file.
  • Require the student to seek professional assistance at the student’s expense.
  • Require specific conditions that must be fulfilled to continue as a student.
  • Require the student's examination/report/product or experience to be discarded, that an incomplete be assigned to the academic record, and that the student be required to satisfactorily complete compensatory work or be re- evaluated on relevant facts to demonstrate a mastery of the material.
  • Require that a course/clerkship grade of F or “No Pass” be assigned. The student's remedy for the failing grade will be to repeat the entire course with a notation of "Failed Course Due to Academic Dishonesty" appearing on the transcript. The Council has the option of expunging this notation from the student's transcript at a later date or upon graduation.
  • Require a temporary suspension with the notation of "Suspended for Violation of Honor Code" permanently placed on the student’s transcript.
  • Recommend to the Dean of Medicine permanent dismissal with the notation of "Dismissed for Violation of Honor Code" placed on the student’s transcript.
  • The student will be notified verbally and/or in writing of the final decision of the Medical Student Honor Code Council.

Appeal of a Non-Dismissal Decision by the Council

Students may request a formal appeal of all or part of a decision of the Council after receiving written notification of the Council's recommendation and consulting with the Associate Dean. The request for an appeal should be submitted in writing to the Associate Dean within seven working days of the receipt of the Council's recommendation. The written request should describe the specific reasons for the appeal, including any special or mitigating circumstances, and additional relevant information that was not available for consideration at the initial hearing.

An Honor Code violation that the student alleges to have been an error in judgment is not an appropriate basis for requesting an appeal. Claims that policies are unclear will be reviewed at the discretion of the Council.

Requests for an appeal will be considered for the following reasons:

  • Procedural error during the investigation and/or the hearing.
  • Clear evidence of a Council member's bias against the student due to discrimination on the basis of race, gender, religion, national origin, physical handicap, age, sexual orientation, or political affiliation or belief.
  • Previously unreported mitigating circumstances or evidence that is newly discovered.

The appeal will be heard at the next meeting of the Council or within 30 days of receiving the written request. The student will be given written notification in person, by electronic mail (request delivery and read receipts), or by certified mail of the date, time, and location of the appeal at least seven days in advance of the meeting. The student may request to appear before the Council and may be accompanied and assisted by a member of the university faculty or administration. The student's appeal appearance before the Council is a confidential academic hearing and not a legal proceeding; therefore, an attorney may not accompany the student.

The Council's recommendation regarding the appeal will be final.

Appeal of a Recommendation for Dismissal

When requested by the Dean of Medicine the Student Appeals Committee will consider student appeals of dismissal recommendations made by the Student Promotions Committee, the Honor Council, the School’s Deans’ Council, or other relevant committees empowered to make such recommendations.

The Student Appeals Committee consists of four faculty appointed for a four-year term and one student appointed for a one-year term by the Dean of Medicine. The members cannot simultaneously serve on the Student Promotion Committee, Honor Council, or Deans’ Council.The Associate Dean of Student Affairs and Admissions or designee is an ex-officio member of the committee. The Dean of Medicine designates one member of the Student Appeals Committee to serve as chair. The Dean of Medicine may, with the concurrence of the majority of the committee members, appoint an additional faculty member for a one-year term.

  1. The Office of Student Affairs and Admissions will notify the student in writing of a recommendation for dismissal. The notification will indicate the reasons for the recommendation and provide the student with an opportunity to request an appeal in writing within seven working days of receipt of the notice. Failure to request an appeal within the allotted time renders the recommendation final.
  2. The Associate Dean of Student Affairs and Admissions will convene the Student Appeals Committee within 20 working days of receiving the request for an appeal. After reviewing all relevant evidence, the Student Appeals Committee will give the student an opportunity to present information warranting reconsideration of the recommendation. The student may be accompanied and assisted by a member of the university faculty or administration at the appeal. The student's appearance before the Student Appeals Committee is a confidential academic hearing and not a legal proceeding; therefore, an attorney may not accompany the student.
  3. The Student Appeals Committee will deliberate and by majority vote confirm or reject the recommendation for dismissal. The committee chair will not vote except in the event of a tie. If the committee is unable to reach consensus, a verdict of “no recommendation” will be forwarded to the Dean of Medicine with a detailed explanation of the deliberations. The committee’s decision and all relevant evidence will be forwarded in writing to the Dean of Medicine.
  4. The Dean of Medicine will review the evidence and notify the student by certified letter of the Dean’s decision.
  5. A student may appeal the Dean of Medicine’s decision to the Provost of the University. The student’s written appeal must be submitted to the Provost within seven working days of receiving the Dean of Medicine’s written decision. The Provost’s decision is final. Failure to appeal within the allotted time renders the Dean of Medicine’s decision final.

Approved by Executive Committee 6/8/2006.

Last edited on 12/13/2023.