The Honor system is something that we take very seriously at the University of Virginia ... THis was established way back in 1842, and is based on the principle that University students want to be trusted ... Many of the honor code's principles have originated from Thomas Jefferson's own ideals ...
Here is an excerpt from our Honor Committee's website -
"On November 12, 1840, Professor John Davis was shot to death in an attempt to quiet a disturbance on the Lawn. Both students and faculty were shocked by this incident and the need to resolve the conflict became gravely apparent. On July 4, 1842, in an effort to ease the tension between students and faculty, Professor Henry St, George Tucker offered the following resolution as a gesture of confidence in the students: "resolved, that in all future examinations ... each candidate shall attach to the written answers ... a certificate of the following words:
I, A.B., do hereby certify on my honor that I have derived no assistance during the time of this examination from any source whatsoever
."
The resolution was meant to govern conduct in the classroom only, but the students so strongly wished to be measured by their own standards that they unexpectedly assumed responsibility for the protection of this privilege. Consequently, for more than 146 years the System has been completely student-run."
Students are given tremendous amounts of freedom at Darden, primarily because of our strong belief in the Honor system ... All the examinations at Darden are take home ... We get the exam papers in our mailboxes at 8:00 AM, and can then take the examination anywhere we want - an LT room inside Darden, the Library, the lawns or even at your home ... The exams are open book - open notes, but we are not supposed to access the net or consult other students while taking the exam ... And we all abide by the code ...
It goes far beyond the exams too ... If you go to any store at Charlottesville to buy something, and you've forgotten your wallet ... You can simply say that you will come back tomorrow and pay ... And people simply trust you here ... You can leave your laptop connected anywhere in the library or cafe and come back after hours, and it will still be there ... The Honor code works ...
On Friday in class we had an Honor code presentation by our Honor rep ... At the end of the session, the whole class put their signatures down against a document stating our affirmation to stand by the honor code ...
The last two lines of the document -
"We are Students of the Darden Graduate School of Business ... We are honorable"
Close
Reply | | Report Abuse