At Sunday night's meeting, Honor Committee members discussed their reactions to Families for Honor, a parent-led group campaigning for a revision of the Committee's trial procedures and handling of students who may be psychologically affected by honor allegations.
The organization had previously released an 18-page document to the Committee that criticized the Committee's stance on single sanction, its definition of plagiarism and defense counsel training.
But Committee Chair Charles Harris said although the parents act as "stakeholders" in the Committee, "students are fundamentally the owners of procedure." Nevertheless, he emphasized that the Committee is still keen to address the issues raised by the group, specifically the psychological issues that may affect individuals going through the trial process.
Advisers have undergone training to prepare for handling students who might be undergoing stress from an honor trial, for example, said Vice Chair for Investigations Page Dunbar. Harris said advisers have been trained to understand when it is appropriate for them to provide a student with psychological resources.
The training sessions taught honor advisers "to give these students more tools to recognize situations that it would be appropriate for students to seek help from [Counseling and Psychological Services]," Harris said.
He further noted that the Committee has always had these resources at its disposal but had not institutionalized procedures for referring students who may need them.\nThe advisers also have been trained to deal more with relocation issues in the event that a student must leave the University, Dunbar said. Stress pamphlets with resources available to students have been distributed to the advisers, as well.
During the spring, the committee also brought in psychologist Richard Heisterman to ask about noticeable signs indicating students experiencing stress, Harris noted.
The committee has engaged in conversations with Families for Honor since the group's inception, and meetings with the group took place last spring and this summer to hear the group's explanations of its manifesto and opinions, Harris said.
Regardless, the group's opinions are simply those of a single organization that is comprised of parents.
"[Families for Honor] can inform some of the debate, but in the end, they're not students," Harris said. "Student ownership of the honor system is apparent in that they elect Committee representatives and they consider policy questions. If one of these things is the discussion of intent clause and how it works, that's our end of the bargain, and we're elected to embody the will of the current generation of students"
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