Purpose of the Honor Councils:

Paradoxically, the goal of the honor councils is to render themselves unnecessary. Insofar as they can instill high standards of character within the student body and promote professional ethics, they will for the most part become obsolete. This goal cannot be obtained without the personal involvement of students, administrators, mentors, and faculty. The system requires that students develop academically and morally while being supported by the advice, criticism, enthusiasm, and example of peers, faculty, and mentors.

Each college at MUSC has its own honor council composed of elected members from that college. These honor councils are responsible for educating everyone in their respective colleges on the meaning and importance of the Honor Code, investigating reported infractions within the college and participating in hearings in an unbiased manner.

The presidents of each college's honor council serve as that college's representative on the University Honor Council. The Student Government Association's Vice President of Academic Affairs serves as Chair of the University Honor Council and organizes meetings at least once each semester. The University Honor Council allows sharing of ideas and insights gained from experiences around MUSC so that the individual colleges' honor councils can better perform their duties. The University Honor Council meets at the end of each semester to report and discuss any violations that have occurred during that semester. The presidents of the individual honor councils are to bring a report of all charges, decisions, and sanctions. All names are to be removed from these documents to ensure confidentiality. The Chair of the University Honor Council will compile these reports, remove any reference to college or program, and present this information to the Student Government Association. Any charges, decisions, and sanctions will be posted in the Minutes of the Student Government Association General Meeting and on the University-Wide- Honor Code's website. A student with a not guilty verdict can request to have his or her name included in this report. This forum also allows for reporting violations, decisions, and sanctions while maintaining the privacy of the convicted student.