University of Virginia Library

Honor Statement

—Ed.)

Each and every student at the University secures
numerous benefits due to the existence of the Honor
System, i.e. unproctored examinations, check cashing
privileges in and around Charlottesville, the acceptance of
a student's word as true, etc. In order to maintain these
benefits and to uphold the Honor System, each student
has a responsibility to fulfill when a "possible" honor
violation comes to his or her attention.

When a student sees or receives word of another
student in suspicious circumstances, he has the duty to
investigate the matter as secretly and a speedily as
possible. An investigation entails a thorough fact-finding
process which includes, if necessary, securing pertinent
evidence and materials as well as talking to all people
involved in the incident, including the suspected student.
In other words, an investigating student has the
responsibility of total involvement in determining whether
an honor offense has occurred.

If, after a thorough investigation, the investigating
student believes that an honor violation has occurred, he
must ask the suspected student to leave the University. A
student accused of an honor violation who believes
himself to be innocent has the right of appeal to the
Honor Committee.

In trying to determine whether an honor violation has
occurred, each student must think in terms of those
infringements which the current student generation deems
dishonorable. The Honor System, since it is essentially a
system of honorable conduct, cannot be codified in every
respect; lying, cheating, stealing, and breaking one's word
of honor, however, are clearly infringements of the Honor
System. Each student acts for the entire student body in
upholding the Honor System, not entirely for himself.

In this respect the Honor System is not an entirely
personal moral system since in bringing an accusation the
controlling principle should be what the student body as a
whole deems to be honor violations. If at any time a
student is uncertain as to whether an incident could be
considered an honor violation, he should consult one or
more of the Honor Committee advisors whose names are
found at the bottom of the Honor Committee posters
around the Grounds.

The Honor System maintains its foundation as part of
the University because it is continually responsive to
student sentiment by means of the elected school officers
who serve on the Honor Committee. However, for each
student to enjoy the benefits of the system, each
individual must uphold the responsibilities inherent in it.