The Honor Committee amended a bylaw to extend time for the Panel for Sanction to convene from three days to one week during their meeting Sunday. The Committee also considered the logistics of an information-gathering survey to record student perspectives of the Honor system. The meeting had 21 out of 29 members present, meaning the Committee could vote on matters concerning the constitution or bylaws.
Carson Breus, vice chair for sanctions and fourth-year Commerce student, proposed the bylaw change. He said the change would be more optimal for students and give them more time to process their guilty verdict.
“Overall, I think we've noticed from the student side and from the Committee side that having a panel for sanction within three days can be very stressful and can feel rushed,” Breus said. “The students need time to process their guilty verdict and prepare their defense.”
Following Breus’s proposal, the Committee brought the proposal to vote. The bylaw change was approved with all members voting unanimously in favor.
Next, the Committee discussed the logistics of their post-semester information gathering survey to gauge student perception of Honor. The survey would be sent out following the end of the finals period in December, and would close on the first day of class next semester.
Laura Howard, vice chair for hearings and third-year College student, said student perspective of AI could be gauged through the survey. The Committee has yet to officially outline formal policies regarding AI in their constitution or bylaws, but AI usage in Honor cases has been discussed at length by the Committee.
“One thing a lot of people have been talking about this semester is the use of AI,” Howard said. “I think it could be useful to learn how people are using it, why or why not they are using it, and any information we can get on AI.”
The Committee has also partnered with groups such as the Generative AI in Teaching and Learning Task Force to make recommendations regarding the use of AI and how Honor might regulate its usage. The University formed the GENAI Task Force to investigate how AI relates to academic integrity.
“I’d love to hear from a student perspective how clear professors are on their AI policy,” Rachel Liesegang, vice chair for the undergraduate community and fourth-year College student, said. “Like if they said anything in class, if [the guidelines] are more implicit, etcetera.”
Most professors have begun to include a section on their syllabi with a policy of AI use in the classroom. These regulations range from disallowing AI use completely to encouraging AI use with proper citation.
The Committee also considered having subtopics that respondents can choose to answer, in addition to the required questions, which would help to open new lines of questioning for students. The Committee has not yet decided on what these subtopics will include.
The Committee will continue to plan and consider the logistics of the survey, such as finalizing the questions that are included in the survey. Graduate Engineering Rep. Kasra Lekan, Second-year Engineering Rep. Alexander Church and Graduate College Rep. Adrian Mamaril will work together to construct the survey. An update will be provided by them within the next two weeks.
Following this, the Committee reviewed the schedule for the international student outreach days after discussing an overrepresentation of international students in Honor cases. At a recent meeting, the Committee formally planned to hold international student outreach days Nov. 27 and Nov. 28 that are meant to engage international students on manners relating to Honor.
The Committee has partnered with international student groups and organizations such as the International Resident College, Multicultural Student Center and more to host eight different events during the outreach days, with four events taking place on each day.
The Committee also heard executive and representative updates. There are currently three active investigations. The Committee adjourned the meeting at their scheduled end time of 8 p.m. The next Honor Committee meeting will be held Sunday at 7 p.m. in the Trial Room of Newcomb Hall.
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