Some people argue that the concept of an honor system is antiquated and that an honor code written more than 130 years ago to govern student conduct cannot still effectively fulfill its purpose. However, I believe the Honor System at UNC-Chapel Hill not only proves that a student body can be governed effectively by a written code of conduct, but also that having a student-run system leads to the most equitable treatment for students.

Students enjoy a great deal of freedom at Carolina, and thus are entrusted with holding each other accountable for their actions, whether in or out of the classroom. For more than 130 years, the Administration has provided the right to self-governance. From this right, the Honor System has evolved into what it is today.

Our Honor System has a staff of more than 100 students and hears an average of 100 cases per semester. While these numbers may or may not seem impressive, only about 2 percent of the entire student body ever comes before the Honor System. However, this does not diminish the importance of student-self governance.

Whenever I tell people that I am a part of the Honor System, they ask me if I enjoy disciplining students. They don’t understand the importance of maintaining a high level of honor and integrity on our campus.

I always respond to people that if it were not for the Honor System and a high level of honor and integrity in all aspects of the community, their degree would be worthless. If almost everyone at Carolina cheated or lied, then no one outside the community would have much respect for us. Why would an employer hire a student from Carolina if he knew that the student simply cheated his way through college?

Thus, the main goal of the Honor System is not to hear cases and sanction students. Rather it is to promote honor and integrity on campus and encourage students to lead lives that exemplify these traits.

While this may sound like a lofty and unattainable goal, I believe it is essential to the success of a student-run system. Faculty and administrators could hear matters of academic misconduct; however, this would take away from the importance of student self-governance.

This would allow the Administration to keep tabs on students and ensure that no one got away with cheating. However, it would not instill in students the importance of their actions.

Sitting before a jury of your peers, students are able to present their case before a body that truly understands the pressures and situations for which they are dealing. And the Honor Court is able to fashion sanctions to meet the specific needs of each student.

Instead of simply suspending or expelling students for their failure to uphold the honor code, the Honor System has been granted much freedom in crafting sanctions that specifically meet the needs of the student and the University community.

While times have clearly changed since the first honor code was written at Carolina, I believe the guiding principles still remain the same. By allowing students to have a great deal of freedom and by also giving students the right to sanction students who do not responsibly exercise this freedom, Carolina has created a community that values honor and integrity.