"New year, new school"?

That's what Belmont University seems to be aiming for in 2023. The Nashville school has taken a bold step—several bold steps, in fact—toward a new vision for student behavior and a new approach to handing down disciplinary judgment.

Recent revisions to its Honor Code, the guidelines covering student conduct, show that Belmont administrators are championing parity, transparency, and a culture of—well, of honor amongst students.

Understanding Honor Codes, aka Codes of Conduct

Like other American institutions of higher education, Belmont's Honor Code sets forth what behavior the University expects of students. It explains in detail what types of transgressions are unacceptable. The three main categories of disciplinary violations are academic misconduct, Title IX violations, and behavioral misconduct.

A Code of Conduct or Honor Code (the terms are interchangeable) also describes thoroughly what happens after a student is accused of a violation. This includes details about the investigation, the hearing process, and possible outcomes of both. Honor Codes are generally exhaustive in their scope so that all parties can understand the procedures and what role they will be expected to take. This has always been the case.

So what's new about Belmont's Honor Code in terms of student misbehavior and the repercussions thereof? For starters, the scope of potential appeals has been expanded. A multi-stage appeals process is meant to ensure careful, measured adjudication of all cases. It also aims to eliminate the possibility that students and their families will feel unfairly treated by the disciplinary system.

A New Focus on Student Representation

The new guidelines prioritize responsibility and accountability on the part of the students, but also the community at large. According to the text of the Code itself, they intend to encourage "a sense of ethics, social responsibility, and interdependence" and to foster trust along with a commitment to others in the Belmont community.

Previously, adjudications were handled by the school's administrators and other staff. This year, however, an Academic Misconduct Committee has been established—including two student representatives. That representation, many Bruins say, was sorely lacking under the old system.

New Code Awards Students Additional Agency

The new Honor Code is straightforward in its emphasis on accountability and honesty. And it puts its money where its mouth is; when it comes to the consequences students can expect to see during the adjudication process, they have much more agency than previously.

Any scholars who own up to their actions and acknowledge their culpability will receive relatively lenient disciplinary consequences. That's especially in comparison to those who deny all allegations despite clear evidence.

In essence, the student is rewarded for honesty, even as they are punished for the infraction. This is not unlike a lot of parental approaches to discipline, in which kids who do wrong and then lie to cover up their misdeeds are treated more harshly than those who 'fess up from the get-go.

Disciplinary Outcomes Depend on Student Integrity

Back to Belmont University. After a student commits a violation of the new Honor Code, they will be subject to one of three outcomes. The first, loftily titled "conscientious retraction," is when the individual admits to their misconduct straightaway, even before it becomes apparent to anyone else. In this instance, they will face the least stringent consequences.

The other two outcomes both begin with an allegation, but there the similarities end. At this stage, the student can either take responsibility for their misdeed or deny it—and it's pretty easy to guess which option will result in more stringent repercussions.

Help for Honor Code Violations

Of course, in addition to this practical proof that honesty really is the best policy, there are plentiful other factors that inform the decisions handed down by academic misconduct committees. In order to best leverage those factors, you need an experienced Education Attorney. Joseph D. Lento is just that; along with his Student Defense Team at the Lento Law Firm, he has brokered agreements that all parties—students, parents, and college administration—find not just satisfactory, but actually beneficial.

For more information or to schedule a consultation so that Education Lawyer Joseph D. Lento can review your case, click here or call 1-888-535-3686 today.