Section One: Honor Code Principle    
    A. Prohibited Conduct    
    B. Student Responsibility    
    C. Faculty and Staff Responsibility    

Section Two: Honor Code Committee Procedures    
    A. Definitions    
    B. Functions and Membership Requirements of the Honor Code Committee    
    C. Preliminary Meeting    
    D. Pre-Hearing Procedures    
    E. Hearing Procedures    
    F. Deliberations and Decision by the Honor Code Committee    
    G. Conduct Dismissal Decision by Vice Dean, Undergraduate Medical Education
   

Section One: Honor Code Principle

Society entrusts the physician with vital responsibilities, including maintaining his or her patients’ health and preventing, diagnosing, and treating disease. In accepting this trust, the medical profession expects its members to act honorably in all endeavors. Practicing physicians, faculty members in academic medical centers, house officers, and medical students must adhere to the highest standards of personal and professional conduct. This Honor Code is intended to promote an atmosphere of confidence and trust among students. The governing philosophy and premise of this Honor Code is that students striving to enter the medical profession are required to adhere to professional and ethical standards.

Every medical student is expected to act with integrity. The guiding principle of academic integrity is that a student’s work must be their own. This Honor Code also requires that all medical students at the University of Arizona College of Medicine – Phoenix (COM-P) act honorably and honestly in all phases of their medical education. This Honor Code recognizes that students at the COM-P will be members of the medical profession and that they also are required to conduct themselves in accordance with the standards and rules applicable to physicians (See A.R.S. § 32-1401, et seq.).

This Honor Code supplements the standards of conduct established in the university’s Student Code of Conduct1 and Academic Integrity2, as stated in the Arizona Board of Regents Policy Manual 5-308 (ABOR Policy 5-308), et seq.; however, the procedures set forth in this Honor Code will be the means by which misconduct will be reported and considered within the COM–P, and how sanctions will be imposed by the COM–P.

1Arizona Board of Regents Student – Code of Conduct
2Dean of Students Office Code of Academic Integrity

A. Prohibited Conduct

Conduct prohibited by this Honor Code consists of all forms of academic dishonesty, including, but not limited to:

  • cheating, fabrication, facilitating academic dishonesty and plagiarism as defined in ABOR Policy 5-308(F); COM-P considers the use of generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools without citation a form of plagiarism and therefore a breach of academic integrity;
  • modifying any academic work to obtain additional credit in the same class unless approved in advance by the faculty member or fellow student;
  • failure to observe rules of academic integrity established by a faculty member for a particular course*;
  • engaging in unprofessional conduct or misconduct related to patient care; and
  • attempting to commit an act prohibited by this Honor Code or ABOR Policy 5-308.

Any attempt to commit an act prohibited by these rules will be subject to sanctions to the same extent as completed acts. It also is a violation of this Honor Code to intentionally falsely accuse a student of an Honor Code violation, to fail to cooperate with an Honor Code Committee (HCC) investigation or meeting or a Student Progress Committee (SPC) proceeding or meeting, or to make any intentional misrepresentations in the Honor Code process.2

B. Student Responsibility

Students engaging in academic dishonesty or unprofessional conduct diminish their education and bring discredit to the academic community and to the medical profession. Students will observe this Honor Code whether or not faculty members establish special rules of academic integrity or conduct for particular classes or whether or not faculty make special efforts to prevent cheating in their individual course(s)*. If a student has reason to believe that another student has violated this Honor Code or ABOR Policy 5-308, they have an obligation to report the incident to the chair of the COM-P’s HCC, as set forth below.

C. Faculty and Staff Responsibility

Faculty and/or staff members will notify students of any special rules of academic integrity or conduct established for a particular course* (e.g., whether or not a faculty member permits collaboration, use of the same paper in more than one class, etc.), and will make every reasonable effort to encourage compliance with the Honor Code. If a faculty or staff member has reason to believe that a student has violated this Honor Code or ABOR Policy 5-308, they have an obligation to report the incident to the chair of the COM-P’s HCC, as set forth below.

Section Two: Honor Code Committee Procedures

A. Definitions

  1. “Advisor” means a faculty member, staff member, or other individual selected by a student for support during a hearing conducted by the HCC. Unless the advisor is an attorney, the advisor may not speak for or on behalf of the student unless the chair asks the advisor to address the committee.
  2. “Attorney” means an individual licensed to practice law in the State of Arizona.
  3. “College” or “COM – P” means the University of Arizona College of Medicine - Phoenix.
  4. “Conduct Dismissal” means dismissal from the COM-P for lack of professionalism, Honor Code violations, lack of academic integrity, or other violations of the Arizona Board of Regents Student Code of Conduct (ABOR Policy 5-308).
  5. “Dismissal” means terminating the student’s enrollment at the college. Once dismissed, a student must reapply for admission through the standard admission procedures. Dismissal occurs at the written direction of the vice dean, undergraduate medical education/or designee.
  6. “Notice” or “Notify” means a written communication emailed to the recipient using the recipient’s official university email address. Recipients may identify an alternate email address to the chair. All time limits are calculated using business days. A notice is deemed received the day after the email date stamp.
  7. “Quorum” means one-half plus one of the eligible voting members of the committee. A voting member is not eligible if they recused themselves from the vote due to a conflict or leave of absence. To conduct business under these procedures, a quorum must be established at the beginning of a presented issue and must remain throughout the vote on that issue.

B. Functions and Membership Requirements of the Honor Code Committee

  1. The HCC is responsible for investigating allegations of academic dishonesty and violations of the Honor Code Policy. If the committee determines that it is more likely than not that a student violated the Honor Code Policy, the committee may impose the following (this list is not exhaustive):
    1. Issue a written warning;
    2. Require that the violation be reflected in the student’s summative letter;
    3. A grade of “fail” on a particular examination or assignment;
    4. A grade of “fail” in a course*;
    5. Recommend to the vice dean, undergraduate medical education/or designee that the student be issued a Conduct Dismissal from the COM-P;
    6. Require the student to complete additional assignments or work with a mentor.
  2. Incidents concerning unprofessional behavior or interactions, violation of clinical site policies (including HIPAA), or other violations that do not fall within the purview of the Honor Code Policy will be referred to the SPC or university dean of students as appropriate.
  3. The HCC is not required to impose progressive discipline or consider lesser action before recommending more serious action.
  4. The HCC is responsible for conducting a periodic review of the Honor Code Policy and, when necessary, recommending changes to the policy or HCC procedures.
  5. The HCC is composed of eleven (11) members, consisting of three (3) faculty and eight students (two from each class).
  6. The dean, student affairs/or designee may attend the HCC’s hearings as an advisor to the committee if requested but does not vote. Each class will elect its student representatives. The dean will appoint the faculty representatives.
    1.  Students on academic probation or who were found in violation of the Honor Code Policy at any time are not eligible to serve on the HCC.
  7. A quorum of one-half plus one of the eligible voting membership of the committee, including at least one faculty member, is required to conduct any meeting or hearing of the HCC.
  8. If a member of the HCC is unable to review a matter objectively then the member may be recused from the matter under consideration and will not be counted as an eligible voting member for purposes of calculating quorum.
  9. The chair will be one of the voting faculty members on the committee and will be appointed by the dean or designee. The term of the chair will be two years.

C. Preliminary Meeting

  1. If a student, faculty, or staff member has reason to believe that a student’s behavior constitutes a violation of this Honor Code or ABOR Policy 5-308, that person will promptly prepare a written statement and deliver it to the chair of the HCC.
  2. The chair will meet with one faculty member on the committee and the dean, student affairs/or designee no later than seven days after receipt of the written statement, unless those individuals are unavailable, in which case, the meeting will occur on the next available workday when all parties are able to meet.
  3. If the consensus of the chair, the faculty member, and the dean, student affairs/or designee is that the allegation, if true, would constitute prohibited conduct under this Honor Code or ABOR Policy 5-308, then the matter will be referred to the HCC for a hearing. The deliberations in this meeting are confidential.
  4. If the consensus of the chair, the faculty member, and the dean, student affairs/or designee is that the allegation, as presented, would not constitute prohibited conduct under the Honor Code or ABOR Policy 5-308, then the matter will not proceed further. The chair of the committee will notify the student who is the subject of the charge and the person providing the written statement that the matter is closed and will not proceed further.
  5. Any matter referred for a hearing may be resolved by agreement with the student who is the subject of the complaint.

D. Pre-Hearing Procedures

  1. If the chair refers a matter to the HCC for a hearing, the chair of the HCC will notify the student who is the subject of concern. The notice will include:
    1. The date, place, and time of the hearing;
    2. A statement of the issue before the committee;
    3. The student’s right to have an advisor present;
    4. The names of the members of the committee who will hear the matter;
    5. The name of the student, faculty member, or staff member who identified the concern;
    6. The date on which documents must be provided to the committee for review; and
    7.  A link to these procedures on the COM-P website.
  2. A student is entitled to no less than 14 days’ notice of the hearing date. The notice period may be shortened at the student’s request.
  3. A student may challenge the participation of any member of the committee on the grounds of personal bias or conflict by submitting a written statement to the chair no less than seven days before the hearing. The chair will make a determination regarding that member’s participation. The decision is final.
  4. By the date identified in the hearing notice letter, the student must provide the chair with any documents or other materials to be considered by the committee during the hearing process. These materials may include a written statement from the student, letters of support, or other relevant documents. The chair may exclude any document the chair determines is irrelevant or repetitious.
  5. By the date identified in the hearing notice letter, the student must provide the chair with the names of any person who will appear as a witness at a hearing and a short description of the information the witness will provide to the committee. The chair may exclude irrelevant or repetitive witnesses or request that witnesses who will provide only general character statements about the student provide a written statement in lieu of appearing.
  6. At least one day prior to the hearing, the chair will provide voting committee members and the student with all documents the committee will consider in making its determination. These documents will include the documents submitted by the student, documents from the student’s educational record, or written statements from unavailable witnesses.
  7. At least one day prior to the hearing the chair will provide voting committee members and the student with a list of all witnesses who will appear at the hearing along with a brief statement of the information the witness is expected to provide.
  8. If the student intends to have an advisor present, the student must inform the chair of the name of the advisor no less than seven days before the hearing. If the advisor is an attorney, the administrator representing the college may also be represented by an attorney selected by the university’s Office of the General Counsel.
  9. A representative of the university’s Office of the General Counsel may attend the hearing and advise the HCC on procedural matters.
  10. If the student does not attend the hearing, the HCC will make a decision based on the available information.

E. Hearing Procedures

  1. Hearings are closed to all individuals except the HCC, the dean, student affairs/or designee, the student, witnesses to the alleged offense, advisors or counsel for the parties, and committee support staff. Witnesses may be excluded from the hearing except when providing information.
  2. The HCC will receive information from the student, the individual(s) with knowledge of the alleged violation, and any other individuals the committee believes would provide relevant information regarding the matter in order to make a determination whether it is more likely than not that the student violated this Honor Code or ABOR Policy 5-308.
  3. The rules of court, administrative law procedures, and open meeting laws do not apply to HCC Hearings. Immaterial deviations from these procedures will not render a decision moot.
  4. All students and hearing participants will be reminded that it is a violation of the Arizona Board of Regents Student Code of Conduct to provide false information to the university, including the HCC.
  5. The chair will set reasonable and equal time limits on the student, administrators, and witnesses to the offense. At any time, the chair may restrict the presentation of information that is irrelevant or overly repetitious.
  6. The audio of the hearing will be recorded. Transcribed by request only.
  7. The chair will ask each witness to the offense to make a statement explaining the conduct in question. At the end of any witness statement, the student may ask questions of that witness.
  8. The chair will then ask the student to present an explanation of the conduct in question. At this time, the student may make a statement, reference documents, or call witnesses in the student’s support.
  9. At any time, committee members may ask questions of the student, the witnesses, or the dean, student affairs/or designee.

F. Deliberations and Decision by the Honor Code Committee

  1. The student and any advisors will be excused prior to deliberations. The committee will then discuss the information provided and presented and decide whether it is more likely than not that the student violated the Honor Code Policy or ABOR Policy 5-308.
  2. Any decision under this section requires that a quorum of the voting members be present. Decisions require a majority vote of that quorum.
  3. If the committee finds the student in violation of the Honor Code Policy or ABOR Policy 5-308, the committee will determine the appropriate disciplinary action(s).
  4. When recommending remedial action or discipline, the HCC may consider the seriousness of the violation, the student’s state of mind, the harm done to the university, to patients, or to other students, if any, and whether the student has previously been found to have engaged in conduct prohibited by the Honor Code or ABOR Policy 5-308.
  5. The committee will issue a written decision within one week of the date of the hearing. The decision will be based only on information provided and presented at the hearing and must include a summary of the information the decision is based on, the conclusions of the committee, and a statement that the decision is supported by a preponderance of the evidence.
  6. The chair will sign the decision on behalf of the committee and will provide a copy of the decision to the student, the vice dean, undergraduate medical education and/or designee, the dean, student affairs/or designee, and the attorneys representing the parties (if any).

G. Conduct Dismissal Decision by Vice Dean, Undergraduate Medical Education

  1. If the HCC recommends that the student be issued a conduct dismissal from the college, the vice dean, undergraduate medical education/or designee will decide whether to accept or modify the recommendation.
  2. The vice dean, undergraduate medical education will give the student notice of the decision within one week of receiving the recommendation of the HCC.
  3. If the vice dean, undergraduate medical education/or designee decides to accept the recommendation of the HCC, the notice to the student will include the basis for the Conduct Dismissal, the date by which the student may appeal to the Student Appeals Committee (SAC), and the date by which the conduct dismissal will be effective if the student does not appeal within the time set forth below.
  4. If the student chooses to appeal the conduct dismissal, the appeal must be submitted within five business days of the notice of the conduct dismissal from the vice dean, undergraduate medical education/or designee. Appeals must follow the parameters outlined in the SAC Procedures.
  5. The HCC is responsible for providing the SAC with a copy of all supporting documentation considered during the hearing, a copy of the recommendation to the vice dean, undergraduate medical education/or designee and the audio recording of the hearing.

Course* = Any component of the curriculum where a grade is earned.

Curriculum Committee
  • Original Approval Date:
    07/8/2013
  • Revision/Reaffirmation Date:
    10/9/2023
  • Current Effective Date:
    07/1/2023