Survey data recently released by the Honor Committee suggests an increase in positive student opinion of honor and polarization in terms of the single sanction, said Josh Hess, vice chair for community relations.
When asked "In general, how do you feel about the honor system at the University of Virginia?" there was an increase in the "very positive" responses, from 21.6 percent to 42.3 percent since 2002, Hess said.
Although this seemed to be a positive indication for the Committee, Hess said, data showed student opinion of the system can decline over time.
"Generally students are more likely not to change their opinion," he explained, "but those that change are more likely to have their opinion decline rather than improve."
Opinions of the single sanction also differed from previous surveys, Hess said, noting "students seem to be more polarized in the issue since 2002 and 2000."
Answers to "I fully support the single sanction" and "I do not support the single sanction" rose from 19.5 percent to 29.4 percent and 17.7 percent to 27.5 percent, respectively, since 2000, Hess said.
Vice Chair for Trials Brian O'Neill said the data also indicated statistically significant differences among ethnic groups on certain questions.
Minority students are more likely to feel the honor system treats students unfairly based on race, origin and athletic status, he said, while white students do not.
For the first time, Hess said, the survey asked University students what issues they would like the Committee to focus on in the future.
"Minority students think the Honor Committee should focus on increasing diversity of the Committee and support officers," O'Neill said, noting black students' disproportionate interest in the Committee focusing on "the disproportional rate at which minority students and/or athletes are reported for honor offenses" was also statistically significant.
Chair Ben Cooper said the statistics should not be overly extrapolated for generalizations but also acknowledged their importance.
"I think these numbers are very useful in providing where the student body stands," Cooper said. "Since 2002 we haven't had a real check of the student body on these issues."
The survey was sent to 2,000 students, 915 of whom responded, according to Hess. The data was compiled by the Institutional Assessment and Studies Office, and the sample size was deemed representative of the University population, he added.
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