UNIVERSITY students talk a big talk. We talk about student self-governance. We talk about not lying, cheating or stealing. We talk about our community of trust. Through our actions as community members, we uphold these high standards - we walk the walk. Now that you have joined the University community, you are expected to continue this walk.
It was students who took Henry St. George Tucker's idea for an honor code a step further and extended the honor system beyond the academic realm. It was students who wrote the constitution of the honor system. It is students who legislate and maintain the system and serve as jurors for their peers.
These are huge responsibilities, but at the University we believe that students are smart and mature enough to make the same tough decisions that administrators at other schools undertake. It is because of student self-governance that people are especially proud of our honor system and relate so deeply to it, regardless of personal involvement with the Honor Committee. Living in a community where you are expected to hold yourself and your peers to the highest levels of integrity leaves an indelible mark on one's psyche.
Honor at the University is not confined to the trial room on the fourth floor of Newcomb Hall. Honor is not simply adjudicating cases of alleged lying, cheating and stealing. While those are functions of the Honor Committee, they are not the heart of what it means to live in an honorable community.
Rather, the community of trust is twofold. It is first and foremost a community - a gathering of like-minded people who care for one another and share the goal of academic and personal growth. It also includes a measure of trust - we can trust those around us with what we value most. The Honor Committee plays a part in facilitating the maintenance of this community, but we as individuals are responsible as well.
As a member of this community, it is expected that you maintain it by getting involved with the tasks the Honor Committee takes on this coming year. Every Sunday at 8 p.m. on the fourth floor of Newcomb, community members have the opportunity to speak with the Committee about their thoughts on honor. Each school also has representatives whose job it is to represent your thoughts and ideas on honor. In addition, you can get involved in town hall meetings, mock trials and other education efforts the Committee hosts on Grounds.
Alumni remember honor and the community of trust for the values it instills in its members. We do not lie, cheat or steal, and we stand up for what is right. You will hear countless times from future employers that they love hiring University graduates because they know what they get when they hire a Wahoo. They are hiring someone who has learned to act with integrity and honesty, and who looks out for his coworkers.
I ask that as you begin this new academic year you look for ways to challenge yourself and challenge the wider community. Use this coming year as an opportunity to explore what honor means outside of no lying, cheating and stealing. The community of trust you have entered is entirely contingent upon student involvement. Without students upholding the community of trust, its basic foundation slowly erodes. But with student involvement, the community of trust is a vibrant place to live and learn.
Ann Marie McKenzie is the chair of the Honor Committee.
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