The news earlier this month that the Honor Committee is considering a proposition to remove randomly selected student juries drew some heated feedback. Arguments ranged from those in favor of eliminating student juries to those arguing that it would ruin the community representation on the Committee. One individual even commented that the student-run Committee should be eliminated altogether in favor of a faculty-run system. This last statement is dangerous and implies that we should sacrifice our rights and opportunities as students in favor of a promise, questionable at best, of greater effectiveness.
Former University of Chicago president Robert Hutchins summed it up best when he said, "It must be remembered that the purpose of education is not to fill the minds of students with facts ... It is to teach them to think, if that is possible, and always to think for themselves." This is the purpose of student self-governance: to give students the opportunity to learn through their experiences. A faculty-run Honor Committee would likely be more efficient, but what would students learn about their actions if faculty, who have little contact with students, decide verdicts decreeing what is and is not an honor violation? This applies to Student Council and the University Judiciary Committee, as well. In the real world, adults will not be there to hold our hands, tell us what is right or wrong or give us solutions to our problems. We will have to be those adults. Perhaps increasing faculty involvement will improve the "correctness" of the decisions, but it robs students of the opportunity to learn from their mistakes and experiences.
Our esteemed founding father, Thomas Jefferson, would agree with a strong reliance on student self-governance. In his 'Report for University of Virginia' (1818), Jefferson noted that "among the benefits of education [is] the incalculable advantage of training up able counselors to administer the affairs of our country in all its department." In student self-governance, Jefferson saw an ideal form of education for democracy. To allow students to govern their own lives at the cloistered communities of their universities would prepare them to govern themselves when they emerged into the real world. This embracing of student self-governance is what distinguishes the University from many of its peers.
It makes no sense to say college students are not prepared to govern their own lives, but that they should be fully prepared to take on that role once they graduate. What is it about a college diploma that magically makes someone ready to govern all aspects of their lives? Perhaps apathy in civic participation among adults can be attributed to apathy in their youth. Without a doubt, apathy is one reason for low voter turnout among the nation's youth in elections. If someone cannot be persuaded to participate in the community that impacts him the most, such as that of a University, what would encourage him to participate in the greater community?
Apathy is a significant problem in the student body. Most students do not participate in University-wide elections; if they do, they often do not scrutinize the candidates or referenda. When probed, many students do not know what Student Council does, or even the difference between Student Council and the various class councils. How many people know the twelve standards of conduct by which UJC operates? Or even two or three of them? The student body is at fault here. Ultimately, it is up to the students to participate, but we have not been fulfilling our responsibilities in that regard. Honor Committee Chair Charles Harris told The Cavalier Daily that "the student body are the true owners of the system." We need to step up and take ownership of the system.
The Committee means well by its proposal, but eliminating student juries is not the right solution to reduce apathy. That Committee members are elected representatives does not compensate for the representation that would be lost with this proposal. It is important for us to remember Alexis de Tocqueville's argument that if the people are unfit to govern their own lives, what makes them fit to select the people who will?
Read More
PARTING SHOT: Girl, what did you expect?
By Cecy Juárez | 19 hours agoAdvocate for yourself unabashedly, even and especially when you feel like you don’t belong.
PARTING SHOT: Revisiting old comments
By Claire DiLorenzo | 19 hours agoIn retirement, I am also trying not to be hard on myself — I don’t have to hold onto all the mistakes that I made as an editor.
PARTING SHOT: Prides and joys
By Shaleah Tolliver | YesterdayI have seen what student journalism can do — it can highlight the marginalized, influence the majority and spark conversations.
