The Honor Committee and Board of Visitors are two entities many students know little about, but each plays a critical role in upholding the ideals of the University and determining the institution's future. With so much at stake - issues such as impending enrollment increases which may alter the makeup of the school and talk about shaking up the composition of student juries in honor trials - students must not sit by passively. Next week, students will have opportunities to learn about both the Committee and the Board, and we strongly encourage everyone to make time to have a say in these important discussions.
The Committee will host two mock trials Nov. 16 and 17, offering students a great way to educate themselves about the honor system. The events are intended to give students a better understanding of all the procedures and components that make up a trial. Attendees can glean a more thorough knowledge about the three criteria on which trial verdicts are made: action, intent and triviality. These last two principles are particularly subject to misinterpretation or disagreement; it would behoove students to ask questions about them and see how they might be applied to a particular case. Of course, such information is beneficial from an individual perspective - everyone should know the rules of a system that could charge him with an offense that may lead to expulsion. But from a community point of view, students should engage with these issues to ensure that trial processes and criteria for guilt are fair and transparent.
Yet as unfamiliar as many students may be with the honor system's intricacies, it seems likely that even fewer know much about the University's Board of Visitors. As the top decision-making body on Grounds, the Board sets broad policy for the University that fundamentally affects how the institution operates. Next week, members will discuss several important decisions that will impact the quality of life and academic competitiveness of the school. One proposal on the table is the possibility of bringing early action to the University's undergraduate application process - this would replace the early decision option that was removed several years ago. (The difference is that early action is nonbinding, thus giving less affluent students the ability to compare financial aid packages before committing to a college.) Another issue up for discussion relates to enrollment growth and the Governor's Commission on Higher Education Reform, Innovation and Investment. Both topics will affect the kinds of students the school attracts and what sort of college the University becomes down the road.
Students can get a glimpse of how the Board operates by attending one of the open session meetings, student Board member Stewart Ackerly said. The biggest challenge may be finding a seat in the Rotunda's East Oval Room among the 16 appointed Board members and the reporters in attendance. Even though students cannot participate in the Board's deliberations, attending these meetings as observers would give students a glimpse into what changes may be in store and the rationale behind such decisions.
If students cannot attend a Board meeting, there are other avenues to learn more about what is going on in the University's upper echelons. Ackerly serves as a liaison between students and the Board, meaning he is available to provide background about key issues and relay student concerns to the Board.
There may be a motivation problem with encouraging students to take an interest in the sort of long-term issues the Board usually tackles. Undergraduates generally have only four years before moving on from college. Still, the decisions made by the Board have a marked influence on alumni as well as current students - each individual with a degree from the University has an interest in maintaining the school's academic caliber.
After all, the operative term in "Board of Visitors" is "visitors" - these members are appointed to serve the interests of both University community members and Virginians in general. They are not meant to encroach upon the University's mission or operations by becoming too heavy-handed or influenced by current political winds. But if students want the Board to make decisions in the best interests of those here on Grounds and not the legislators in Richmond, they must be well-informed and vocal about the issues.
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