To help maintain an atmosphere of mutual trust and confidence among students and faculty and to ensure that each student is judged solely according to his or her own merits, the Lawrence University community has established the following honor code:
No Lawrence student will unfairly advance his or her own academic performance nor will the student in any way intentionally limit or impede the academic performance or intellectual pursuits of other students of the Lawrence community.
The Lawrence community firmly believes in the academic atmosphere this Honor Code is intended to ensure. An academic honor system secures freedoms, conveniences, and privileges that otherwise would not be available to students, creating an atmosphere in which they can learn without constant surveillance.
Students are responsible for understanding the Honor Code, particularly as the Honor Council provides extensive information to all students. The council does not consider ignorance or negligence as excuses when determining whether or not an Honor Code violation has occurred.
Pledge and Reaffirmation
As members of the Lawrence University community, students are required to sign the following Honor Pledge. By doing so, they affirm their belief in the value of the stipulations of the system:
"I hereby affirm that I understand and accept the responsibilities and stipulations of the Lawrence University Honor System."
Furthermore, students must reaffirm the Honor Code by writing "I reaffirm the Lawrence University Honor Pledge," followed by their signatures, on all submitted work.
Honor Council
The Honor System is administered by the Honor Council, which consists of ten students. The Council is responsible for educating the Lawrence community about the Honor Code and for acting as a judicial body when suspected violations occur. The dean of student academic services serves as a non-voting administrative advisor to the Honor Council.
Every member of the Lawrence community is responsible for upholding the Honor System. If a member of the community suspects a violation, he or she has two options: to contact the faculty member involved, the dean of student academic services, or a member of the Honor Council, or to discuss the concerns directly with the student involved. The reporting of a suspected violation does not commit the student to pursuing additional action.