College of Law Honor Code

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​All College of Law Students are expected to abide by the University Code of Student Responsibility. The College of Law Honor Code supplements the Code of Student Responsibility and Academic Integrity Policy of DePaul University. 

§ 1. Presumption of Knowledge of the Honor Code

All students are conclusively presumed to know the provisions of the Honor Code. Lack of familiarity with the Code shall not constitute a defense to an alleged violation.

§ 2. Standard of Responsibility

A student is responsible for an act or omission deemed to be a violation of the Code if the student knew or should have known that there was a high probability that the act or omission would be found to be a violation of the Code.

§ 3. Unprofessional Conduct

A student violates the Code if the student engages in any conduct related to the student’s academic career that is inconsistent with the standards of honesty expected of a member of the legal profession, as defined by the American Bar Association’s Model Rules of Professional Conduct. Such conduct includes, but is not limited, to the following:

Application for Admission

It shall be a violation of the Code for any student to fail to disclose, or to make a false statement of, a material fact on their law school application. A fact is material if it would reasonably have been considered as a factor in the decision whether to admit the student. It shall also be a violation of the Code for a student to fail to update and amend their law school application to disclose material facts that arise from the date they apply to the College of Law through matriculation and graduation. The obligation of truthfulness and accuracy is a continuing obligation and extends beyond the filing of any application.

Examinations

With respect to examinations, students shall be presumed to know all applicable exam rules and it shall be a violation of this Code to do or attempt to do any of the following:

  1. Obtain or receive unauthorized information concerning the content of an examination prior to the examination;
  2. Seek or voluntarily receive unauthorized aid in any manner from any source with respect to any examination;
  3. Bring into an examination room any unauthorized materials;
  4. Give to another student solicited or unsolicited unauthorized aid on an examination;
  5. Fail to comply strictly with designated time limits of an examination;
  6. Use a false excuse to avoid taking an examination at its scheduled time;
  7. Identify himself or herself on a exam that is graded anonymously; or
  8.  Engage any person to take an examination in the place of oneself or to take an examination for another.

Required Course Work, Assignments, and Other Academic Exercises

With respect to any work done in conjunction with and/or required by any course for academic credit, including Independent Study, Guided Research, Legal Writing, seminars, or any other academic exercise, the student shall be presumed to know all applicable rules governing an assignment and it shall be a violation of this Code to do any of the following:

  1. Engage in any act prohibited by the instructions governing an assignment;
  2. Submit as one’s own, and without appropriate citation, writings or ideas of another, including those prepared by another student;
  3. Submit for credit work not originally prepared for the course for which it is submitted, without explicit permission of the instructor of the course obtained after the instructor has been advised of the origins of the work.

“Academic exercise” refers to any work constituting a basis upon which a student will be evaluated to earn credit or other College of Law honors including, but not limited to, examinations, research papers (including topic proposals, outlines, and drafts), other writing assignments, oral presentations, work done for credit in clinical programs or on law journals and work performed in any moot court or other competition sponsored or conducted by the College of Law.

Plagiarism

The University Code of Student Responsibility defines plagiarism as a major form of academic dishonesty involving the presentation of the work of another as one’s own. Plagiarism includes, but is not limited to, the following:

  1. The direct copying of any material, computer files, recordings, video programs or musical scores, in whole or in part, whether published or unpublished, without proper acknowledgement that it is someone else’s;
  2. Copying of any source in whole or part with only minor changes in wording or syntax, even with acknowledgement;
  3. Submitting as one’s own work a report, examination paper, computer file, lab report or other assignment that has been prepared by someone else including, research papers purchased or acquired from another person or entity; 
  4. The paraphrasing of another’s work or ideas without proper acknowledgement.

Plagiarism, like other forms of academic dishonesty, is always a serious matter. If an instructor finds that a student has plagiarized, the appropriate penalty is at the instructor’s discretion. Actions taken by the instructor do not preclude the College of Law from taking further punitive action under the Honor Code. 

§ 4. Theft and Unauthorized Use of Property

It shall be a violation of the Code to do any of the following:

  1. Damage, hide or otherwise exert unauthorized control over any library property or class-related materials including, but not limited to, all DePaul University library materials;
  2. Damage, hide or otherwise exert unauthorized control over property belonging to another student, a faculty member or a student organization; or
  3. Use for unauthorized purposes University equipment or services including, but not limited to, photocopying machines, mailroom facilities and computer research or word processing equipment.

§ 5. Conduct Relating to Career Services

With respect to students seeking employment, whether permanent, part-time or as an extern, it shall be a violation of the Code to do any of the following:

  1. Furnish to any person information known to be false which is related to the student’s academic record or which concerns activities related to the College of Law; or
  2. Misrepresent another student’s academic record or otherwise make comment known to be false about another interviewee to any prospective employer.

§ 6. Obstruction of Honor Code Proceedings

With respect to any proceeding before the Academic Integrity Hearing Board, it shall be a violation of the Code to do any of the following:

  1. Testify falsely;
  2. Fail without just cause to appear at any hearing pursuant to a request issued by the Board;
  3. Give false information to the presenter; or
  4. Harass any person who provides information or testimony pertaining to a violation of this Code or who participates in the enforcement of this Code.

§ 7. Failure to Report Violations

It shall be a violation of the Code for a student to fail to report any suspected violation of the Code where such student has reasonable grounds to believe that such a violation has occurred.

§ 8. Procedures for Dealing with Allegations of Honor Code Violations

If a student is the subject of a pending Honor Code proceeding, that student shall not be granted a degree. Every reasonable attempt shall be made to expedite proceedings in the case of a student who has applied to graduate.

§ 9. Procedures for Obtaining Information

Non-Examination Violations

Persons, other than examination proctors, who have information about a possible Honor Code violation of any kind by a law student shall, as soon as possible, notify the Office of the Dean and the Assistant Dean for Student Affairs in writing of the facts and circumstances. If the person possesses any materials that may become exhibits, the person should give those materials to the Dean and the Office of the Assistant Dean.

Examination Violations

  1. Procedures During Examinations
    If an examination proctor witnesses conduct which the proctor believes to be a violation of the exam rules, the proctor shall immediately verbally notify a dean, exam coordinator, the professor of that class or the professor’s delegate. Once the proctor provides verbal notice of an alleged violation, the dean, professor or professor’s delegate may confiscate any improper materials and advise the student to discontinue talking or otherwise continue violating exam rules. Confiscated materials shall be transferred to the Assistant Dean for Student Affairs. Students who allegedly violate exam rules shall be permitted to finish the exam during the allocated time.
  2. Procedures After the Examination
    As soon as possible after the proctor gives verbal notice to a dean, exam coordinator, professor or professor’s delegate, the proctor shall, in a signed report, describe the alleged violation. The report should include a physical description of the student or students alleged to be involved in the violation and of the acts that constitute the violation. If possible, the student’s anonymous number shall be given as soon as possible after the exam to one of the deans of the College of Law. When a professor, the professor’s delegate or a dean is informed of the alleged violation, that person shall notify the Office of the Student Affairs forthwith in writing.