University of Virginia Library

Peerman Backs System,
Changes In Scope Only

By PHIL KIMBALL

Photo By Bob Humphrey

Gordon Peerman, Mark Warner

Explain Views On Single Sanction To Students

Third-year honor candidates Gordon
Peerman and Mark Warner have
advocated a single sanction system during
their campaign for college president and
vice president.

"We firmly believe that if change is to
be made in the Honor System, that
change should be made in the area of
scope, the geographical and theoretical
limitations of the system, not in the area
of sanction," states a circular describing
their position.

Talking with first-year students, Mr.
Peerman explained that "the Honor
Committee's hands would be tied if
graduated penalties were introduced."

"Honor Systems with graduated
penalty systems at other schools have
been enmeshed with legal expertise
and the problems and have fallen into
disfavor in a number of years," he
explained.

Mr. Warner commented that "with
graduated penalties, the idea of
'precedent' enters into any committee
decision." Past decisions would have to
be reviewed in every case. No trial could
be judged solely on its own
circumstances."

Mr. Peerman stated that a system
must, in order to survive, "concern itself
solely with those acts which are so
intolerable that they warrant permanent
dismissal."

"Our reexamination of scope is a
positive response to the pressures on the
Honor System from growth of the
University," Mr. Peerman said. "it is
somewhat naive to think that the Honor
System will be able to function in a
University of 18,000 in the same manner
in which it did at 5,000."

Proposed changes advocated by the
candidates include revising the Blue Sheet
"for the sake of clarity and changing
standards of the University."

Also proposed is the preparation of a
policy book which would contain past
decisions about sanction and scope so
that decisions might be easily made
available to the student body.

The candidates stated that they hoped
the graduate schools' orientation could be
restructured in order to present the
Honor System in a better manner.

Messrs. Peerman and Warner also feel
that the Honor Committee should seek
funds to be used for extensive
educational and publicity purposes
because of the growing size of the
University.