A privilege afforded to every student under the Honor System, a conscientious retraction allows a student who has committed a dishonest act to admit his/her actions and accept the respective consequences without actually leaving the community of trust. This admission, however, must occur before the student gains any knowledge that someone might suspect him/her of an honor offense. A student with the integrity and courage to come forward with a good-faith retraction has thereby reaffirmed his personal commitment to honor and will be allowed to remain in the community.

To make a conscientious retraction, a student should contact an Honor Advisor immediately. After discussing the situation with an Honor Advisor, the student should submit a written statement admitting to an act of lying, cheating, or stealing. The retraction must be signed and dated by all parties affected by the dishonorable act, and the student must accept the consequences of the action as delineated by the other individuals involved.

Upon submission to the Honor Committee, the conscientious retraction will be reviewed for completeness by the Vice-Chair for Investigations and will be returned to the student for changes if necessary. The completed retraction will then be stored in a confidential Honor Committee file. This retraction will only be examined again if the investigation pertaining to the dishonorable act is reported.

Only when an investigation is begun will the validity of the conscientious retraction be determined by the Investigative Panel. If, under the standard of more likely than not, the Investigative Panel decides that the retraction was completed in good faith, the conscientious retraction can then serve as a complete defense.