UNC’s faculty advisory committee for the honor system holds first meeting

After months of discussion, reform to the University honor system is underway with the faculty advisory committee’s first official meeting today.

The committee, which has garnered student and faculty support since its revitalization on Oct. 3, hopes the meeting will establish committee grounds and future goals.

“We need to review our duties and then prioritize them to see where we are most needed,” said Valerie Pruvost, French senior lecturer and member of the five-person committee, in an email.

The committee aims to integrate faculty into the honor system and serve as a link between faculty and representatives of the entirely student-led system.

The meeting intends to delve into the faculty discontent that has permeated the honor system.

But it will serve primarily as an introduction by distinguishing the committee from chairwoman of the faculty Jan Boxill’s 12-to-15-member task force that will offer a comprehensive analysis of the honor system.

Dean of Students Jonathan Sauls and Student Attorney General Jon McCay will also lead a discussion about the best way to create communication among faculty in order to achieve the committees’ goals.

“A lot of it will exist to establish the most effective way to utilize faculty expertise,” Sauls said.

“These five members will be the catalyst for discussion about how we can continue to improve, not only the operational side of the honor system, but also the promoting of expectations of academic integrity.”

Focal points of the meeting will include conversation about how the committee can develop training materials and include faculty with potential to bolster the effectiveness of the honor system — aspects which have typically lacked faculty involvement.

“There is no better time than the present to get started on these things,” McCay said. “Our discussions are on things that I can go back and start working on immediately Friday afternoon.”

Pruvost said she is most excited to see how outreach within departments has the potential to spark an increase in faculty involvement.

“Everyone in the committee has different expertise and experience, and this will bring about diverse points of view,” Pruvost wrote in an email.

Sauls said he is looking forward to working with the committee because it represents a cross-section of disciplines.

“I expect a very collegial and supportive meeting because we all have the same goal,” Sauls said.

“That doesn’t mean we’re going to agree on every single point — but then again, it wouldn’t be a true committee if that was the case.”

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