During its first meeting of the school year, the Honor Committee proposed an amendment concept that would create a two-trial system for University students found guilty of an honor offense while participating in the Semester at Sea program.\nAs the academic sponsor of the program, the University upholds the same honor system applied on Grounds during Semester at Sea voyages.\nAfter each voyage ends, the Committee takes a moment to look at any Honor-related events that may have occurred on the ship to see if there are any "tweaks" that can be made to its honor system, Honor Chair David Truetzel said.\n"We sort of look through everything when the most recent voyage ends" each summer, Truetzel said.\nDuring last night's meeting, Committee members noted that after honor orientation this summer, one area of concern was whether University students found guilty of an honor offense while at sea should be kicked out of both Semester at Sea and the University.\nWithin the current system, all students participating in the Semester at Sea program are considered "part of the Community of Trust" and "are subject to the University of Virginia's Honor Code," according to Section 3 of the Voyager's Handbook. Therefore, each student is informed about the honor system before he participates in the program, Truetzel said.\nWhile at sea, if a student is found guilty of an honor offense by a three-fourths majority of his Hearing Panel, they are expelled from the program immediately. If they are a University student, they are also withdrawn from the University.\nEven though all students in the program are by definition part of the Community of Trust, however, the handbook later states that because of the "unique nature of the Semester at Sea program ... the By-laws and Constitution of the University of Virginia's Honor Committee shall not apply," and instead a different system has been created for the program. Truetzel said that on the "700 person ship" a vast majority of participants are not University students, creating a community different from the University's.\nTo reconcile these two communities, Truetzel proposed a system that would include two trials for guilty University students. Truetzel said the basic notion of the amendment is, "If you are a U.Va. student who is found guilty on the ship, that guilty verdict would essentially become a report to the Honor Committee" in Charlottesville to be reinvestigated. Although the Committee may choose to use materials and information from the original trial at sea during its later investigation, the student would essentially be put through another honor trial to determine whether he should be removed from the Community of Trust in Charlottesville as well as the Semester at Sea program.\nLaw representative Thomas Worthy, however, is concerned that creating a two-trial system would create a "double standard" between the community on the ship and the other community in Charlottesville.\n"Semester at Sea is an extended arm of Charlottesville," Worthy said. "I don't think the system needs to be watered down because they're in the middle of the ocean."\nInstead of creating a separate honor system for the students in the program, Worthy said he thinks that the Committee instead "can achieve fairness by ensuring that the investigation, I-panel and trial [at the Semester at Sea Program] are equivalent to what we have here."\nWithout an honor system that is standard for both the University and Semester at Sea program, Worthy said he thinks there is no way to ensure that all students are on an equal playing field.\nAs of now, the Committee will continue to discuss and consider the Semester at Sea amendment concept, meeting next Sunday to further examine the issue.
Read More
Shots fired reported at 100 block of Harmon Street, no injuries reported
By Thomas Baxter | 3 days agoThis is the first community alert of June.
Full Board discusses financial aid challenges, medical research and entrepreneurship
By Thomas Baxter | 5 days agoBoard members discussed the Pan-University Entrepreneurship Initiative, a project that aims to help develop more entrepreneurial ventures at the University.
Finance Committee approves 2024-25 operating budget and Major Capital Plan
By Zackary Holt | 5 days agoThe proposed 2024-25 fiscal year budget for the Academic Division includes a 6.8 percent increase in spending over the previous year.
