College of Optometry (CO) 2023–2024 126 Section 2. Procedures for Handling Suspected Violations 1. Students and faculty and staff members in the CO are honor bound to report suspected violations of the CO Rules of Conduct, in writing, within five business days of the date of discovery of the incident in question to the chair of the Honor Council. Alternately, a student or a faculty or staff member may report a suspected violation to the dean or instructor of record, who then reports directly to the coordinator of the Honor Council. In the absence of the associate dean for Academic Affairs, either the chair of didactic education or clinical education will lead the honor council. 2. A person who suspects a CO Rules of Conduct violation has the right to clarify such suspicion by confronting the student immediately at the time of the occurrence and advising the student to terminate the unethical action or practice. It is recommended that this discussion take place in the presence of a witness whenever possible. 3. U pon the receipt of an allegation of a CO Rules of Conduct infraction, the chair of the Honor Council will review the allegation to determine whether it is germane to the CO Rules of Conduct and, if so, the specific charge(s) to be adjudicated. 4. If it is determined that a hearing is required, the coordinator will • notify the accused student and the instructor of record (if the instructor of record was not the individual reporting the suspected violation) in writing of the specific charge(s) and schedule a hearing with the Honor Council as soon as possible • meet with the student to discuss Honor Council procedures • schedule the hearing • provide members of the Honor Council and the accused student copies of the written allegation of the CO Rules of Conduct infraction and any accompanying materials • notify the accused student, person submitting the allegation, and any witnesses in writing of the hearing date, time, and location at least five days prior to the hearing. (Note: The accused student may waive this five-day notice if desired. All notifications shall be delivered in person or via first class or certified mail to the student’s address as reported to the university registrar.) Section 3. Hearing Procedures Although Honor Council hearing procedural requirements are not as formal as those existing in criminal or civil courts of law, to ensure fairness, the following procedures will apply: 1. The Honor Council chair will conduct the hearing. 2. A quorum of four Honor Council members (two students and two faculty members) is required to conduct a hearing and vote. 3. T he Honor Council will solicit, hear, and consider all relevant evidence from the instructor of record for the course in which a suspected infraction occurred, the student accused of the violation, and any other source that may bear on the suspected violation (in the judgment of the Honor Council chair).
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