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Honor Infractions Rise, Prompting Questions
By Julia Pratt '09
STAFF WRITER

Though we are well into this academic school year, returning SBC students might remember the extensive lists of Honor Code sanctions posted around campus during last year’s spring semester. The frequent appearance and length of these reports indicated that there was a marked increase in honor code violations during that semester. Concerned, as much of the student body no doubt is, we at The Voice set out to discover why it appears that more of us are disregarding the Honor Code.

Natalie Pye ‘07, the Academic Chair of the Judicial Committee, believes that there are as many infractions as before, but that improved communication and education has led to a rise in incidents being reported: “I think the increase is encouraging in a way because it means that people are using the system. The Judicial Committee is really the best way to deal with violations.”

She also attributes the increase in the reporting of Honor Code violations to the Academic Integrity Discussions held in 2005. It is likely that these discussions raised awareness in the community, as do the Honor Code portion of the Student Handbook and first-year orientation.

Pye encourages us not to be too disparaging of our Vixens gone astray. “It’s usually a one time thing, an act of desperation. You’re up at two in the morning, you have this paper due – we’ve all been there,” she says. She does remind students, however, that getting a lower grade is better than being on academic probation.

In researching this anomaly, we found it helpful to look into Sweet Briar’s judicial system itself. Pye states that we’re fairly unique among American colleges, in that our system is student-run. Consequently, the responsibility for a fair and equitable system falls to those students. It is a liability, but as anyone who has taken proctored exams can attest, a worthwhile one.

“Sweet Briar women do not lie, cheat, steal, or violate the rights of others. Therefore, I pledge to uphold all standards of honorable conduct. I will report myself and others for any infraction of this pledge.” The neon pink signs bearing these words are displayed in all classrooms, and students were asked to learn the words for orientation, but what do they mean?

Academically, they mean that we are required to produce only our own work and cite all references to other people’s work. Non-Academically, we are required to respect each other and the laws of the state of Virginia and the United States when on-campus. There are, of course, varying degrees of infractions, as Non-Academic Chair Laura Schaefer ‘07 mentions in an interview.

“The major issues are drug use, violence and harassment, and underage drinking,” she says. “While interpersonal relationships and respect are important, they would have a better place in peer mediation than the Judicial Committee.” Schaefer looks forward to a condensing of the judicial code to concentrate on these major issues and leave more ambiguous matters to Residence Life.

A recent Voice poll revealed that the student body knows less about the Honor Code than our Judicial Chairs would like. We spoke to 31 students: 19 first years and 12 upperclass women. 58% of polled first years knew it was not an Honor Code offense to drink at Hampden Sydney, whereas only 25% of polled upperclass-women knew.

30% of upperclass women knew how long they had to report themselves. 68% of polled first-years knew who our academic chairs were, while only 25% of upperclass women could name them. This disparity may also be due to the new Honor Code education section of Orientation, which was added for the incoming class of 2010.

So what would happen if a student should engage in one of those clear matters that violate our beloved Honor Code? There are options; the best is to report yourself. If a classmate decides to report you, they will give you 72 hours to report yourself. There is no statute of limitations for Honor Code Violations.

If you are reported, Chairs Pye and Schaefer recommend telling the truth; it will be taken into consideration during your sanctioning. After you are reported, a thorough investigation of the matter will be done. If it is an academic matter, your professor and the peer who reported you will be questioned. Some matters are dismissed. Some are not, and taken to sanctioning mediation where a decision will be made with the Dean and the Judicial Chair.

The sanctioning process is binding, though students may appeal for a hearing with their peers – the members of the Judicial Committee. According to Pye, this rarely happens and most students accept the decision of the Dean and Judicial Chair.

In the same Voice poll, we attempted to gauge student opinions of this system. 93% of students think that the academic judicial system is fair and realistic; 87% think the non-academic judicial system is fair and realistic. Some of those polled even went on to say that honor court punishments should be more stringent and expressed strong feelings against plagiarism and cheating.

One of the most interesting questions that we asked the respondents was whether they thought it was fair to let a professor skip the honor process and punish students themselves. When phrased like that, most said no, but when clarified—“Say, if your professor told you that it was too much of a hassle and he/she wanted to just give you a zero and move on”—most said yes.

Pye warns against this: “the benefit of using the system is that there can be a uniform sanctioning process and everybody gets treated the same.” To students in this situation, she advises, “they should ask the teacher to go through the honor system. There might be a few more hurdles, but ultimately everyone benefits.”

97% of polled students said that they liked living in a community with such a system. So whether there are more infractions or simply more reporting of said infractions, the Honor Code plays an essential role in the Sweet Briar community – we take it seriously.

Note: If there are further questions about the Honor Code (including hypothetical infractions), feel free to contact either Judicial Chair – both have stated they are happy to answer your questions.