The Honor Committee met Sunday to outline plans for its upcoming International Student Days, set for Nov. 19 and Nov. 20. First launched in November, the annual event aims to bring together international students to discuss their perspectives on academic integrity and the Honor system. The Committee also introduced plans for a new graduate subcommittee, which is designed to improve communication with graduate students and establish mentorship opportunities for undergraduate support officers.
International students have historically been over-represented in Honor cases, and can also face visa issues should stricter sanctions including suspension or expulsion be issued. The Committee’s 2019 Bicentennial Report found that between 2012 and 2017, international students were the subject of 28% of Honor reports — despite representing only 10% of the student body. The Committee said that the disproportionate reporting rate required further understanding.
Following the report, the Committee stated their commitment to strengthening outreach with the international student community — hosting “International Student Days,” for the first time last November. The event sought to open a dialogue between international students and the Committee, including informal gatherings, workshops, and focus groups — many of which featured food and interactive discussions between Honor representatives and international students.
Will Hancock, vice chair for the undergraduate community and third-year College student, has led planning for the event, which will host informal student discussions on academic integrity. Hancock said that reflecting on last year’s event, he observed that international students gain more understanding from informal conversations with peers rather than presentations from the Committee.
“What we’ve heard consistently is that a lot of the ways that international students learn about academic integrity … is not through a presentation,” Hancock said. “There are clubs and other groups where [international students] are learning from upperclassmen, so [holding informal conversations is] the main focus.”
In keeping with this approach, this year’s events are aimed to encourage collaboration between the Committee and international student organizations on Grounds. The University’s Global Peer-to-Peer Mentoring Program — which pairs first-year international students with upperclassmen mentors to help them adjust to University life — will host a Grit Coffee tab for mentor-mentee discussions on academic integrity Nov. 19 paid for by the Committee. Additionally, the Committee will host roundtable discussions with student organizations, as well as an event with the University’s Volunteers with International Students, Staff and Scholars program — a program aimed to support the University’s international community and their families.
Hancock opened the floor for feedback on strengthening participation in this year's International Student Days — he said that despite promoting events last year, a few did not have a strong attendance turnout. Cassidy Dufour, Law school Rep. and School of Law student, suggested expanding outreach to law school student organizations to reach more international students.
“There are a lot of student organizations within the graduate community that don’t necessarily get emails inviting them to events like this,” Dufour said. “There are thirty-plus [organizations] in the Law School … there is no reason why they shouldn’t get an email.”
Hancock said that though the International Student Days events have already been planned for this year, the Committee will continue to refine its plans to increase attendance and impact.
In addition to International Student Days, the Committee discussed plans for a new graduate subcommittee that they hope will strengthen Committee outreach to the graduate community. Ian Novak, vice chair for the graduate community, introduced the idea after noticing a gap in graduate students' involvement with the Honor System.
Hancock agreed and said that the graduate community can be better supported in education and involvement with Honor. Currently, the Committee’s Community Relations and Diversity Advisory Committee is responsible for broader outreach that seeks input from diverse student populations on Grounds.
Hancock said that while this broader outreach exists, Novak’s graduate-specific initiative would help engage the graduate community more efficiently, as it is a large population.
“This sizable group still needs attention,” Hancock said. “We are not connecting [with] different graduate schools right now.”
Novak said that aside from the general outreach goal that the subcommittee hopes to address, he intends on creating a mentorship system within the subcommittee as well. Through staffing undergraduate support officers on the subcommittee, Novak said that there is a mutual benefit — with undergraduate student participation, younger students can gain advice from graduate members while offering a new perspective to graduate affairs.
“A lot of our support officers that I've talked to have plans of going to grad school … and can work directly with graduate students [to] gain some sort of mentorship,” Novak said. “Younger [support officers] have the energy, motivation, and creativity needed to really address these gaps.”
The Committee agreed on the benefits of establishing the graduate subcommittee, which will soon join the roster of standing subcommittees. The Committee will reconvene on Nov. 3 at 7 p.m. in the Trial Room of Newcomb Hall.
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