It was clear from yesterday's Faculty Senate meeting that the referenda to the Honor Committee Constitution are the responsibility of students alone.
Although Committee members could have made a plea for faculty to endorse the proposals yesterday, they chose instead to educate present faculty members about the referenda and field questions and concerns about the system in general.
"Although the input of the faculty carries a lot of weight, [the honor system] is a student-run system," Committee Chairman Thomas Hall said.
While a Faculty Senate endorsement of the referenda "would have been nice, we certainly weren't seeking it today," Hall said.
Hall, along with Luke Mitchell, Committee vice chairman for education, attempted to explain how the proposed changes would apply on a faculty level. Hall said the referendum that seeks to reduce the adversarial nature of trials and the role of honor counsel will make trials less threatening to case initiators, who are often faculty members.
Faculty initiators "have no interest in being berated in trials by counsel," he said.
After the Committee members' presentation, Faculty Senate Chairwoman Patricia H. Werhane asked faculty members to encourage students to vote on the referenda without telling them which way to vote.
"I encourage you all to bring up with students the importance of voting," Werhane said. "It's important for students to vote their conscience."
David T. Gies, Spanish professor and former Faculty Senate chairman, said it is not the faculty's role to endorse the referenda.
"I viewed the Honor Committee's presentation as another branch of their education effort," Gies said.
"My sense is that these proposals will increase the faculties support of the honor system if they pass," he said. "They will help clear up some of the ambiguities in the administration of the system."
Committee members fielded questions not only about the referenda but also on perennial honor issues, such as minority treatment in the honor process and how the Committee plans to make minorities more comfortable with the honor system.
The Honor System Review Commission came up with a number of proposals on the subject which Committee members now are looking into, Hall said. He also said the Diversity Awareness Committee is working in conjunction with the rest of the Committee to incorporate a program of diversity training for the honor system.
"The Honor Pledge is our prime directive. It is applicable to all of us," said William J. Kehoe, chairman of the Faculty Senate Research and Scholarship Committee. "It's critically important that faculty support and believe in the honor system"
Read More
Student Council passes appointment bill, approves new CIOs at final meeting of semester
By Arshiya Pant | 19 hours agoMendoza Gonzalez also said she will be meeting with Kenyon R. Bonner, vice president and chief student affairs officer, to discuss further strategies for the Student Council Endowment Fund.
Professors speak about leading productive dialogue on Israel-Hamas war
By Lexie Stadler | YesterdayThe event was hosted by the University’s Task Force on Religious Diversity and Belonging, which is designed to ensure that the University is welcoming to community members from all religions and cultures.
Honor Committee considers formal ban of AI detectors as evidence in trials
By Lexie Stadler | 2 days agoThe Committee also addressed balancing student perspectives with those of Committee representatives during panel discussions.
