Investigation Procedures Manual Of The
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Investigation Procedures Manual of the
Stevens Honor System
Created: A. Mackavage 5-31-2010
Contents
Article I. Investigating Committees ...................................................................................................................... 1
Section 1.01 Designation of the Investigation Committee............................................................................ 2
Section 1.02 Role of the IC .................................................................................................................................. 2
Section 1.03 Role of the ICA................................................................................................................................ 2
Article II. Investigation Procedures........................................................................................................................ 2
Section 2.01 Opening an Investigation ............................................................................................................. 2
Section 2.02 Investigatory Meetings ................................................................................................................. 3
Section 2.03 Provisions for Confidential Reporting ........................................................................................ 3
Section 2.04 Provision for Leaving the Institute ............................................................................................. 4
Section 2.05 Dropping a Case ............................................................................................................................. 4
Section 2.06 Confessions..................................................................................................................................... 4
Section 2.07 Hearings .......................................................................................................................................... 4
Section 2.08 Faculty Adjudications.................................................................................................................... 4
Article III. Confidentiality throughout Investigations .......................................................................................... 4
Article IV. Presumption of Innocence..................................................................................................................... 4
Article I. Investigating Committees
Section 1.01 Designation of the Investigation Committee
1. When a case is reported to the Stevens Honor Board, it shall be the Honor Board Chair’s
responsibility to appoint the Investigating Committee.
2. The Chair shall appoint one member to serve as the chair of the Investigating Committee. The
chair of the Investigating Committee shall henceforth be called the IC.
3. The Chair shall appoint one or more members to serve as assistants to the chair of the
Investigation Committee. The assistant to the chair of the Investigating Committee shall
henceforth be called the ICA.
4. No member of the committee can have fraternal, sororal, or social affiliations with the accused
students.
Section 1.02 Role of the IC
The chair of the Investigating Committee shall have the following duties:
1. Maintain a file of all case related information, including, but not restricted to, all hard evidence,
meeting notes, and correspondence.
2. Conduct all correspondence with accused student, accuser, professor, and witnesses. Set up
meetings times with all aforementioned parties.
3. Submit case update forms to the Corresponding Secretary prior to each Honor Board meeting.
4. Present case updates to the general membership of the Honor Board at meetings.
5. At the conclusion of the case, submit the file of case information and a final case report to the
Corresponding Secretary. The Corresponding Secretary shall file it in the Honor Board office.
Section 1.03 Role of the ICA
The assistant to the chair of the Investigating Committee shall have the following duties:
1. Be present at all meetings between the Honor Board and accused student, accuser, professor or
TA, and witnesses and take notes at the meetings.
2. In the absence of the IC, present case updates to th e general membership of the Honor Board at
meetings.
Article II. Investigation Procedures
Section 2.01 Opening an Investigation
After a case has been reported to the Honor Board and the Investigating Committee has been
assigned, the Corresponding Secretary will notify all accused students that they are under
investigation. The IC should not contact the accused students until this notice has been sent, except
in extraordinary circumstances.
Section 2.02 Investigatory Meetings
1. The IC shall set up all meetings during the investigation.
2. At least two Honor Board members must be presen t at all investigatory meetings.
3. Meeting notes should be taken by the ICA at all meetings, and at the conclusion of the meeting,
must be approved and signed by person being interviewed and the Honor Board members
present.
4. The Investigating Committee should meet with all persons involved in the case, including, but not
restricted to, the accused student, the accuser, the professor or TA, and any witnesses.
5. The initial meetings with all persons involved on the case should happen within two weeks of the
assignment of the case to the Investigating Committee.
6. A person failing to appear before an Investigating Committee to answer any non-incriminating
question may be reported to the Honor Board Advisor for further disciplinary action. This can
only happen with the consent of the majority of the Honor Board for obstructing an Honor Board
investigation. No witness shall be forced to answer any ques tion which, it the opinion of the IC,
might incriminate the witness.
7. Any accused person who has not reported to two scheduled meetings of the Investigating
Committee without a valid excuse will be assumed guilty of the alleged violation, and a penalty
will be rendered by the Honor Board.
8. The Investigating Committee may choose to meet with some parties multiple times to gather all
evidence that is relevant to the case.
Section 2.03 Provisions for Confidential Reporting
1. If the accuser is a member of the undergraduate student body, he/she has the option of having
his/her name remain unknown to the accused student throughout the investigation. If the
accuser chooses to exercise this option, he/she must make this clear to the Honor Board upon
submission of the written violation report. This is known as Confidential Reporting (see Bylaw VI,
Section 2); such an accuser is known as a confidential accuser and can be referred to as ‘the
accuser’.
2. If a case involving a confidential accuser is to proceed to hearing, and the Honor Board believes
that the testimony and/or presence of the accuser is crucial to the case, the accuser will be asked
by the IC for permission to reveal his/her identity no later than the time of evidence exchange.
3. If the accuser does not wish to disclose his/her identity to the accused, no testimony from the
accuser may be submitted by the IC as evidence at the hearing.
4. The Honor Board will determine whether the hearing may continue based only on the evidence
collected in the course of the investigation, or be dropped.
Section 2.04 Provision for Leaving the Institute
In the case a student severs his/her connection with the Institute before being brought to hearing,
he/she shall be given the opportunity to appear before the Investigating Committee to present
his/her case. If he/she fails to do this, the Investigating Committee shall conduct its investigation and
consult the Honor Board Advisor regarding final disposition of the case.
Section 2.05 Dropping a Case
If the Investigating Committee for th e case has collected all relevant evidence and testimony to the
case and feels that there is insufficient evidence to pursue a case, the IC may motion to drop the case
while the Honor Board is in session. For the motion to drop the case to be approved, it shall require a
two-thirds vote of quorum pr esent at the meeting. If such approval does not occur, the chair may
appoint a new Investigating Committee to further look into the case. If the case is dropped, no
further investigations shall be made concerning the case unless additional relevant evidence is
obtained within 1 semester of the close of the case.
Section 2.06 Confessions
The Investigating Committee may accept a written confession from the accused student. This
confession must be witnessed by two Honor Board members.
Section 2.07 Hearings
If the case is not dropped, and no confession has been submitted to the Board, the case will be
resolved at a hearing. Hearing Procedures are explained in detail in the Hearings Procedure Manual
Section 2.08 Faculty Adjudications
When a Faculty Adjudicated case is reported to the Honor Board, the Chair of the Honor Board may
appoint an Investigating Committee to conduct follow-up meetings with the professor and accused
student without opening a formal investigation. However, as stated in Bylaw 7.01, the Honor Board
does reserve the right to fully reopen the case. If the Honor Board chooses to open a formal
investigation based on a Faculty Adjudication, all investigation procedures outlined in this document
shall be followed.
Article III. Confidentiality throughout Investigations
During the investigation, no specific information provided by either the Honor Board or the accused or
any other person involved in the case may be made public. If information is made public, such action will
be treated as a breach of confidentiality (See Bylaw II) and subject to investigation and possible
prosecution.
Article IV. Presumption of Innocence
A student under investigation by the Honor Board is not in violation of the Honor System until proven so
by his/her own admission or decided by a panel of his/her peers at an Honor Board hearing.
