Dear Incoming Students,
My name is Ella Madej and as the Honor Council chair it is my pleasure to welcome you on to the mountain. As a rising senior I have been reflecting on what I have discovered that this place has to offer. Beyond the rich academics and sprawling domain that you will get to explore, Sewanee is also home to a number of traditions that make it the special place it is, such as wearing our gowns, tapping the roof to collect your angel at the University gates, and offering a “passing hello” to classmates and community members. My favorite of all these traditions, however, is the Honor Code because I see it as a signifier of my favorite thing I’ve discovered here: community.
The tradition of our culture of honor here at Sewanee is best defined in the beginning of our Honor Code: “Honor is an ideal and an obligation. It exists in the human spirit and it lives in the relations between human beings. One can know honor without defining it.” In the coming months you will discover for yourself just what this means and observe the Honor Code at play. You may see it when your professors have enough trust in you and your classmates to leave an exam room, or when you leave your stuff on the table at the library. Of course, the most recognizable example of honor is stated plainly in our code “one shall not lie, cheat, or steal.”
The Honor Code at Sewanee is something that sets us apart from other institutions, not because we are the only college with an honor code, but because our Honor Code is uniquely written by, endorsed by, and enforced by students. Our council is composed of twelve members, four seniors, four juniors, three sophomores, and one first-year that will soon be elected from your class this fall. All cases brought to the Honor Council are investigated by students and are heard in front of a council of only students. If a student is found responsible for an Honor Code violation, the consequences range from a two-semester suspension to a failing grade in the course. All cases are evaluated on the standard of clear and convincing evidence and handled confidentially.
In the new age of AI it can become much too easy to be blinded by our hopes to get a 4.0 and forget what the point of our classes really is, to teach us how to think and how to learn. While this new age of AI is confusing for us all, we as a community can learn how to discern when it is helpful and when it is harmful. Our AI Policy states, “While there are many spaces and times where using AI is advantageous, the use of AI at Sewanee must never circumvent or undermine the conditions that make for an excellent liberal arts education.” Our AI policy can help offer guidance for you as you discover how evolving AI technologies may exist alongside your liberal arts experience.
Although there are twelve members of the Council who hear and investigate cases, student involvement in the Honor Code does not end there. Soon you all will have an opportunity to sign the Honor Code at your own matriculation ceremony right before classes start. Living with integrity becomes a lived practice at Sewanee as we strive not just to refrain from cheating on a paper but from cheating ourselves. In four years when you walk out of the chapel as a Sewanee graduate for the first time, my hope is that your degree will stand for more than just successful completion of an academically rigorous curriculum but also a representation of the person of character you will soon grow into here. Before you tap the roof of your car and drive into campus to start your first semester here, I encourage you to explore our Honor Code for yourself. If you have any questions about the Council, the Code, or elections, please email me as well at honorcouncil@sewanee.edu.
From me, the Council, and all of your Sewanee family here on the mountain, welcome home.
In EQB,
Ella Madej,
Chair of the Honor Council
AI was not used in the creation of this document.
