Two Honor Committee figures are settling into their new, expanded roles within the system.
Third-year Architectural School student Meg Van Dam has filled the position left by former Architecture School Rep. Scott Sottile after he resigned from the Honor Committee last month. Van Dam is not new to the system; she previously worked as an honor educator.
"Since the spot opened up, I figured I could use my knowledge to help benefit the system," Van Dam said.
One of the most pressing issues facing the system today is how "honor is not continuous throughout the entire school," she said. She explained that honor is viewed differently at different areas around Grounds - from the dining hall to the parking garage.
She added that some of the most important issues the honor system will face during her term are athletic "spotlighting" in the system and racial diversity awareness.
Law School Prof. Rachel Satire, who formerly worked for the Washington, D.C.-based firm Hogan and Hartsen, is the Honor Committee's new legal advisor. Satire joined the Committee in June to replace Earl Dudley, who had advised the Committee through the General Counsel's office since 1995.
Satire meets with Honor Committee Chairman Thomas Hall once a week and with the Committee as necessary to counsel on legal issues that may affect the system. She does not, however, represent the Committee when lawsuits involving the honor system are brought against the University. In such cases, University General Counsel Paul Forsch represents the Committee.
The Committee is now named as a defendant in only one outstanding lawsuit. It was filed by former University student Maurice Guillaume Goodreau III. The $1.75 million lawsuit claims Goodreau was stripped of his degree unlawfully last year - eight years after his graduation.
Although Satire has no previous experience with the honor system, "Rachel has become very familiar with the workings and procedures of the honor system over the past five months," Hall said.
Satire has been shadowing Dudley as an advisor and non-voting member of the honor system Review Commission, which is studying ways to simplify the honor system. Satire's $35,000 part-time salary is paid by the Committee.
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