University of Virginia Library

Not So Here

I have seen campuses in this
country where anything you can
get away with behind the
professor's back will be tolerated
by your fellows, and anything you
rip off from a fellow student is
A-okay as long as he is not a real
close friend. That is not the
situation at this campus, and I
don't think it ought to become so.
Although occasionally you will get
ripped off and something will get
stolen by somebody, I think that
you will find that the incidence of
dishonor of lying, cheating, and
stealing, is as low, if not lower, than
at any other university in this
country.

But my message does not bear
that negative connotation. I want
to say that with proper use of the
Honor System we can have here not
just the absence of dishonor, we
can have a community, and I return
to my first principle here, a
community which permits each of
us either to thrive to our fullest
potential, or to waste ourselves
without being harmed by
somebody else.

Now, there is a third
consideration that appeals to me as
a rationale for the Honor System
that is of a purely pragmatic nature.
Since I started teaching here I have
supported in every way possible an
increase in student participation in
university decision making. I think
students should have an active say
in what is going down at this
University. Because that is what I
think, I am extraordinarily
attracted to the fact that the Honor
System is entirely student-run,
student-administered, and
student-operated, without any
outside interference from faculty,
administration, or other personnel.
It is, in essence, your system, and I
hope that the system reflects the
present consensus among students
as to what is intolerable conduct in
our community.

As we turn our attention to
some of the problems of the system
we may also return to the question
of that consensus. I am certain that
you will repeatedly hear from the
people on this committee, that
twelve men cannot say what honor
is at the University of Virginia in
the 1970's. Honor offenses have
been and will continue to be those
things which you and your peers
determine to be intolerable conduct
for this community. In order to
keep this system viable, we are
going to have to reevaluate
continually what that student
consensus is. Throughout our
discussion we must remember that
this is a student system not one
imposed by the faculty or
administration.