In preparation for Sunday's release of a detailed report that analyzes every aspect of the University's student-run honor system, members of the Honor Committee expressed hope that it will be well-received by the University community.
The Honor System Review Commission report will address the efficiency of honor trials, investigations and Honor Committee bylaws as well as offer suggestions on how to fix problems within the complex system.
"I think students should be educated about" the report, said Honor Committee Chairman Thomas Hall, who also is a Commission member.
"It will be lengthy and complex," but the Committee is "looking to make the report accessible to students by having a condensed version available and having things that allow students to engage in issues raised in the report," Hall said.
He said the Review Commission will hold forums and breakfasts to allow students to discuss the report once it has been released.
Ginny Rothschild, Committee vice chairwoman for investigations, said the Commission has many plans for education that will target individual academic departments within the University and there will be a faculty mailing list, as well.
After the report's release, the Honor Committee will vote on whether to adopt its suggestions. Any changes it wishes to make to the Committee constitution would need to be approved by students in a referendum.
Rothschild said the report will review all aspects of the Committee, but until its release, there is no way of knowing exactly what the report will contain.
"I am anxiously awaiting the report. I think it is good that we are reviewing the Committee. It shows that we are very proactive," she added.
The topics of Commission discussion include the efficiency of investigations and trials of honor cases, lawsuits and the role race plays in the honor system.
"There is a unanimous agreement that we need to make our procedures move faster," Hall said.
In an attempt to address the issue of lawsuits filed against the Honor Committee, a full-time administrative assistant and a legal advisor have been appointed, Hall said.
Rothschild said the Commission is making efforts to address the race issue and clear up misunderstandings.
"Statistics are improving, but the main problem is awareness," she said. There have been reports that "90 percent of investigations are on minorities and this is not true. There are definitely problems, but we want to fix any misconceptions," she added.
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