Catherine Anne Daley CLAS III Major: History Hometown: Memphis, TN Activities, positions, associations: Honor (counsel, pre-trial coordinator) Class of 2008 Class Council U.Va. Hospital Volunteer
Miller Center Intern
Current office/position:
Honor Counsel, senior support officer
What are the responsibilities of the position you are seeking, and why are you qualified to fulfill those responsibilities?
The responsibilities of an Honor Committee member entail chairing and observing trials and I-panels, as well as sitting on subcommittees and working to improve the procedures and processes under which Honor operates. The Committee is the public face of Honor and should be committed to the unique interests of the schools its members represent, as well as to the larger place of Honor at the University.
If elected, what is the most pressing issue that you could realistically address, and how would you do so?
The most pressing issue facing Honor is the relationship of the students to the Honor system and to the idea of honor itself. If the University is to continue to have a viable tradition of student self-governance, this has to change. The honor system belongs to the students and we need to encourage participation in it and dialogue about it. I would address this problem by making the Honor Committee and the system itself more transparent and more responsive. We create this environment by publicizing the meetings and welcoming the students who come. We create the other half of the equation, the response, in two ways. We actively seek feedback and input from the student body, and then we keep the community updated on what the Committee is doing with the suggestions it receives.
What positive contributions have you made to the University community?
As a Class Council member for two years I have participated in the planning and execution of a variety of events designed to serve the needs of the Class of 2008 and to bring the class together in a meaningful way.
With Honor, I have served as a counsel, endeavoring to make each student's experience with Honor quick and professional. I have served on various subcommittees within Honor: the Faculty Survey Ad Hoc, the Academic Integrity Committee and the Diversity Advisory Board. Through these groups, I've helped in the endeavor to get much-needed input from the faculty about Honor, as well as trying to foster greater emphasis on academic integrity, and also helping to generate the idea for an educational outreach program.
Daniel Lautzenheiser
CLAS III
Major: History and Economics
Hometown: Richmond, Va.
Activities, positions, associations:
Honor
Phi Delta Theta
Abundant Life tutoring
Agape Christian Fellowship.
Current office/position: (in Honor) Counsel, Pre-Trial Coordinator
What are the responsibilities of the position you are seeking, and why are you qualified to fulfill those responsibilities?
Attend weekly Committee meetings, act as trial chairs or official observers, serve on investigation panels to decide if there is enough evidence for a trial and serve as chairs of subcommittees. I have been a Counsel for three years, and as such have extensive case experience in both trials and investigations. For the 2006-2007 school year, I am serving as a pre-trial coordinator, a senior support officer that helps ensure each case goes to trial quickly and fairly by ruling on evidence and witness motions allowed at trial. This role also puts me on the Honor Braintrust, a collection of Committee members and senior support officers who meet weekly to discuss Honor policy issues. I also serve on the Single Sanction Ad Hoc Committee and was a dorm liaison to help educate first-years on Honor-related issues. Through these roles, I understand every aspect of the case process and have a uniquely wide breadth of experience.
If elected, what is the most pressing issue that you could realistically address, and how would you do so?
The greatest burden Honor has to face in the coming years is increasing student ambivalence towards a system some feel is outdated, unfair, not relevant to their daily lives as students, or, most importantly, beyond their control. I would like to see the Honor Committee push for greater student body attendance at weekly committee meetings or subcommittee meetings, hold more regular town hall forums and create a stronger education system that focuses on showing the tangible benefits a healthy honor system provides University students.
What positive contributions have you made to the University community?
I believe my work with Honor is the greatest contribution I have made at the University, in that I am actively supporting a system I deeply believe in. Beyond that, I have also been involved in a handful of community service activities, most notably tutoring Charlottesville middle school children through Abundant Life.
Douglas "DJ" Lewis
CLAS II
Major: Financial Mathematics
Hometown: Danville, Va.
Activities, positions, associations:
Honor Counsel
Male Leadership Project
Cast of the "rock musical" HAIR
Day in the Life Program
Madison House Volunteer
Diversity Advisory Board
Dorm Liaison
Current office/position: Executive Secretary of Diversity Advisory Board
What are the responsibilities of the position you are seeking, and why are you qualified to fulfill those responsibilities?
The responsibilities of this position are as follows: 1. to properly represent the Honor system as well as those in the constituency that you represent; 2. to critically evaluate the current bylaws and make changes that improve the honor system; 3. to increase the transparency of the Honor System ( e.g. committee meetings and various issues); 4. to examine the processes within the honor system and troubleshoot (i.e. devise plans to make these processes better, when issues/problems arise).
I am qualified for this position because I am approachable, knowledgeable of the honor system and willing to work with others to truly make the honor system something that more people will appreciate and respect. I have a genuine zeal for the honor system, and I intend to bring about an awareness of what the honor system truly is at the University with my election.
If elected, what is the most pressing issue that you could realistically address, and how would you do so?
The most pressing issue that needs to be addressed is diversity within the honor system as well as on Grounds. As a member of the Diversity Advisory Board and a dorm liaison, I have heard many of the perceptions and opinions about the honor system. In my experience, I find that some of the students' fears are not without merit. Diversity is a huge issue that should be discussed, and an active effort should be made to make improvements. The first step is to increase the awareness of students within and outside of Honor. It is my belief that the best way to accomplish this is to inform students about how Honor affects them. Students should be aware of case statistics. Diversity is an issue that will not be improved by one person. It takes many people working together to champion such an issue, and I intend to work closely with various group leaders for that reason.
What positive contributions have you made to the University community?
My positive contributions to the University community prominently involve connecting the University community with the Charlottesville community. My volunteerism attests to this. I have worked with Project Serve and Madison House. Recently, I became a part of the Day in the Life program. Moreover, I am training to be an effective mentor to children through a new program titled the "Male Leadership Project." In addition, I was in the cast for Grounds for Discussion, which gives a great deal of information about University life to entering first-year students.
Linda Liu
CLAS III
Major: Math and Biology
Hometown: Harrisonburg, Va.
Activities, positions, associations:
Honor, Advisor and Investigations Coordinator (senior support, Braintrust member)
DAB (Diversity Advisory Board, subcommittee of Honor committee), very active member and in charge of communications
PAFN (Asian/Pacific-American Peer Advising Family Network), Tri-Chair and Advisor
Math Tutoring Center, Tutor
Brown College
Current office/position: those listed above are all current
What are the responsibilities of the position you are seeking, and why are you qualified to fulfill those responsibilities?
Internally, within Honor, Committee members are responsible for conducting investigative hearings and chairing Honor trials, as well as working with other members of the committee and support officers to continually improve the Honor system. Committee members also have a duty to reach out to the broader community and make connections between Honor and various academic departments, administrators, student groups and athletic programs.
I have dedicated myself to working for Honor for the past three years, serving as an advisor, investigations coordinator and subcommittee member. I have extensive experience from within the system, but I also have a broader perspective on Honor through my work with the Diversity Advisory Board, which allows me to interact with various faculty, administrators, coaches and student organizations and see the impact of Honor on various populations at the university.
If elected, what is the most pressing issue that you could realistically address, and how would you do so?
I think the most pressing issue for Honor has been, and currently is, a general lack of understanding by the student body, faculty and other members of the university. I think Honor needs to be made more accessible to everyone, but rather than asking others to come to us with questions or concerns, we need to go to them. I would like to have representatives of Honor partner up with each academic department, dorm, major student organization and athletic team. This would be a full-year, continuous partnership focused on making sure every individual has a working understanding of the Honor system.
What positive contributions have you made to the University community?A project I am currently working on is re-vamping the "Honor Orientation" that all first-years and transfer students receive upon entering the university. I believe that the current format (a PowerPoint/video and short presentation by Honor officers) is inadequate in helping each student understand how Honor applies to himself or herself personally, aside from just being an institution like any other that exists at U.Va. Along with other members of DAB, we plan to replace the current format with a small group discussion-based format to allow each student to engage in active dialogue about the meaning of the ideals of honor and integrity.
Ben Cooper
CLAS III
Major: Political Philosophy, Policy, and Law
Hometown: Falls Church, VA
Activities, positions, associations:
Senior Advisor, Honor Committee
Senior Counselor, University Judiciary Committee
Judge, Sexual Assault Board
Representative, Arts & Sciences Council
Current office/position: Senior Advisor
What are the responsibilities of the position you are seeking, and why are you qualified to fulfill those responsibilities?
The Honor Committee is the body that is ultimately responsible for the operation of the honor system at U.Va. As such, Committee members are required to make decisions ranging from individual students' cases to broad policy changes affecting the entire student body. With the three years experience I've had working with the Committee as an advisor, as well as this past year as a senior advisor, I feel that I will be able to identify those areas where the honor system can be improved and effectively implement change.
If elected, what is the most pressing issue that you could realistically address, and how would you do so?
Over the years, the Honor Committee has come to be seen chiefly as the body that adjudicates cases brought against students who have broken the honor code. However, what I would like to see come out of my term with the Committee are broad initiatives aimed at increasing the amount of benefits the honor system at Virginia provides, and ensuring that they are publicized widely. I believe that the decreasing amount of support for the honor system that we've been seeing for the past few years, be it over the single sanction or otherwise, have arisen in large part because people only see its punitive aspects.
What positive contributions have you made to the University community?
Through my involvement with the Honor Committee, University Judiciary Committee and other organizations, I've ensured that student self-governance has continued as an effective tradition at the University. Through my work with different cases, I have interacted with numerous individual students going through a difficult time to ensure that they are treated fairly and given a voice in the University's varying adjudicative processes.
Allie Moore
CLAS III
Major: Foreign Affairs
Hometown: Richmond, VA
Activities, positions, associations:
Current office/position: Senior Honor Educator Support Officer
What are the responsibilities of the position you are seeking, and why are you qualified to fulfill those responsibilities?
The College Honor representative holds the responsibility to address pressing issues within the honor system, to more fully represent the desires and opinions of the student population, and to educate students and faculty on the honor system. As an Honor educator for 2 1/2 years, I routinely examined the larger issues facing the honor system with broad exposure to the diverse opinions of many students. Such experiences enable me to initiate effective and positive changes with perspective and judgment.
If elected, what is the most pressing issue that you could realistically address, and how would you do so?
The biggest issue facing the honor system is its relevancy for all students. The honor system remains a responsive governing body for the U.Va. community and represents student opinions and beliefs, but it is too under-the-radar. The honor system has its roots in a smaller school where everyone knew everyone. Now with nearly 13,000 undergraduates, the extension of ownership and relevance must occur in order to preserve the original intentions of a student run honor system. The honor system must build genuine relationships with minority organizations, athletes, first-years and the entire student body. I propose the creation of a three-fold class open to first-years, targeting issues of the honor system, diversity and history at U.Va. Additionally, I hope to increase both large and small-scale education efforts on Grounds.
What positive contributions have you made to the University community?
My contributions as an Honor educator emphasize educating various groups within the student body about the honor system. I strive to create ownership of the honor system by participating in dorm talks, organizing the Conscientious Retraction campaign, and giving various presentations on Grounds. Additionally, as a senior support officer, I have held a leadership role within the honor system, participating in weekly meetings and organizing amongst all three pools: consul, advisors and educators. I play an active role on the Community Relations Committee, including the organization of the upcoming Honor Open House.
Brian O'Neill
CLAS III
Major: Economics
Hometown: Virginia Beach, Va.
Activities, positions, associations:
Honor, IFCJD, Fiji
Honor Counsel
What are the responsibilities of the position you are seeking, and why are you qualified to fulfill those responsibilities?
Honor Committee members work on behalf of their constituents and the entire school to ensure that cases brought to the attention of the Honor Committee are fairly and effectively adjudicated and to ensure that honor remains a vital influence at U.Va. Through my experience as a support officer to the Honor Committee since first-year (both as an advisor and counsel), I have seen a tremendous number of cases pass through the system and I have also had the opportunity to work on policies with ad hoc committees and to participate in community education and outreach. My very high level of experience enables me to generate concrete ideas to improve specific areas in which the Honor Committee sometimes falls short.
If elected, what is the most pressing issue that you could realistically address, and how would you do so?
If elected, I would work to revamp our internal accountability within Honor, by creating a review board composed of experienced support officers and Committee members who would review the actions and outcomes of honor proceedings and would provide constructive feedback to those involved to improve in the future. In extreme cases, this board could recommend repeating certain parts of the case process in order to ensure fair adjudication.
What positive contributions have you made to the University community?
I have committed myself wholeheartedly to working to improve Honor. I truly believe that the honor system makes our community a more livable place and represents a strong commitment to a valuable ideal. This system cannot survive without lots of hard work, and I believe that my dedication has provided just that.
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