At their annual retreat at Graves Mountain Lodge, the Honor Committee elected its new executive committee. The new committee will take over April 1, per the Committee’s constitution, and will hold their positions until April 7, 2025.
Laura Howard, vice chair for hearings, secretary and third-year College Rep., will succeed fourth-year College Rep. Hamza Aziz as chair of the Committee.
Second-year College student Seamus Oliver was elected as the next vice chair for investigations. According to the Committee’s bylaws, Oliver will be responsible for all procedures related to the Committee’s investigations of alleged Honor offenses.
Second-year Engineering Rep. Alexander Church was elected vice chair for hearings. Church will be responsible for the administration of hearings for all accused and guilty students, according to the Committee’s bylaws.
Third-year Commerce Rep. Carson Breus will continue her current role as vice chair for sanctions for a second term. The Committee's bylaws provide that the vice chair for sanctions monitors the compliance and completion of all sanctions rendered by the Committee, in addition to overseeing the Committee’s procedures for determining sanctions.
Second-year College student Will Hancock was elected vice chair for the undergraduate community. Hancock’s responsibilities include educating the undergraduate community, including incoming undergraduate students, on the Honor system.
Graduate Batten student Ian Novak will be the next vice chair for the graduate community. His responsibilities will be similar to those of Hancock, but for the University’s graduate schools.
Second-year Engineering student Thomas Ackleson will round out the executive committee as the vice chair for operations. The vice chair for operations, formerly known as the vice chair for the treasury, is a newly-developed position that oversees the Committee’s finances and co-sponsorship programs. Ackleson will also serve as the Committee’s secretary.
The Honor Committee has seen an unprecedented amount of change in the past year. The Committee’s first ever multi-sanction constitution passed during student elections last spring, bringing about one of the largest overhauls of the University’s Honor system since its inception in 1842. The Committee has prioritized transparency and education throughout the past year — hosting events like the first-ever Honor Week, a week of programming designed to increase the student body’s trust in the Committee.
CORRECTION: A previous version of this article incorrectly stated that Graduate Batten student Ian Novak will also head the Community Relations and Diversity Advisory Committee. The Honor Committee recently voted to amend their bylaws to allow any representative to serve in this position, not just the vice chair for the graduate community. This bylaw change will go into effect April 1. The article has since been updated to reflect this change.