Honor Committee

Composition of the Committee

Mason's Honor Committee is composed totally of students.  Undergraduate students with a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.66 at Mason are eligible to apply as are graduate students with a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.00.  At least once, in both the fall and the spring semesters, we hold training sessions for students who are interested in serving in this capacity.  In order to become a bonafide member of the Honor Committee, students must complete the training session and observe at least two hearings.  Graduate students must also provide the Committee with a letter of recommendation from a faculty member or university administrator.  The membership of the Honor Committee is limited to 100 individuals.   Please note that Mason's School of Law has their own Honor Committee which is independent of the Honor Committee for all non-law school students.

Functions of the Honor Committee

One function is educational.   If anyone needs information about academic integrity or Mason's Honor Committee, we have a cohort of students (the Honor Committee Ambassadors) who are willing to go to classrooms or various events on campus to talk about academic integrity and what the Honor Committee does.

The second function is preventive.  With advanced notice, professors can request that Honor Committee members help them to proctor exams.  These members of the Honor Committee Guard will help oversee large classrooms during an exam, but they are prohibited from speaking to students in the class or from handling any exam materials.  For now, this is a somewhat limited service.  We will accommodate as many professors as we can.

Lastly, the Honor Committee also has an adjudication function.  This is the function most people associate with the Honor Committee.  All Honor Committee members are trained to hear cases and to make unbiased and fair decisions based strictly on the facts of the case.