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Hamza Aziz to serve as new Honor Committee chair

Members announced the new executive board and considered motions for co-sponsorship in their last meeting of the current term

The Honor Committee's new term began Monday
The Honor Committee's new term began Monday

The Honor Committee held their final meeting of the current term Sunday evening, where they announced the new executive board — following a weekend of voting at the committee’s annual retreat, third-year College Rep. Hamza Aziz, will succeed fourth-year College student Gabrielle Bray as Honor Committee Chair. 

Second-year College Rep. Laura Howard was elected Vice Chair for Hearings and third-year College Rep. Nishita Ghanate was elected Vice Chair for Investigations. Third-year College Rep. Rachel Liesegang will serve as Vice Chair for the Undergraduate Community and Graduate Batten Rep. Tyler Sesker will act as Vice Chair for the Graduate Community. Second-year Commerce Rep. Carson Breus was elected Vice Chair for Sanctions and second-year Engineering student Lukas Lehman will serve as Vice Chair of the Treasury.

Executive elections happen internally every year at the Committee’s retreat, and are not open to the public. 

According to Aziz, the next term will begin with a strong focus on finalizing the details of the new multisanction system voted in by students in March. 

“I'm incredibly excited to meet the new Committee as we hit the ground running to implement the new, historic multi-sanction transformation that students have voted on,” Aziz said. “We believe in the rehabilitative meaning of trust, and I look forward to working with my fellow reps, students, faculty and other stakeholders”

During the past term, the Honor Committee passed a referendum which codifies a multi-sanction system — the first multi-sanction system since the Committee’s inception in 1842. Possible sanctions under the new system include, but are not limited to, amends, education, leaves of absence and expulsion. Sanctions will require a four-fifths vote from the Panel for Sanction, and panel members will be required to provide a written report of their rationale to the guilty student. 

In the remaining 90 days before the ratification of the new Honor constitution, Committee members will have to finalize the by-laws necessary for the new multi-sanction system. Despite the work ahead, Gabrielle Bray, outgoing chair and fourth-year College student,  encouraged members to take pride in the accomplishments realized in the past term. 

“We started out this time in a really precarious position as a Committee, and we did what both our professional staff, some members of higher administration and I think a lot of previous Honor Committees deemed impossible, and for all we have done we should be incredibly proud” Bray said.

The Committee also unanimously passed two motions, both of which concerned event co-sponsorships. One confirmed a $1,500 sponsorship for the Jefferson Cup Road Race April 30th, a cycling race that has been held annually in Charlottesville since 1991. The other confirmed $1000 to support the Muslim Student Association’s Iftaar Charity Banquet. 

The next term begins Monday, and the new constitution will take effect July 9. 

CORRECTION: A previous version of this article stated that Carson Breus was a third-year student but she is a second-year student. The article has been updated to reflect this change. 

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