Yesterday’s News article “Honor case highlights procedures,” in which an anonymous student who has been expelled from the University on honor charges alleged improprieties in her trial and appeals process has sparked some controversy. Though we had hoped for the article to inspire conversation about possible flaws in the appeals process, all of the conversation seems to be about the article itself. We agree the article could have been improved if it included more specific and detailed comments from the Honor Committee. However, even though the Committee chair said her position prevented her from discussing the specifics of a particular case or her own opinions about the honor system with our reporters, we decided the article contained enough of each perspective to constitute a well-balanced story.
The purpose of the article was to explain how the appeals process functions through the lens of one specific case, given that information about other cases is not available. As many good news stories do, it also intended to point out controversial aspects of the status quo and give readers an opportunity to consider them. The article thus included the student’s accusations and a lengthy discussion of the issues involved, citing information that the Honor chair was able to provide.
Some students have questioned our decision to allow the student making these allegations to remain anonymous. The Cavalier Daily allows anonymity at the discretion of the editor-in-chief. The Cavalier Daily Book of Policies and Procedures states, “Sources who make legitimate requests that their names not be used and offer important information will be cited anonymously.”
In this case, the reason the source requested anonymity was obvious enough: Making her expulsion public knowledge threatened her prospects for the future. The Honor Committee itself makes the same consideration. The student’s first-hand observations of the honor system in action were sufficiently important information to make the decision to grant her anonymity reasonable. If The Cavalier Daily had refused, the article would not have been possible, and the opportunity for the University community to examine the honor appeals process would have been lost. The names of the other individuals mentioned in the article were pertinent information, and since the article would not threaten, for example, their future career prospects, there was not reason for us to take the unusual step of granting anonymity.
Reporting on the honor system is difficult but important. The Honor Committee must be subject to its fellow students. Since most students cannot observe most aspects of the honor system first-hand, it falls upon The Cavalier Daily to report on it. This is the role of the press.
The role of the press is also to be fair. Several students are outraged that the article did not contain an answer to the anonymous student’s allegations. In fact, we would have preferred to print such a response. The reporter responsible for the article asked Honor Committee Chair Jessica Huang to comment on the allegations, and she explained that she was unable to do so. Instead, the reporter made an effort to include the next best thing in the article, resulting in an back-and-forth discussion of honor policies in hypothetical situations between Huang and Hoos Against Single Sanction President Sam Leven.
The result was an even-handed discussion of the current appeals process that accompanied the specifics of the student’s allegations. We agree the story would have provided a more complete picture of the honor system if it had included a response from the Committee. It is disappointing that Huang could not provide one. Perhaps if the Honor Committee allowed students who wish to have their trial discussed publicly to waive their privacy rights voluntarily, the Committee could provide more detailed information about those trials. Such a system would allow us University students to understand their honor system better.
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