The Honor Committee voted 17-3 last night to form a subcommittee that will orient next year's incoming Committee to its complex system of rules and bylaws.
Several of the lawsuits filed against the University in relation to the honor system have criticized the transition process between Committees.
For example, a lawsuit filed Nov. 30, 1998 on behalf of former College student Jonathan Cobb alleges that the Committee did not provide due process and should be held liable when new and inexperienced representatives are not trained properly.
"The move [of creating a task force] is smart because it protects us from litigation," Committee Chairman Hunter Ferguson said.
The Committee can use this subcommittee as evidence in court that they take training seriously, Ferguson said.
The additional education would be especially beneficial to students representing graduate schools who often do not have any previous experience with the honor system before running for the Committee, he said.
"More than half this Committee had never had contact with the procedural aspects of a case" when they were elected last spring, he added.
"When new members come in, we need to train them," Law School Rep. Uri Ko said. "When I came in, I had never seen the bylaws before."
Board of Visitors Member Henry L. Valentine II said he would favor a transition task force because it would foster institutional memory by allowing old Committee members to pass on wisdom to incoming representatives.
Past Committees have learned a lot about the system during their tenure and then were not able to make changes because their terms end, Valentine said.
"By the time the Honor Committee leaves, they have only been on the Honor Committee for 12 months," he said.
But some Committee members said they are worried the transition subcommittee will slow the influx of new ideas that the incoming representatives bring with them.
It is "absolutely improper" for us to force our ideas on another Committee, Law School Rep. Cordel Faulk said. "I think what we passed [last night] was a paternalistic power grab of the highest order."
The move would also give reelected members an advantage during elections for next year's Executive Committee, he said.
Vice Chair for Trials Terra Weirich said the current Committee should make an effort to work with next year's Committee, but not tread on their freedom.
"I think this definitely needs to be done on the new Committee's terms," Weirich said.
Ferguson said he was pleased the current Committee had the foresight to look into the transition process.
Incoming Committees face a lot of challenges and "we want to make sure those hurdles are minimized," he said.
Read More
BREAKING: Two fraternities suspended, one terminated after hazing allegations
By Ford McCracken | 10 hours agoThe University’s chapter of Pi Kappa Alpha is the founding chapter of the fraternity, which was founded in West Range room 47 in 1868.
From the archives: April 22 – April 28
By Maisy Callahan and Grace Franklin | 12 hours agoThose opposed to the Mall feared closing Main St. would create inconvenience and traffic, which would in turn decrease the income made by merchants.
Students for Justice in Palestine criticizes University at “die-in” on Lawn
By Thomas Baxter | YesterdayThe protest consisted of a speech by Josh Rosenberg, SJP president and third-year College student, followed by the reading of the names of 65 killed Palestinians.
