University undergraduates will have the opportunity to vote on four proposed amendments to the Honor Code during this weekend's USG elections. The proposals, which will each require a three-fourths vote to pass, have provoked controversy and mixed reactions from student leaders.
The proposed amendments, drafted by Johnny Chavkin, Class of 2005 Senator, follow others passed by the USG and Honor Committee two weeks ago.
Chavkin's amendments include the addition of two faculty members to the Honor Committee, the inclusion of student "intent" in the investigation, the required audio recording of each investigation and the right to have a third, neutral party present during the committee's first interview with the accused student.
According to Article VII of the Honor Code, there are two ways the Honor Code can be amended: by the approval of seven of nine members of the Honor Committee followed by a three-fourths vote in the USG, or by petition of 200 members of the undergraduate body, followed by a three-fourths vote in a student referendum. Chavkin has chosen to pursue his proposals through the latter procedure.
"The Honor Committee does not want to deal with these changes, but it is our code. If we want to change it, we should," Chavkin said. "Students should determine the code by which they are judged."
Honor Committee chair Catherine Farmer '03 said she opposes Chavkin's changes. "There are too many logistic problems with these proposals," she said.
Farmer also expressed disappointment with the process by which the changes were proposed. "When we made recent amendments to the Honor Code, it was a result of an entire year of work. We talked to deans, lawyers and individuals that have a better grasp of the Honor Code than students," she said.
Chavkin, however, found the quick pace to be an advantage. "It has been a fast process," Chavkin said. "Hopefully that means that students will immediately benefit from the referendum."
Farmer said that a better understanding of the Honor Code might have led to better wording of the proposals.
"The fact that a student is introducing these amendments and that amendments were made earlier this year reflects a discomfort with the process. It is clear that we need to look for reform," USG President Pettus Randall '04 said. The Honor Code, which was first approved in 1893, is old and must be updated to fit the times, he said.
The Honor Committee is open to reform and often discusses possible improvements, Randall said. "Although I strongly commend Johnny for his movement, this is not the way to go about it," he said.
Both Randall and Farmer said they firmly believe that faculty members should not be added to the Honor Committee. "The Honor Code is built on instilling trust in students. This amendment would destroy the trust that the faculty placed in us long ago," Farmer said.
"It would dilute the spirit of the Honor Committee," Randall said.
The proposed amendment to tape-record all meetings has already been implemented, Farmer said.
"The procedures of the Honor Committee are not listed in the Honor Code, so it does not make sense to specifically list this procedure," Farmer said.
Randall said he did not oppose the tape-recording amendment. "This process is already in place," Randall said, "But if it needs to be formalized, then I have no problem with that."
The investigation of an accused student's "intent" in a hearing used to be part of the Honor Code but was recently removed. "It was in the Code for years, but intent is nearly impossible to prove," Farmer said. She also stated that whether the student should have known the rule is always taken into consideration during a hearing.
Randall said that "intent" investigations could be eliminated if students were aware of their rights. "Change in the Code is not what we need here. We need more discussion and heighten awareness."
The fourth proposed amendment allows a charged student to have a neutral person present during the first interview or confrontration with the accused. "This will only hinder the process," Farmer said.
Randall disagreed. "It is intimidating to be accused, and having a third party present to be supportive or remind the accused of his rights would be beneficial," he said. "It would make it more comfortable."
All four amendments and explanatory text will be available on the election ballot. Each amendment will be voted on separately.
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