The Associate Deans Council, with the support of the provost and deans, has been working on a proposal for the establishment of an academic honor code and an Academic Integrity Council.

Currently, Loyola does not have an academic honor code. In adopting an honor code, students would be required to sign a pledge of academic integrity and promise to hold themselves and their peers to the highest standards of academic honesty and integrity.

While professors may refer to standards of academic behavior, they each have various academic standards listed on their respective syllabuses. Further, while academic honesty standards are currently set forth in the Student Handbook, the degree of acknowledgement toward them varies across campus.

According to the draft proposal written by the Associate Deans Council, the Academic Honor Code “will assist in creating a campus-wide culture of academic integrity and provide clarity to the university policies and procedures that are currently in place.”

Judith Hunt, associate dean for the College of Humanities and Natural Sciences, said that there are several reasons for an honor code at the university.

“Our students are extremely ethical and deeply committed to academic integrity and to have an honor code that reaffirms and supports their values is important,” Hunt said. “Moreover, to have a campus-wide group of students, faculty and staff educating and advising the community on matters of academic integrity supports the university mission.”

The Academic Integrity Council would oversee the undergraduate honor code. The council would also, according to the draft proposal, “adjudicate cases and educate the university community on all matters of academic integrity.”

The council would be composed of 14 members: two administrators (one from Student Records and the other from Student Affairs), one faculty representative and two student representatives from each undergraduate college.

Currently, the proposal has been approved by the Associate Deans Council, reviewed by the Council of Chairs and presented to the Provost’s Council, SGA and the Faculty Senate.

“Revisions will continue based on the comments of the SGA and the Faculty Senate,” Hunt said. “While I do not know when (or if) it will be passed, it is my hope that we could possibly have it in place for the fall.”

Judith Corro can be reached at [email protected]