TO THOSE of you who have spoken out in response to Stephanie Garrison's recent open trial, thank you. Thank you for your e-mails. Thank you for your phone calls. Thank you for your letters to the editor. Thank you for your questions, your concerns and your criticism. This is the kind of discussion necessary for the Honor Committee to operate effectively.
I spoke to incoming students at the beginning of this year about the importance of student investment and involvement in the honor system. As you have realized by now, we all share the system as an element of our community at the University of Virginia.
Perhaps the term "community of trust" seems idealistic, but then again, perhaps that's the point. Through discussion and debate like we have recently heard, the Honor Committee can fulfill its responsibility body to the student body to uphold our highest ideals.
The Committee recognizes that there has been a lot of discussion and criticism of Honor's proceedings in the past weeks. I understand that this is not a perfect system. I want to emphasize that we are constantly working to address problems -- to act fairly while we pursue the truth.
A new, more intensive support officer training process this fall will even more thoroughly educate new members about their roles and responsibilities.
Professionalism will remain a top priority for all involved in the system. The Committee will discuss and likely pass a reworked and clarified set of bylaws to remove confusing language, particularly regarding the appeal process.
We will further streamline the investigation process to reduce the time and energy required of both student and reporter. We will do this because we understand that the process is not perfect, but that will not keep us from constantly striving for improvement.
Effective change cannot come about without input from the student body. We cannot address the problems of lack of transparency and lack of student buy-in without student participation. This is a time for you to take action; students who have expressed concerns about Honor in the past weeks cannot disappear.
We cease to function as a representative body if the students we represent fall silent. We cease to function as an administrative body if, through that silence, students abandon their commitment to the honor system. We affirm our commitment to the ideals of honor through dialogue and action alike, and ask you to do the same.
The Honor Committee takes its initiative from the standard set by the community. Our charge is to facilitate discussion on issues of honor. Our charge is the pursuit of truth. Our charge is to create an environment that allows students to have fundamentally fair hearings, even when this means correcting our errors and trying again.
Our charge is not to police the University. It is not to hold any stake in a particular case. And it is not to mandate a singular line of thought regarding the honor system. We assert that the Honor Committee's agenda should be dictated not only by its 23 members but also by the nearly 20,000 students that have an equal investment in its proper functioning
Active participation in the honor system is available through several outlets, and we encourage you to get involved.
This week, you can begin the process of becoming a support officer by taking a test over the "green book" that every incoming student receives. If you would prefer a less process-oriented involvement, we invite you to join a subcommittee of the Honor Committee, several of which have come about in direct response to student demands. The committee on the single sanction will look at alternatives to the sanction because of student input. And Oct. 15, come to the Dome Room of the Rotunda for an Honor Committee special meeting focused on community concerns.
Keep writing to The Cavalier Daily. Send emails to your representatives. Call the Honor offices and talk with us. Just don't go away when the press coverage dies down. The Committee wants and needs to hear from you.
Alison Tramba is chair of the Honor Committee and a Cavalier Daily contributor.
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