University of Virginia Library

To The Editor

Preserve Minimal Standard
Support Single Penalty

Although it seems rather out
of the present vogue, I would
like to argue for the Honor
System with the single penalty
as it presently stands. I hope,
furthermore, to defend the
Honor System here at the
University as a living core to
community life, and not just
an atavistic remnant of the
chivalrous South.

Any community must
recognize a certain minimal
shared standard of acceptable
behavior. The presence of this
shared standard allows us to
predict with reasonable
assurance how our fellow
community members will
respond to most situations, and
it is this assurance that leads to
community trust and
cooperation. At the University
of Virginia, this minimal shared
standard is spelled out by the
Honor System which forbids a
student to lie, cheat or steal
anywhere that he is recognized
as a student of the University.
A violation of the Honor
System constitutes a violation
of this minimum shared
standard, and expulsion of the
offender is necessary to
preserve the desired spirit of
cooperation and trust.

Mr. Butler is no doubt
correct in his belief that there
are degrees of seriousness
associated with any
dishonorable act. His plea for a
graduated series of penalties,
however, seems to miss the
point of the full consequences
of even rather insignificant
dishonorable acts. A graduated
series of penalties is the first
step to a graduated series of
trust in our fellow members of
the University community.
"No one will steal my stereo,
but I'd better lock up my
records." In addition, our
trusted position in the
Charlottesville community
would certainly suffer if people
began to feel that our honor
only extended to "the really
big things." Admittedly, our