2016-2017 | REFERENDUM-1 | Page 1

REFERENDUM #1

of the 2016-2017 Session

Changes to the Honor Council Constitution

Introduced by

Katie Jensen, Honor Council Chair, 2016-2017

Griffin Thomas, Student Association President, 2016-2017

Monday, October 31, 2016

Passed on

Monday, November DD, 2016

GRIFFIN THOMAS, Student Association President, 2016-2017

Presiding Officer

Whereas, Honor Council membership as defined in the Honor Council Constitution has not increased along with student body growth;

Whereas, the previous Statute of Limitations was repealed in Spring 2014; and

Whereas, Honor Council constitutional language has not been updated in several years to reflect the requirements of club registration; therefore, be it

Resolved, a constitutional change shall be implemented to move the composition requirements from the Constitution to the By-Laws, allowing for greater flexibility for membership in the future;

Resolved, a new Statute of Limitations has been proposed with constitutional language allowing for a Statute of Limitations to be defined in the Procedures;

Resolved, Anti-Hazing and Non-Discrimination policies shall be added to the Honor Council Constitution; and

Resolved, the Honor Council Constitution be updated to reflect the following language:

Article V: Composition

Section 1: The Composition of the Honor Council shall be as follows

  1. One representative from each of the residential colleges
  2. A number of senior class representatives, junior class representatives, sophomore class representatives, undergraduate at-large members, and new-student representatives dependent upon need as laid out in the By-Laws.

Section 2: Each residential college will hold elections to appoint one individual as the Honor Council Representative for that college

Section 3: The first round of elections, to coincide with the university General Elections, will select class representatives. The second election, to coincide with the University Spring Elections will select undergraduate at-large representatives.

Section 4: Any undergraduate positions, except college representatives, remaining open after the filing deadline for the first election are automatically converted to at-large positions, which may then be filled by the second election.

Section 5: Any elected position remaining open after the second round of elections, except college representatives may be appointed by the Chair with the majority approval of the Honor Council.

Section 6: A quorum of the Honor Council, as defined in the By-Laws, shall be authorized to act as the Council in its entirety.

Article XL: Statute of Limitations

The Honor Council recognizes that not all accusations can be made instantly, and that it is sometimes appropriate to take the time to gather additional evidence. However, the Council reserves the right to declare that cases cannot be heard, due to delays in either discovery or submission of an accusation to the Council. The cutoffs and standards for this declaration are described in the Honor Council Procedures.

Section 7: The passage of time can affect the availability of evidence for a case. As given in the Constitution, the Honor Council can declare that a case cannot be heard if the passage of time has significantly reduced the available evidence. This declaration may be made by the Chair, in consultation with Student Judicial Programs, and must fulfill at least one of the following conditions:

  1. At least ninety (90) days have passed between the suspected violation and discovery.
  2. More than fifteen (15) days have passed between discovery of the violation and notification of the Council.
  3. More than a full academic semester has passed between discovery of the violation and presentation of relevant evidence for adjudication.

Non-Discrimination Policy: This organization shall not discriminate against individuals on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national or ethnic origin, ancestry, age, disability, or veteran status.

Anti-Hazing Policy: This organization shall not engage in any form of hazing, as defined by the Code of Student Conduct and any other applicable Rice University rules and regulations.