Reporting a Suspected Violation

Every graduate student has a responsibility to preserve the Honor System. This requires more than conducting oneself in an honorable manner. It is to the advantage of all concerned to report strong suspicions, as it is far better that an innocent person be acquitted of wrongdoing than remain under suspicion.¹ If violations are allowed to go unreported, the effectiveness of the Honor System will be impaired, and other members of the Caltech community may suffer. Therefore, willful failure to report a violation may itself be a violation unless it can be shown that the best interests of the Honor System have been served.

The primary goal of the GRB is to help graduate students live within the Honor System. Consequently, the Board does not seek to punish violators, but to reinstate them in the Honor System. Only rarely, when a violator has either shown a total inability to live within the Honor System or committed an act so serious that no other action could be taken, would the Board recommend suspension or expulsion.

If you are unsure as to whether or not to report your suspicions, remember that a mistaken report hurts no one. The matter will be thoroughly investigated in complete secrecy by the GRB Chair and Secretary, and only if there is good reason to believe that a violation has been committed will there be a hearing. If a suspect is not found guilty, the records of the proceedings are destroyed and all those involved in the hearing (except the suspect) are bound to secrecy. Consequently, the suspect's reputation and future are not jeopardized. If you need advice about reporting an incident, enlist the help of the GRB Chair by discussing the matter in abstract terms. The Chair should be able to give you a preliminary reading on the validity of your suspicions.

A suspected graduate violation may be reported to the GRB Chair either in person, by phone, by e-mail to grbchair@its, or through the campus mail. If the suspected violator is an undergraduate the matter should be reported to the Chairman of the Board of Control (boc-chair@ugcs), who is also the Vice-President of ASCIT. The names, mail codes, and extension numbers of the present GRB and BOC Chairpersons may be found in the current edition of the Caltech Personnel Directory under the heading Honor System. Because new officers are chosen in Spring Quarter, you are advised to check with the Dean's Office (BOC) or the Graduate Office (GRB) to make sure that the information in the Personnel Directory is correct.