The Honor Committee's Faculty Advisory Committee and the Diversity Advisory Board updated the Committee on their outreach efforts to faculty and students at last night's meeting.
Faculty Advisory Committee Chair Adam Trusner announced the creation of a faculty contact program consisting of faculty members from different schools within the University who will serve as peer advisers to other faculty in their departments. The program aims to help faculty understand aspects of the Committee, Trusner said.
"They could point the concerned faculty members to Honor's resources ... and initiate discussion about the honor system and its role here," Trusner said.
Trusner added that this peer advising program would help better establish the Committee among faculty.
"Faculty members, since they have no control, don't have that much input into it," Trusner said. "I think that having a peer [advisor] would help make Honor more concrete for faculty members."
The Faculty Advisory Committee consists of faculty who have an interest in the honor system, Trusner said, adding that not all the faculty involved fully support the current honor system.
"We have faculty that support the honor system and faculty that want to see major changes," Trusner said.
Trusner said the faculty contact program should be fully implemented by February.
The Diversity Advisory Board is also making outreach efforts this semester, according to the board's co-chair, Jon Overdevest.
"We're looking to have a standing sub-committee to take the pulse of diverse communities of U.Va. and see how honor impacts their lives and see how we can change to better their communities," Overdevest said. "We're looking for more of a partnership."
Overdevest said the board is working to increase interaction with contracted independent organizations to "gather a better idea of what they think would be tangible changes" that could be implemented in the system.
"We're looking for things that we can directly enact," Overdevest said, adding that the board's focus is to gain the perspective of organizations and students not usually heard.
Overdevest stressed that the board provides a means for students to "discuss the issues and not just to acknowledge their presence, but to come up with substantive change that we can enact to better the functioning of the honor system."
Committee Chair Ben Cooper said the Diversity Advisory Board is a forum where contentious issues can be discussed.
"It is heated debate," Cooper said. "So you need to strike the balance of getting people in there to explain their frustrations and their concerns but also being able to move forward with some resolutions."
Vice Chair for Trials Brian O'Neill also noted at the meeting that the open trial, originally scheduled for Dec. 2 has been postponed to Jan. 26 by request of the accused student.
Read More
HRL changes staff housing assignment process
By Lidia Zur Muhlen | 3 hours agoAll residence advisors and senior residents serving in the 25-26 year for HRL used an individual, online choice platform through the University’s housing portal, which is also used for upperclassmen housing selections.
Four years of construction — how has Grounds changed?
By Grace Little | 9 hours agoArriving on Grounds in 2021, the University’s graduating class of 2025 saw a smaller collection of buildings than the one they are now preparing to leave.
U.Va. loses over $60 million in federal research cuts
By Bertie Azqueta | 3 days agoThe impacted grants include three from the NIH, seven from the NEH, one from the United States Agency for International Development and four from the State Department.
