The Cavalier daily :: Tuesday, March 27, 1973 :: University of Virginia Library

Throughout the course of this election there have been
untruths and distortions propagated to shift the voter's attention
away from the pertinent issues and the qualifications of the
candidates. The persistence and zeal with which such allegations
are being perpetrated is exemplified by the rumor of a Z Society
"slush fund" financing our campaigning.

Aside from being completely untrue, the voters' awareness is
deviated to matters irrelevant to the students' task of selecting
competent representatives to handle the job of perceptive
decision-making and of administering the concerns of the Honor
Committee.

Projecting The Honor System To Students

The issues at this juncture in time focus around projecting the
Honor System to the students. To accomplish this goal we see the
need to increase the personal contact between Honor Committee
members, Honor Advisers, and the general student body as well
as to expand sources regarding specific information about the
Honor System. In particular, we propose:

1) to expand the number and role of Honor Advisers so that
two members of each school will be included, with a
proportionately larger number of the College and Engineering
School. Emphasis will be placed on obtaining a geographic
distribution to insure availability to inhabitants of all major
housing complexes.

2) to schedule discussions biannually for airing of opinions
and delivery of information. These will be held in major housing
complexes, all dorms, and fraternities and will be aimed at all
faculty and students - graduate, transfer, upper-class and
first-year.

3) to revise the plagiarism booklet - in order to give students a
clearly delineated idea of what constitutes plagiarism. The aura of
fear created in many peoples' minds because of recent plagiarism
trials can be eliminated by providing a better written explanation
in addition to individual faculty explanations and discussions
with students.

4) to change the notation on a dismissed student's transcript
so as not to overly-stigmatize a person who commits and Honor
violation.

The Spirit Of Our Honor System

These proposals embody the spirit of our Honor System
which is anchored in the concept of personal contact, receptivity
to student feelings, and the human attributes of circumspections
and compassion.

In looking at the other candidates' ideas for a referendum and
a "hot-line," these qualities of personal contact are absent. In
fact, we question the validity of a short-term referendum. A truly
statistically reliable-unbiased polling process would involve 2 to 3
years for completion; and it would have to be implemented by an
outside source. The imperfections of a short-term poll must
be recognized and therefore we do not think its results should
warrant major alterations of the scope or sanction. We see the
need to educate the community and then get its responsible
opinions; we are willing to implement such a long-term study.
Furthermore, the "hot line" proposed is already conceptually in
existence because present telephone facilities enable any
concerned student to be in contact with an Honor Committee
member at any time.

Candidates :

Berkeley, Morris, Friedman, Miller

Not only should students'
discrimination between the
candidates be based upon their
ideas regarding existing issues,
but also the concerned voters
should review the candidates'
qualifications to be a member
of the Honor Committee. In
addition to seeking an
individual who would be
competent to sit on a trial, an
Honor Committee member
must have the breadth of
experience within the
University community to
enable him to gage student
sentiments.

Understanding Of Students

Gordon and I feel that we
have gained a strong
understanding of student
concerns through our work
with the Resident Staff and the
University Union. Through our
diverse experiences we are
keenly aware of and sensitive
to the different types of student life at the University;
i.e. both on and off-Grounds. Furthermore, by way of our
prior involvement in observing trials, we are very appreciative
of the operational intricacies, and yet the very human
elements, encompassed in each trial situation.

Therefore, we hope the electorate will recognize our
attitude toward the Honor System, our own personal
qualifications, and our high level of interest both in the Honor
System itself and in the life at the University of Virginia.