In response to the alleged racial hate crime against fourth-year College student Amey Adkins, the Honor Committee overwhelming voted to endorse a statement condemning acts of discrimination and hate at the University last night.
"I think tonight we took a step in the right direction in stating we are not just against lying, cheating or stealing---we're not just defined in this negative sense, but also this positive sense of really having this vision for U.Va.," Sullivan said.
The recommendation to bring the statement to the Honor Committee came from the Diversity Advisory Board and the Black Student Alliance. The two groups met Friday to discuss how the Honor Committee and other student leadership organizations could respond to acts of hate.
Diversity Advisory Board Chair Sara Page said the Honor Committee should actively endorse the statement because an offense of this nature goes against the ideals and principles of the community of trust.
"Honor should take the symbolic step in putting it on the table and challenge the University with it," Page told Committee members.
Isaac Agbeshie-Noye, Black Student Alliance vice president of networking, said the BSA wanted the Honor Committee to spearhead this initiative.
"We think diversity and honor are two core values at U.Va., and this measure is a way to integrate them both," Agbeshie-Noye said. "We think that it is equally a violation of the community of trust as lying, cheating or stealing."
Some Committee members voiced concerns over how the statement would be perceived by the student body in terms of whether or not hate crimes could be considered honor offenses.
Page said, however, that the statement is more idealistic than procedural and does not suggest that students could be brought up on honor charges for committing acts of hate.
"I think they had a lot of vision and took advantage of an important time to forward honor and to support the members of our community," Page said.
To promote the ideals, Page said the Honor Committee will meet with the Diversity Advisory Board, the Coalition and other student leadership groups.
"Now that it's passed and has some freedom to develop, we can set more tangible goals," Page said. "I think it can really grow a lot."
The Honor Committee's endorsement of this statement is the first step in garnering widespread support from other student leadership organizations as well as individual students, Page said.
"You rarely hear from other leadership organizations around Grounds that are not really connected to the event directly," Page said. "I think it might be a really significant thing if basic leadership groups--student-self government groups--make these kinds of statements."
Sullivan said she hopes that the Honor Committee will serve as a vehicle for actively promoting the statement as part of the community of trust.
"I think the Committee is all very proud of the statement made this afternoon, and we hope other members of the University community are going to adopt it and move forward with it," she said. "Anyway we can help facilitate that process, we will."
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