Honor Board

Introduction

The Honor Board’s role is to engage and educate Barnard College women in order to shape a community of academic integrity and mutual trust. In addition, the Honor Board is responsible for administering the Honor System at Barnard College by developing and upholding the rules of procedure.

Students and faculty members of the Honor Board are responsible for exhibiting sensitivity, integrity, professionalism in their actions, and respect towards the privacy and confidentiality of this role. (See the Honor System Manual for more details.)

Honor Board Members

The Honor Board is composed of eight to twelve student members from the sophomore, junior and senior classes, and up to three faculty members. The Board Chair and Co-Chair are selected by the student members from among the Board’s most senior members. The Dean of Studies (or designee) serves as adviser to the Board. 

Responsibilities of the Honor Board

The Honor Board is responsible for developing and following its rules of procedure, in consultation with the adviser to the Board, and for educating the community about the Honor System.

To fulfill its educational role, the Honor Board:

• Informs incoming students of the importance of the Honor Code and the Honor System at the convocations for incoming students.  
• Holds discussions in First-Year English and First-Year Seminar classes to foster academic integrity and to provide examples of work that violates the Honor Code.
• Strives to engage in dialogue with faculty members and the student body through all mediums, while also working to continue campus discussion about the Honor System and its goals.
• Asks students to sign a form before each exam that uses a Barnard blue book, acknowledging their commitment to the Honor Code. 
• Communicates to faculty members the importance of expressing faculty members’ own expectations of academic integrity in coursework.
• Expects faculty members to proctor examinations.
• Serves as a resource on matters of academic integrity for community members.

Applying to the Honor Board

Students apply for Honor Board membership in the spring semester. All applications are reviewed by current student members, and final decisions are made after interviews.  Three faculty members are appointed by the Faculty Governance and Procedures Committee for overlapping, two-year terms.

Applications for the 2025-2026 Honor Board will be available in January 2025. Please check back then.