What would have been an open honor trial slated to begin Nov. 6 will now proceed as a closed trial at the request of the accused student.
The student's name and his motivation for closing the trial were not released. In making the change, the student exercised his right to close the proceedings at any time leading up to the start of the trial.
"A student just realized that he would rather have a confidential trial," Honor Committee Chair David Hobbs said. "We don't know the details behind his motive. We didn't know the motive for [the] open honor trial in the first place."
The last open honor trial was held in 2002 when former College student Adam Boyd was found guilty of cheating in an astronomy class.
"I think it was a positive experience for the University because the students were able to see that the system is operating honestly and fairly," said Chris Smith, who chaired the Committee at the time of the trial.
Hobbs said the Committee would have appreciated the opportunity to open its typically confidential proceedings to the public.
"We would have welcomed having it because it's a great way to add transparency that we're not usually able to have," Hobbs said. "It really gets the word out about honor."
Proponents of honor reform also said they are disappointed the trial will proceed behind closed doors.
"Obviously, we are disappointed," said third-year College student Sam Leven, who sat on the ad-hoc Sanction Reform Committee and is the communications director for Hoos Against Single Sanction. "Having an open trial would have been an excellent opportunity to show the University community everything that's going wrong with the honor system right now."
Still, Leven said he understands the pressures an open trial would place on the accused student.
"The decision to have an open honor trial is a very difficult one when one's reputation is on the line," he said. "We don't hold it against the student. We can all understand their decision."
Smith acknowledged the added stress and publicity associated with an open trial, including national media coverage as well as student interest.
"It has the potential to become a spectacle with the media coverage and everyone watching it," Smith said.
In light of these challenges, Smith said he still sees the benefits open honor trials can offer to accused students.
"I think being accused of an honor offense, there is a lot of pressure, regardless," he said. "If the student firmly believes that they are innocent, I don't see why they would not want to have an [open] honor trial."
The decision to close the trial comes as students and a professor in the Engineering School declined to adjudicate a recent incident of homework copying through the honor system. In light of this incident, Hobbs said the Committee was not concerned that community faith in the honor system is waning.
"I think people trust the system," Hobbs said. "It is not really possible to make it any more open given the system that we have to have. Whether or not there is a need to is a question."
Federal education secrecy laws mandate that the Committee conducted its proceedings confidentially, unless a student waives that right by agreeing to have an open honor trial.
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