University of Virginia Library

STATEMENT OF THE BOARD OF VISITORS REGARDING THE HONOR SYSTEM

The following statement read by Mr. Joshua P. Darden, Jr., was approved as a Statement of the Board of Visitors:

• On November 3, 1983, President Hereford issued a statement to the University community expressing his deep concern about the functioning and welfare of the Honor System. He recommended the establishment of an ad hoc Committee of the Board of Visitors on the Status of the Honor System, which the Rector subsequently appointed. During the past year the committee held public meetings and gained the perspectives and points of view of a number of students, faculty, and administrators. The committee was also informed of the growing instances of students admitting to an honor offense but being found not guilty because their act was not judged reprehensible. Minutes of the committee meetings were distributed to the Board. The Board met this morning with the current leadership of the Honor Committee.
• The reprehensibility standard for a finding of guilt had been approved in a University-wide student referendum a number of years previously and had clearly led to inconsistent interpretations and judgments. The committee was pleased when this past fall the student body voted to remove as a defense to an honor violation the plea that the act was not reprehensible. Discussions centered on the operation of the System since the elimination of reprehensibility as a criterion for conviction and on the sharp increase in honor convictions and voluntary withdrawals by those accused of honor offenses during the current session.
• The Board of Visitors, sensing a revitalized effort on the part of the Student body to make the Honor system work effectively, reaffirms its commitment to the student-run System so dear to the University's students and alumni. The Board will continue to delegate its authority over honor offenses to the students with the expectation that their renewed commitment to an effective Honor System continues and asks the University administration and faculty to lend their support and cooperation toward this student effort.