Honor Council at JMU a 'joke'

Pigs and Pearls

The Honor Council at James Madison University has become a joke.

It’s been eight months since "Pigs and Pearls" appeared in the pages of The Breeze. Unfortunately, I am obligated once again to decry ethical deficiencies and hypocrisy. Nothing seems to change.

This won’t take long – I’ll be brief. First, Maggie Burkhart Evans should resign as Honor Council coordinator. Immediately. Second, the Honor Code should be amended – now. Third, the two sororities involved in this scandal should be re-prosecuted and, if convicted, their charters revoked.

I’ll tell you why Evans should go. I think it’s quite simple. The legal parsing of the sort she has done is hypocritical and unworthy of her title of Honor Council coordinator. To say that "collecting old tests is not a violation of the honor code" but that "using, not possessing, tests is a violation" destroys the spirit of the Honor Code and reduces it to a relic of a nobler, more honorable time.

Section C of JMU’s Honor Code states, "If students accept dishonesty by their peers, or if faculty or staff members accept dishonesty by their students, the entire Honor system will be destroyed. True honor can be achieved only if all guard it zealously."

Evans did not guard honor zealously; she ducked responsibility through a legal loophole. We pay lawyers to act this way, but we expect those who prosecute ethical violations to demand a higher standard of themselves.

Ethics is not about the letter of the law, but the spirit of the law. Section J.2.i of the Honor Code explains that the role of the Honor Council coordinator is "To determine the proper application of provisions of the Honor system in a manner which upholds the spirit and intent of the Honor system."

Evans has not done this. Her actions have not demonstrated the spirit and intent of the honor system. She should resign.

Why say possession of an old test from another student is not a violation of the Honor Code, but using that test is? Is possession of marijuana permissible and only the use illegal? No.

Why not eliminate the legalese and solve the problem? If one cannot possess an old test, one cannot use an old test. There, that wasn’t hard. Now let’s have the Honor Code amended and move on.

Section A of the Honor Code states, "The Honor system at JMU does not discriminate based upon race, color, religion, national origin, political affiliation, gender, sexual orientation, age or disability." It does, however, seem to discriminate based on organizational affiliation. If one is Greek, one is off the hook. This is wrong.

Destroying evidence before trial is a crime in the real world. Perhaps you’ve heard of the term: obstruction of justice. I do not know why the Honor Council did not seize the files in question; they should have. A hearing should be opened addressing the destruction of the materials in question. A conviction should result in a revocation of charter.

Most faculty members have high respect and regard for the Honor Code – why are their voices silent? I ask that the Faculty Senate pass a resolution demanding the same things I have asked for. It is their hard work and dedication that is being spit upon by the council’s action, or rather lack of action.

The second paragraph of the Honor Code leads off with this profound statement: "An honor system must be believed in, supported by and administered by those who belong to it." The honor system currently appears to be broken and hypocritical. It is time for the JMU administration to step forward, restore honor to this university and allow students and faculty to once again believe in this Honor Council.

Adam M. Sharp is a junior foreign language major. You may e-mail him at omnilingual@hotmail.com.