A large part of the greatness of Carolina comes from its tradition of embracing the noble ideals of honor and integrity. These are, as the Chancellor reminds us, part of the "intangible and immeasurable aspects of a great University." If our academics and extracurricular activities are the body of the University, then our core values of honor and integrity are its soul. Unless we, as students, embrace these ideals and actively attempt to follow their guidance on a daily basis, we cannot hope to become the nation's leading public University.
How can we do this? Students tend to get caught in the day-to-day tedium of activities, the cycle of homework, studying, and exams. Compounded with this day-to-day stress is the intense pressure for students to succeed. The push to obtain the best jobs and to go to the best graduate schools inundates us on a daily basis. However, we must not get ourselves stuck in a situation in which our desire to make the grade obstructs our ability to remember our core values. We must look beyond our short-term goals to our long-term goals--being valuable and responsible contributors to the University community. As students, we dictate the quality of the overall climate at UNC. In order to become the leading University in the nation, we must do two things. First of all, we must look inwardly and recommit ourselves to the ideals of honor and integrity upon which the foundation of the University is built. Secondly, we must prove to the outside community that we are worth the investment it takes to make UNC the best.
While examining our academic climate, we must also examine the overall climate of respect that students afford one another. This ideal of respect is embedded in the Campus Code, which prohibits activities that would "significantly impair the welfare or educational opportunities of others in the University community." So, while we must recommit ourselves to academic integrity, we must also recommit ourselves to respectful and appropriate conduct towards one another.
In order to become the best, we must work together as a community to eradicate instances of assault. We must come together to realize that driving while intoxicated on campus seriously threatens the very lives of our pedestrian peers. We must recommit ourselves to the rights of all students to be safe on our campus, notwithstanding the presence of alcohol. We must understand that issues of race, ethnicity, and sexual orientation do not give anyone the right to behave in a disrespectful or dangerous manner. We are a thriving community both because of our diversity and our sense of unity. In order to lead the nation, we must first address issues of conduct on our campus.
To this point, I have addressed academic integrity and respectful conduct towards our peers. You may be wondering, "what does this mean to me?" First of all, I would ask us to look inwardly and ask ourselves why we are at Carolina in the first place. The point of the University is not to passively educate us on Roman history, biology, or calculus. The overarching goal of the University is to help us develop as intelligent leaders, capable of making our own way once we leave "Blue Heaven." As recipients of the privilege to come to UNC and learn, we are responsible for giving something back. We give back to this community by carrying ourselves in an honorable manner.
Secondly, I would ask us to consider the consequences of our actions. Violations of the University's Code may have serious repercussions that can follow us throughout our lives. The "A" you plagiarized for may cost you the very graduate school for which you were working. Your assault on a student may result in a nasty mark on your disciplinary record for ten years. I beseech you to consider both your personal value system and the viability of your own future when you are contemplating your course of action here at Carolina.
Finally, I will speak to the vitality of the Honor System, and Chancellor Moeser's Task Force. I am personally excited to have the opportunity to work towards the betterment of the Honor System in this tumultuous climate of review and change. Review and reform are necessary to maintain the excellence of any system, and it is no different for the Honor System. We are working with the Administration, the faculty, the Committee on Student Conduct, Student Congress, and the campus body at large to ensure that the Honor System provides the best service that it can, both to the larger University community and to the greater student body.
While many of the issues that arose in the Report are administrative issues, internal to the Judicial Branch, there are other issues that will reach the entire campus community. The newly recommended sanction of an "XF" grade for academic cheating and a review of the burden of proof are two of the largest issues. Given the gravity and scope of these issues, it is crucial that this campus participates in the dialogue. In order to create and maintain the best change for this University, as well as to uphold the ideal of student self-governance, all students must empower themselves to know the facts and to have a voice.
My charge is thus...let us return the concepts of honor and integrity to the forefront of this campus. We held Honor and Integrity Week in September as the first phase of our campus outreach program. We hope to make this an annual event, but we cannot do so without the support of this community. While the event was a resounding success, we must create and maintain a perpetual dialogue concerning honor, be it in our residence halls, our apartments, or our classrooms. One week out of the year is simply not sufficient.
