As the single sanction debate heats up on Grounds, students now can go online to read about and discuss the issue through a new Web site sponsored by the Honor Committee.
The site, www.singlesanction.com, officially was launched on Friday, and finishing touches will be completed today, Sanction Reform Committee Chair Sara Page said.
Page said the goal for the site is to engage students who may not have a clear position on the single sanction issue and might not be familiar enough with the honor system to make an educated decision about whether the sanction should be reformed.
"I think the Web site is an awesome resource that will let students look at the single sanction issue with the full information they need to make the best decision on the issue," Page said.
The site presents a summary of the arguments for and against the single sanction that traditionally have been raised in public debate over the issue.
Zach Williams, chair of the Web site subgroup of the Sanction Reform Committee, said he thinks the presentation of the opposing arguments is the site's strongest feature.
"I like how students can go to the site, make two clicks and be fully informed about how leaders on both sides of the debate are thinking," Williams said.
The site also incorporates the faculty's perspective on the single sanction with links to two statements by the Academic Affairs Committee of the Faculty Senate as well as a resolution by the Arts and Sciences Council.
Also, the site contains a "useful resources" page with a link to honor case statistics posted on the Honor Committee's Web site and a link to the National Center for Academic Integrity.
In addition to literature about the single sanction, the site also has an interactive discussion board where students can post comments and take part in an online discussion about the issue.
"I see people sort of exploring the issues" on the discussion board, Page said. "It would be a great thing if people who weren't already engaged in the issue picked up on it through the discussion board."
Page said while she is worried that people already vocal about the issue on Grounds might dominate the conversation online as well, the discussion board is open to all students.
Williams said in addition to gauging individual students' opinions on the discussion board, members of the Sanction Reform Committee also would like student groups on Grounds to write position papers that could be posted on the site.
"It would be great to hear a group perspective," he said.
According to Williams, the site was created with the help of a professional Web site designer at the Darden School, free of charge.
"It was a big boost to have someone who was a professional do it and not cost us anything," he said.
Williams said those involved in creating the site wanted its design to clearly be connected to the University through traditional symbols, such as the Rotunda or the Thomas Jefferson statue, but also be unique in its own right.
"We wanted to mix the traditional U.Va. thing with some sort of new off-beat design if we could," Williams said.
They decided to use the Rotunda as the backdrop for the site's homepage, but Williams said the geometry and shape of the graphic is different from other University sites.
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