A new Honor Committee initiative may give students the opportunity to buy on credit from merchants on the Corner.
According to Honor Chair Carey Mignerey, the issue being proposed essentially puts students on their honor to repay any loan they contract with a merchant. Not doing so would constitute an Honor offense.
The Committee will vote on this initiative Oct. 19, and a majority vote is needed for the proposal to pass.
If that happens, the new credit system will go into effect immediately.
The plan most likely would include any local merchants in the Charlottesville and Albemarle County area, Mignerey said.
The manner of the loan and the method of repayment would be at the discretion of each individual establishment.
"We would be notified [by the individual establishments] any time a student received a loan and didn't repay it," Mignerey said. "It would be up to each store to determine the length of time students have to repay their loan."
This new proposal is an expansion of the "bad check" policy, which currently is a part of the Honor system.
"Anytime you write a check, you're on your word to pay the addressee of the check the funds that you're writing the check for," Mignerey said.
When the Committee becomes aware that a bad check has been written, the student initially has 14 days to repay the check before an Honor charge could be initiated against him or her. "The difference now is that we're adding in honor loans," Mignerey said.
The Yellow Cab Program exemplifies an honor loan system which already is in place at the University. Under this program, taxi service is provided to students who need a safe mode of transportation. The ride can be charged to the Office of the Dean of Students, and the student is on his or her honor to repay the loan the following week.
"We've seen in the past few years a need for some way of addressing the IOUs issued by University students," Mignerey said.
Students have various opinions on the proposal.
"I think being able to pay with IOUs would definitely reinforce the idea of honor here at U.Va.," first-year College student Adam Backels said. "But while it may sound like a good idea at first, being able to pay with IOUs on the Corner might get a lot of students in debt."
Fourth-year College student Robyn Hunt disagreed.
"Basically, this honor thing for the Corner seems pretty stupid," she said. "Most people are never out without a friend who can spot them a meal or a drink."
First-year College student Viktoriya Golynko said she does not anticipate a great demand for the service.
"If you go to the Corner, you know you are going to buy something, and should have money with you," she said. "If you don't have money, you shouldn't be trying to buy it."
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