Honor Council no longer elected

The Honor Council Advisory Board voted to make the positions of president and vice president of the Honor Council appointed by the board, instead of elected by students.

"I am in favor of this process, since in the old process, anyone, even someone who had a prior honor code violation, could be elected to run the organization," Senior Andrew Boryan, Honor Council president, said.

Students would have voted two weeks ago in the Student Government Association major elections for these two Honor Council positions.

The Honor Council Advisory Board consists of the legal affairs correspondent for the university, a professor from every college, the vice president of academic affairs of the SGA, the Honor Council coordinator and the executive members of the Honor Council. This board makes all decisions regarding how the Honor Council operates, Boryan said.

"This panel voted to make the position of president and vice president by appointment," Boryan said. "This process more closely resembles the way the Judicial Council appoints its members."

Some members of the SGA are upset about this new method of appointing the two positions. "I am very disappointed that the students will no longer be able to select the leaders of the Honor Council," said senior Ricardo Pineres, a member of the Student Senate. "I believe that this makes the Honor Council less accountable to the students that it serves."

"The Honor Council will tell you that this is a great change because it ensures that the future Honor Council leadership will be knowledgeable," Pineres said. "But it is my opinion that the loss of accountability creates an Honor Council that no longer serves the students in the best manner possible."

Junior Jason Yuckenberg, an Honor Council representative, said, "I believe that this change is a great step towards the assurance of fair Honor Council hearings. If you were a student being charged with an Honor Code violation, you’d want someone overseeing your hearing to have as much experience as possible."

"My only concern is that with electing these positions, someone may be elected who doesn’t have the necessary experience to ensure a fair hearing. This change is for the benefit of the students – in order to protect their rights," he said.