All Elon students see the same sign in every classroom, the sign stating the Elon Academic Pledge. However, that pledge, along with the code it stands for, will undergo a facelift fall 2007.

The revisions “combine the current Academic Honor Code & Pledge and the current Social Honor Code & Pledge into one Honor Code & Pledge” according to Dr. Smith Jackson, vice president and dean of student life.

Jackson alongside Dr. Mary Wise, assistant vice president for academic affairs, first proposed revisions to the current Honor Codes in spring 2006. After additional revisions, Jackson and Wise proposed their revisions again in the Nov. 17, 2006 meeting of the Academic Council.

The revisions were “shared and discussed with the academic deans, the joint deans, SGA and Academic Council,” according to an e-mail Wise sent to the faculty in early February. “All groups reflected support for the change.”

The new Honor Pledge is stated as “On my honor, I will uphold the values of Elon University: honesty, integrity, responsibility, and respect.” It is intended to affirm the values of the new Honor Code: honesty, integrity, responsibility and respect.

One of the most notable differences in the new Honor Code is the way it is phrased. The new Honor Code states what students should do, whereas the current Academic Honor Code states what students should not do.

According to the Academic Council’s Nov. 17, 2006 meeting minutes, Wise stated “phrasing the honor pledge in a positive nature tells students what qualities Elon values versus what they should not do.”

These changes, however, are only skin-deep. The social and academic honor code policies still stand and so do their forms of punishment for violators.

The same e-mail Wise sent to the faculty stated that the new revisions to the Honor Codes will “help students understand that all their behaviors, [in and out of the classroom, on and off campus – including study abroad] reflect importantly on their character and on the institution.”

Reporter: David Koontz - 02/15/07