Note: This letter was submitted prior to the Board of Visitors' decision to reinstate President Teresa A. Sullivan.
Dear Cavalier Daily Editor:
I commend The Cavalier Daily for the tremendous work that they have done fairly reporting on the events of the past two weeks. However, the editorial, "Some assembly required," published on June 26th so disguised the facts that I feel compelled to briefly respond.
First, The Cavalier Daily criticized the Honor Committee for "pleading the fifth" and failing to come to a decision on whether an Honor Offense has taken place. As clearly expressed in our By-Laws, the Honor Committee does not have jurisdiction over the life of students from graduation to grave. As such, any official condemnation of the Board of Visitors for committing an "Honor Offense" would have been disingenuous.
Instead, the Committee has, in a way unprecedented in its 170 year history, vocally criticized the Board of Visitors for acting counter to the principles of our Honor System and the foundational value of trust.
Additionally, we have sought to vigorously defend those values with all, including Rector Helen Dragas. With less than 24 hour notice, I, along with other students, met with Rector Dragas and did everything I could to convey student sentiment.
Moreover, the Committee did not stop with its statement to the entire University community and this meeting, but I spoke out again this past Sunday at the "Rally for Honor" against an environment which I believe remains "inconsistent with the value of trust."
In those remarks I discussed how the events of the last two weeks reveal the distinctive values and strengths of this institution and our student body. I applaud all of the students who have stood up to defend our values and do what is right.
This Committee will always zealously defend our Community of Trust from any challenge that might arise. We have viewed the actions of the Board from the last two weeks as such a challenge and have spoken out firmly. However, we do not feel it is our role to draw "conclusions" that would be in discord with our By-Laws or use our platform to speak over the thousands of student voices that have been expressed in emails, Facebook groups and rallies.
Lastly, the Community of Trust encompasses all members, even journalists. The Cavalier Daily has an obligation to be questioning and critical, but have an equal obligation to be forthright with the information given to them. On Saturday, I met with The Cavalier Daily and discussed the reach of the Honor Committee's jurisdiction, the extremely short notice before the meeting with Rector Dragas as well as the content of the meeting, the many conversations with students to gauge their feedback, and the unparalleled nature of the Committee's actions, though none of this was reported.
Moving forward it is important for us all to continue to do what we believe it is right and uphold our foundational pillars of honesty, integrity, and trust.
With regards,\nStephen Nash\nUniversity of Virginia Honor Committee, Chair
Editor's note: This submission was sent to The Cavalier Daily at 1:31 p.m. on Tuesday, prior to the Board of Visitors meeting at 3 p.m. Due to logistical reasons alone, the piece was not uploaded until after the meeting had ended.
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