University of Virginia Library

...And Faculty Honor

There is another question on the ballot
today. It asks simply whether faculty
members ought to be included in the Honor
System, presumably subject to the penalties
an Honor violation entails. It ought to be
made clear at the outset that even if the issue
passes, Student Council, which put the
question on the ballot, has no power to place
faculty members under the jurisdiction of the
Honor System.

The question is on the ballot because some
people, both students and faculty, feel that
some coaches, administrators, and faculty
members, while proclaiming the glories of the
Honor system, have often been less than
totally honest in their conduct. This may or
may not be true. Council apparently felt that
if the Honor System is going to bind students,
it ought to bind everyone in the community.

It's an ideal sentiment, but hardly a
practical one. In the first place, any Honor
Committee that dealt with faculty members
would have to include both faculty members
and students. This would weaken student
control over the system, something that has
been one of its greatest assets; moreover,
questions of due process and faculty rights are
involved in the idea of a student dominated
panel giving a tenured or contracted teacher
24 hours to leave the University.

Moreover, it's highly unlikely that the
Faculty will ever agree to submit to the Honor
System, and such voluntary submission is the
only way in which they could be brought into
it. The faculty will probably wish to go on
protecting its honor with whatever means it
has in the past.

Someone should have thought of these
things before placing such a question on the
ballot, for its resolution will serve only to
needlessly inflame relations which are already
strained.