Center for Ethics, Service, and Professionalism

Substantive excerpts from the
THOMAS M. COOLEY LAW SCHOOL HONOR CODE

"We Shall Not Lie, Cheat, Steal, or Plagiarize, or Tolerate Among Us Those Who Do"

PREAMBLE

Ethics are as important to Thomas M. Cooley Law School as academic performance and the mastery of practical legal skills. The purpose of this Honor Code is to emphasize that ethics are an integral part of the Thomas M. Cooley Law School experience, and to encourage the development of the ethical values that lawyers, as professionals, must have. Discipline of violators is for the protection of the public and the legal profession.

VIOLATIONS DEFINED

As used in this Code, the term "School related ethical violation" means any lying, cheating, stealing or plagiarism, or the toleration of lying, cheating, stealing or plagiarism, that affects the School's operations, academic integrity, educational environment or reputation in the academic or legal community.

A. Lying means knowingly misrepresenting or knowingly failing to disclose a material fact that a reasonable person would consider relevant under the circumstances.
Examples of lying include, but are not limited to, misrepresenting or failing to disclose facts:

(1) relevant to admission to the School;
(2) relevant to class attendance;
(3) relevant to compliance with course requirements;
(4) relevant to financial aid, work study or scholarships;
(5) relevant to the employment search process;
(6) relevant to co-curricular activities for which credit is granted;
(7) in a misconduct report;
(8) in any Honor Code proceedings.

B. Cheating means knowingly giving, receiving, taking, or using, or attempting to give, receive, take or use, any unauthorized advantage that is specifically prohibited by school policies or procedures or by the student's professor, adjunct professor or instructor in connection with any coursework or co-curricular activity for which credit is granted. Cheating includes, but is not limited to, the following unauthorized advantages:

(1) Any prohibited aid, assistance, or cooperation in connection with an examination;
(2) Any prohibited aid, assistance, or cooperation in connection with a paper, report, brief, or other assignment;
(3) Commencing an examination before the stipulated time, including reading the contents of the examination or writing any notes or outlines, or continuing to write after the time for taking the examination has expired;
(4) Possession, use, or reference to prohibited materials during an examination;
(5) Depriving other students for an unreasonable length of time of access to library materials or other information that either is needed for the timely completion of coursework or is helpful to preparation for a class or an examination with the intent to disadvantage other students;
(6) Obtaining knowledge or possession of unreleased examination questions, answers or information, or retaining copies of an examination or other materials contrary to a professor's instructions;
(7) Any copying or use without permission of the original of another student's personal work product, including briefs, notes, tapes, computer software or data, outlines, written assignments or other materials;
(8) Failing to disclose to a professor the submission for credit of work that was wholly or substantially done outside the course for which credit is being sought.

C. Stealing means knowingly taking any services or property of another without authorization or by fraud of any kind with the intent to permanently or substantially deprive. Stealing includes, but is not limited to, taking:

(1) any personal property on School premises, or taking any School property on or off School premises;
(2) briefs, books, notes, tapes, computer software or data, or outlines belonging to a faculty member or another student, on or off School premises;
(3) any items from student mail files or faculty mailboxes;
(4) School computer time, computer software, or computer access;
(5) School photocopy services;
(6) School library materials.

D. Plagiarism means knowingly misrepresenting all or part of another's work as one's own, either for credit or for publication. Plagiarism includes, but is not limited to, the following:

(1) Verbatim presentation of another's work without acknowledgment;
(2) Paraphrasing or restating another's work without acknowledgment;
(3) Partial but significantly incomplete acknowledgment of another's work.

E. Toleration means knowingly failing to promptly report a significant School related ethical violation, despite knowledge of facts establishing reasonable grounds to believe that a significant School related ethical violation may have occurred. Toleration also means knowingly failing to cooperate in a timely manner with lawful requests made by the Dean, his or her designate, the Honor Council, the Office of Law School Advocate, the Office of Student Assistance or the suspected violator in connection with any Honor Code proceedings.