The recent events regarding the unilateral overturning of a Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) College of Medicine Honor Council recommendation has undermined the integrity of the Honor Code. The Dean of the MUSC College of Medicine single-handedly reversed a decision made carefully and with great consideration by our trusted Honor Council, a diverse and peer-selected committee of students and faculty.  In a public forum, the Dean failed to affirm the innocence of involved parties but instead asserted that the decision was based upon errors in the Honor Council proceedings.  The Dean repeatedly requested that we just trust him and stated that the Honor Council didn’t have access to “all the facts.”   We find this deeply concerning.  While we fully respect the Dean’s invocation of FERPA to protect the identity of the parties involved, based on his statements in the forum we believe he did not fully explore the ramifications of his decision.  Therefore, we cannot accept an unchecked, unilateral decision that circumvents the integrity of the Honor Council, nor can we find a basis in the facts so-far presented to vindicate the behavior of our peers.

Thus, we call upon MUSC to take all necessary actions to restore trust in the Honor Code and in the Honor Council process. Specifically, we request an investigation of the recent events by an independent, unbiased professional body. This body must not be affiliated with MUSC, MUSC board members, or the South Carolina government;  and should be approved by a vote of the College of Medicine student body.  Their investigation must:

1) protect the identity of involved parties by abiding by FERPA and all relevant laws;
2) be permitted to gather all relevant facts, interview any involved individuals and review all proceedings;
3) release a public disclosure of their findings explaining the basis of the Dean’s decision;
4) make specific recommendations to increase transparency and restore trust in the process of the Honor Council.

Only once this has occurred can the confidence in our Honor Code and our peers be properly restored. We believe in the mission of MUSC and in the Honor Code, which all students sign. It is our sincere wish that this petition restores our faith in both.