Reflections on the Sewanee Honor Community

     The Honor Code at the University of the South has been a cornerstone of what this University seeks to embody since 1876, however through examining 10 current students Honor Code suspension experiences it has led us to... [ view full abstract ]

     The Honor Code at the University of the South has been a cornerstone of what this University seeks to embody since 1876, however through examining 10 current students Honor Code suspension experiences it has led us to conclude that the current Code has failed to meet its “purpose to nurture and sustain a community of trust.” Drawing off their experiences the findings in this paper conclude that the Honor Code proceedings are being directed by outdated traditions that constrain our peer judiciary and ritualize our sense of Honor. Moreover, that our Honor Council acts as merely trustees of the system who lack agency in the proceedings and therefore are confined to a performance of a vestige of a homogenous demographic that pulls away from the true nature of Sewanee today. Furthermore, we believe that the Code’s concept of Honor, “One shall not Lie, Cheat, or Steal,” no longer matches our community’s contemporary definition of Honor. Due to Sewanee’s growing diversity and the Code’s stagnation, this definition must be updated in order to serve as a legitimate Code of conduct for the present-day Sewanee community. This paper takes steps towards identifying some of these issues, and working towards embodying a true sense of Honor.