Rice Honor
Rice University

Reporting a Violation

If You Suspect a Violation:

  • Send an email to the Honor Council (honor@rice.edu) or call the Honor Council office at x2426 with any questions you may have about this process.  You will most likely receive a faster response via email.  Any email sent to the Council's address above will be received by the four Council officers, and you should receive a response within 24 hours.

  • Compose a signed letter to the Council detailing the possible violation. Enclose the originals of relevant tests, papers, and any other material evidence you may have. Keep copies of these documents for your files. Also, it is often helpful to save copies of all the tests in a class for statistical comparison. If you have these materials in electronic form, please send them via email (honor@rice.edu). Hard copies can be sent via campus mail (MS 529) or the Council can arrange for someone to pick them up from you, whichever you prefer.

  • Maintain the confidentiality of the accused. Do not tell the accused about the suspected violation; the accused will be notified by the Honor Council after we receive the letter of accusation.

  • The Chair of the Council will inform you of the status of the case after the investigation into the matter.

  • You may be called as a witness if the case progresses to a hearing. Both the accused and the Council will be allowed to ask you questions about the suspected violation. The presence of the accuser is usually only required for about half an hour.

  • Especially in upper level science classes, it is important that the accuser present a detailed explanation of the suspected violation to insure knowledgeable decisions from Council members not familiar with the relevant field of study. During a hearing we may also call another professor as an additional expert witness to give the council more information about difficult subject material.

  • If you are responsible for determining an accused student's grade before the Council has reached a decision, we suggest that you determine the grade as if there were no suspected violation. If the Council determines that a violation did in fact occur, the Council may recommend a grade change to the Assistant Dean of Student Judicial Programs, who will review our decision and enact any changes at that time.

  • If you have any further questions about the Honor System in general or about the progress of your case, do not hesitate to contact the Honor Council (honor@rice.edu) or the Assistant Dean of Student Judicial Programs (Dr. Donald Ostdiek, dho@rice.edu, ext. 4786).