Church Educational System Honor Code

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The Church Educational System (CES) Honor Code is a set of standards by which students and faculty attending a school owned and operated by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) are required to live. The most widely known university that is part of CES that has adopted the honor code is Brigham Young University (BYU), located in Provo, Utah. The standards are largely derived from codes of conduct of the LDS Church and were not put into written form until the 1940s. Since then, they have undergone several changes. The CES Honor Code also applies for students attending other CES schools: Brigham Young University–Idaho, Brigham Young University–Hawaii, and Ensign College.

History of the Honor Code at BYU

File:BYU Honor Code Office.png
BYU Honor Code office entrance

Every year BYU has an "Honor Week" dedicated to celebrating the legacy of the Honor Code and to remind students of the importance of following it.[1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8] Early forms of the CES Honor Code are found as far back as the days of the Brigham Young Academy (1875–1903).[9][10] Early school president, Karl G. Maeser, created the "Domestic Organization", which was a group of teachers who would visit students at their homes to see that they were following the school's moral rules. In the 1901 school catalog this guide of conduct included a prohibition on "strong drink and tobacco", "profanity and obscenity", attending parties not under the control of "responsible persons", "keeping late hours, having improper associates, and visiting places of questionable repute".[11] Maeser also, however, relied largely on individual student's honor and honesty in keeping the rules, intending faculty visits as times of counsel rather than espionage. After George H. Brimhall served as president, enforcement became somewhat more lax (there were no more faculty visits), but adherence to the same basic principles were encouraged. From 1910 to 1960 the annual student catalog would only contain a few brief sentences on student conduct and discipline, often mentioning the prohibition of tobacco, "improper associates", and "visiting places of questionable repute",[12] though the 1930s and 40s saw increased standards regarding rules related to student housing and the dress code. Women were allowed to wear slacks only on Saturdays, and men wore uniforms for a short time.[13] In 1949 students drafted the first Honor Code enforced by an Honor Council of students and administrators, and was used mainly for cases of cheating and academic dishonesty.[14] The Student Honor Council, created around 1949, oversaw case violations. This council met with enough success among students in alleviating cheating that in 1957 BYU president Ernest L. Wilkinson suggested the Honor Code expand to include other school standards. This led to an expansion during the 1960s which created the bulk of what the Honor Code represents today: rules regarding chastity, dress, grooming, drugs, and alcohol.[13] Instead of a short paragraph on university standards,[15] the undergraduate catalog began printing a more detailed set of Honor Code policies in 1968, including a clause requiring students to act when observing any violation and a list of banned drugs ("amphetamines, barbiturates, hallucinogenic drugs, psychedelic drugs, and narcotics").[16] This change came because the administration completely took over the previously student run honor code and disbanded the student senate and student honor code committee.[17] The honor code was expanded in the 1970 catalog with a requirement to adhere to the "standards of dress" and the addition of marijuana and LSD to the list of banned drugs.[18] In the 1960s, several rules regarding longer hairstyles in men were introduced after long hair on men became associated with the radical movements then springing up on college campuses around the country. However, long hair and beards were not completely against the rules until the mid-1970s[17] with the 1978 annual catalog being the first edition to contain any detailed dress and grooming standards code.[14][19] The 1960s also saw changes in rules regarding women's dress, as LDS Church leaders made statements against low-cut dresses and short skirts. By this time, women were allowed to wear slacks and pant-suits, but jeans were not allowed until 1981.[20]

Standards

The CES Honor Code governs not only academic behavior but also everyday conduct on or off campus as well as dress and grooming standards of students and faculty, with the aim of providing an atmosphere consistent with LDS principles.[21] The Honor Code requires:

  • Abstinence from illicit drugs, alcohol, tobacco, coffee, and tea (substances forbidden by the LDS Word of Wisdom)
  • Honesty
  • Encouraging others in their commitment to keep the Honor Code
  • Living a chaste and virtuous life:
  • Obedience to the law
  • Maintaining an ecclesiastical endorsement from a leader of the local congregation or the nondenominational BYU chaplain[22]
  • Respect for others
  • Clean language (no profanity)
  • Following the "Residential Living Standards" (visiting hours for members of the opposite sex)
  • Dress and Grooming Standards: Abiding by the guidelines for dress, grooming, and housing. Skirts must reach to the knee and shirts may not be sleeveless. Form-fitting, strapless, and revealing clothing is not appropriate. Male students may not wear beards or goatees; hair length must be above the ears; and sideburns must not extend below the ear lobe.
  • Students are prohibited from having guns on campus.[23]

Specific additional restrictions on appearance have been mentioned including those deemed as "extreme fashion" including a ban on shaved heads for women, blue hair, long nails or eyeshadow for men, and any piercings besides a single pair for women.[24]

Shock therapy

Ban on advocacy and coming out

Current policies

Enforcement

Beard exemptions

In regards to facial hair restrictions, permission to wear facial hair can be granted in three specific cases: For men with skin conditions aggravated by shaving, for theatrical performances, and (since a policy change in January 2015) for religious reasons.[25][26] In regards to medical exemptions, students/faculty must visit a BYU Student Health Center doctor who will fax a recommendation to the Honor Code office. The student/faculty must then visit the office to fill out the requisite exemption paperwork. A new BYU ID card is issued including a symbol marked "BE" and a photograph with the facial hair. In regards to theater exemptions, students or faculty must obtain written permission from the theater or film company explaining the need for facial hair. Such exemptions are only granted for the duration of the production. Thus, in such cases a temporary exemption card issued. Religious exemptions will be coordinated through the university chaplain's office.[26]

Ecclesiastical endorsement

Honor code staff

As of 2017, the enforcement of the BYU's Honor Code is directed by Spencer Hawkins,[27] who is under Vice Dean of Students Casey Peterson,[28] who is under Dean of Students Vernon Heperi.[29] Over the Office of Student Life is Vice President Janet S. Scharman,[30] who reports to university president C Shane Reese who is under the BYU Board of Trustees,[31][32] which is composed of general authorities and general officers of the LDS Church.[33]

Housing accommodation

Students have the option of living in on-campus housing, with family members who reside in the local area, or in off-campus housing which must pass a school inspection for health and safety, as well as satisfactory separation of gender quarters and compliance with other standards. Students under certain conditions can apply for a housing waiver for special approval.[34][35]

  • Single parents with children.
  • Single students living with parents.
  • Single students who are taking classes away from Provo.
  • Graduate students.
  • Under certain conditions, as determined by the Off-Campus Housing Office, the university housing requirement may be waived for other students who have a special circumstance or hardship.

This approval is designed to ensure that students live in a safe environment that is consistent with the standards of the University. Since students are only allowed to live in BYU-approved housing, landlords in the area consider it important to meet the standard in order to gain residents. The housing standards mandate that bathrooms and bedrooms be off limits to those of the opposite sex. Members of the opposite sex are required to be out of the apartment by midnight.[36] Guns are permitted in off-campus housing only if the gun owner receives written permission from both the landlord and all residents in the apartment.[37] In 2003, BYU announced that beginning in 2007, housing would only be approved if it was within 2 miles (3.2 km) of campus. The school did this out of concern that its Office of Residence Life was being stretched too thin and was unable to meet demands. Students feared the new boundaries might lead to a rise in apartment prices and decrease the amount of available housing. According to BYU, the effect would be minimal, as 98 percent of students already lived within the designated area. About 40 properties lost BYU approval due to the new guideline.[38]

Controversies

There has been several controversies surrounding BYU's honor code, with criticism from students, advocacy groups, local governmental institutions, and national press coverage.[39][40][41]

YouTube block

Religious and academic freedom

Main article: Academic freedom at Brigham Young University

Treatment of rape survivors

File:Rape Survivor Treatment BYU Protest.jpg
Protesters deliver 60,000 petition signatures to BYU's administration on April 20, 2016 asking them to add an immunity clause shielding these sexual assault survivors from any Honor Code investigations[42][43]

Beginning in 2014 and continuing through 2016, several students have alleged that when they reported being raped, the school punished them for violating the honor code.[40][44][45][46] Some students report that, after having been victimized by a rapist, they were told they were guilty of sexual sin because of past actions that came to light in connection to their sexual assaults.[41][47] This atmosphere may prevent some students from being willing to report similar crimes to police, a situation that local law enforcement have publicly criticized.[39][48] The Victim Services Coordinator of the Provo Police Department called for an amnesty clause to be added to the Honor Code which would excuse rape survivors for past infractions of BYU policies.[49] Hollingshead states "The victim of a sexual assault will never be referred to the Honor Code Office for being a victim of sexual assault. A report of sexual assault would always be referred to the BYU Title IX Office – not to the Honor Code office."[49] BYU launched a review of the practice which concluded in October 2016. BYU announced several changes to how it would handle sexual assault reports, including adding an amnesty clause for the victim of sexual misconduct, and ensuring under most circumstances that information is not shared between the Title IX Office and Honor Code Office without the survivor's consent.[50] According to a Spring 2017 BYU survey answered by over 40% of BYU students, 6.5% of women and 1.2% of men experienced unwanted sexual contact in the last year as BYU students.[51]: 2  Of those, 64% of these incidents were not reported to any formal organization[51]: 6  with 21% of those who did not report the crime citing a fear of Honor Code discipline or their ecclesiastical endorsement being questioned as a reason for not reporting.[51]: 8 [52]

Other universities

In March 2008, the University of Texas at San Antonio was accused of plagiarizing a portion of BYU's honor code related to cheating and plagiarism.[53][54] Southern Virginia University, which also espouses LDS standards, uses a similar code of conduct.

Student athletes

The Honor Code received national attention in March 2011 when the university dismissed BYU basketball player Brandon Davies from the team for violating the code,[55][56] reportedly by having premarital sex,[57] the same day the college basketball rankings came out listing BYU as the #3 team in the nation. Davies was reinstated to the university the next school year, and returned to the basketball team, where he completed his athletic eligibility in 2013.

Racial bias

The CES Honor Code has been criticized at various times including by Darron Smith, a former BYU instructor, Marcus Whalen, a BYU football player, and Don Harwell, president of Genesis, as being applied in a racially disparate manner on many occasions.[58][59][60][61][62][63][64][65] However, Vai Sikahema, a former BYU football player and native Tongan, has defended the honor code enforcement as not racist citing a number of players, of various racial backgrounds, who had positive experiences at BYU.[66]

Facial hair

See also: Beard § The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

BYU students led a campaign to loosen the beard restrictions in 2014,[67][68][69][70] but it had the opposite effect at Church Educational System schools: some students who had previously been granted beard exceptions were found no longer to qualify, and for a brief period the LDS Business College required students with a registered exception to wear a "beard badge", which was likened to a "badge of shame". Some students also join in with shaming their fellow beard-wearing students, even those with registered exceptions.[71]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Cable, Jessica (13 Feb 2017). "BYU celebrates student standards through annual Honor Week". BYU. Daily Universe. Retrieved 17 February 2017.
  2. ↑ Da Silva, Carla (14 Feb 2013). "Preparations being made for Honor Week activities". BYU. Daily Universe. Retrieved 17 February 2017.
  3. ↑ Ternieden, John (25 Jan 2012). "Honor Code celebrated in Student Honor Week". BYU. The Daily Universe. Retrieved 17 February 2017.
  4. ↑ Tillotson, Carolina (29 Nov 2005). "Honor Week offers prizes and a chance to remember". BYU. The Daily Universe. Retrieved 17 February 2017.
  5. ↑ Anderson, Elisa (7 April 2003). "Honor week finds missionaries on campus". BYU. The Daily Universe. Retrieved 17 February 2017.
  6. ↑ McCann, Summer (27 Nov 2001). ""Honor Week" reminds students of commitments". BYU. The Daily Universe. Retrieved 17 February 2017.
  7. ↑ Fife, Erin (2 Apr 2001). "Honor Week to be celebrated through performance". BYU. The Daily Universe. Retrieved 17 February 2017.
  8. ↑ Orozco, Jessica (28 Nov 1999). "Honor Week to honor Christmas". BYU. The Daily Universe. Retrieved 17 February 2017.
  9. ↑ "Brigham Young High School History: 1869 to 1903 - The Founding Years". Brigham Young High School. Retrieved August 19, 2007.
  10. ↑ "From 1903 to 1920 ~ A High School Within a University". Brigham Young High School History. Brigham Young High School. 2007. Retrieved August 20, 2007.
  11. ↑ 1901-1902 Catalogue (sic). Provo, Utah: Brigham Young Academy. 1901. pp. 10–11.
  12. ↑ 1960-1961 Annual Catalog. Provo, Utah: BYU. Fall 1960.
  13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 Bergera, Gary James; Priddis, Ronald (1985). "Chapter 3: Standards & the Honor Code". Brigham Young University: A House of Faith. Salt Lake City: Signature Books. ISBN 0-941214-34-6. OCLC 12963965.
  14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 Piper, Matthew (29 Oct 2016). "The history of BYU's Honor Code: From 'an institution practically without rules' to one that exterminates 'beetles, beatniks or buzzards,' and beyond". The Salt Lake Tribune. Retrieved 22 November 2016.
  15. ↑ Annual Catalog Issue 1966-1968. Provo, Utah: BYU. Fall 1966. p. 41.
  16. ↑ Campbell, L. Howard (Fall 1968). BYU Annual Catalog Issue 1968-1970. Provo, Utah: BYU. pp. 39–40.
  17. ↑ 17.0 17.1 Bitterman, Sara (8 April 2014). "A history of the BYU Honor Code". BYU. The Daily Universe.
  18. ↑ Campbell, L. Howard (Fall 1970). BYU Annual Catalog Issue 1970-1972. Provo, Utah: BYU. pp. 37–38.
  19. ↑ 1978-1979 General Catalog of Courses. Provo, Utah: BYU. January 1978.
  20. ↑ Randle, Jenna (4 Nov 2014). "70s BYU student undressed to take a test". BYU. Daily Universe.
  21. ↑ "Church Educational System Honor Code", 2014-2015 Undergraduate Catalog, Brigham Young University, archived from the original on 2014-11-25, retrieved 2015-07-30
  22. ↑ "Church Educational System Honor Code". byu.edu. BYU. Retrieved 12 March 2017.
  23. ↑ Johnson, David (February 28, 2006), "Concealed Weapons Prohibited at BYU", The Universe, BYU
  24. ↑ "Honor Code Faculty Information". byu.edu. BYU. Archived from the original on 6 January 2016. Retrieved 17 February 2017.
  25. ↑ Knox, Annie (14 Jan 2015). "BYU clarifies beard policy; spells out exceptions". Salt Lake Tribune. Retrieved 17 February 2017.
  26. ↑ 26.0 26.1 Phillip, Abby (January 14, 2015), "Brigham Young University adjusts anti-beard policies amid student protests", The Washington Post
  27. ↑ "Department Directory". byu.edu. BYU. Archived from the original on 24 October 2016. Retrieved 17 February 2017.
  28. ↑ "Campus Life Organizational Chart". byu.edu. BYU. Archived from the original on 17 February 2017. Retrieved 17 February 2017.
  29. ↑ "Staff". byu.edu. BYU. Retrieved 17 February 2017.
  30. ↑ "Department Directory". byu.edu. BYU. Archived from the original on 17 February 2017. Retrieved 17 February 2017.
  31. ↑ "Church Educational System Administration". ChurchofJesusChrist.org. LDS Church. Retrieved 17 February 2017.
  32. ↑ "Administration". byu.edu. BYU. Retrieved 17 February 2017.
  33. ↑ "BYU Administration". byu.edu. BYU. Archived from the original on 9 July 2015. Retrieved 17 February 2017.
  34. ↑ "BYU Contracted Housing", BYU Off Campus Housing, BYU, archived from the original on 2014-04-13, retrieved 2014-04-10
  35. ↑ "Off-Campus Housing", 2009-2010 Undergraduate Catalog, BYU, archived from the original on 2012-07-13, retrieved 2010-04-10
  36. ↑ Shippen, Rebecca (June 12, 2006), "Honor code influence helps and hampers student housing", The Universe, BYU
  37. ↑ Forschler, Leaa (June 2, 2005), "BYU housing office prohibits firearms in apartments", The Universe, BYU
  38. ↑ Larson, Lesley (June 12, 2006), "Students resistant to and confused by new housing boundaries", The Daily Universe, BYU
  39. ↑ 39.0 39.1 "Police criticize BYU investigations into sex assault victims". The Olympian. Retrieved 2016-05-01.[permanent dead link‍]
  40. ↑ 40.0 40.1 Schouten, Lucy (2016-04-30). "BYU rape controversy: Could honor code 'amnesty' be a solution?". Christian Science Monitor. ISSN 0882-7729. Retrieved 2016-05-01.
  41. ↑ 41.0 41.1 Hern, Maria L. La Ganga Dan; ez (2016-04-30). "'You're a sinner': how a Mormon university shames rape victims". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2016-05-01.
  42. ↑ Stuckey, Alex; Piper, Matthew (20 April 2016). "'I thought I was the only one': BYU protesters say they've been shamed by Honor Code practices, demand change". The Salt Lake Tribune. Retrieved 25 May 2017.
  43. ↑ Dodson, Braley (20 April 2016). "Protesters decry BYU Honor Code investigations for sexual assault survivors". The Daily Herald. Retrieved 25 May 2017.
  44. ↑ Lithwick, Dahlia (27 April 2016). "Repeated Violations: BYU is violating the spirit of Title IX, harming sexual assault survivors, and making rape more likely with its absurd honor code enforcement". Slate. Retrieved 17 February 2017.
  45. ↑ "Punished after reporting rape at Brigham Young University". www.13abc.com. Archived from the original on 2016-06-01. Retrieved 2016-05-01.
  46. ↑ Schulzke, Tad Walch, Eric (2016-04-30). "Would BYU honor code be better with an amnesty clause like Southern Virginia's?". DeseretNews.com. Archived from the original on May 1, 2016. Retrieved 2016-05-01.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  47. ↑ "Petition aims to shield sex abuse victims from punishment over Mormon college's 'honor code'". UPI. Retrieved 2016-05-01.
  48. ↑ "BYU's 'honor code' is making victims of sexual assault afraid to tell police". Business Insider. Retrieved 2016-05-01.
  49. ↑ 49.0 49.1 "Utah Police Official Condemns BYU Honor Code in Wake of Sexual Assault Protests: 'It Keeps Victims from Coming Forward'". PEOPLE.com. Retrieved 2016-05-02.
  50. ↑ Neugebauer, Cimaron (October 26, 2016). "BYU changes how it reports sexual assaults on campus, effective immediately". KUTV. Retrieved November 13, 2016.
  51. ↑ 51.0 51.1 51.2 "Report on the Campus Climate Survey on Sexual Assault" (PDF). news.byu.edu. BYU. November 2017. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2017-12-01. Retrieved 2017-11-23.
  52. ↑ Vaifanua, Tamara (16 November 2017). "Survey reveals some BYU students are not reporting sexual assaults due to fear of honor code violations". Fox13. Tribune Broadcasting. KSTU. According to the survey, 64% of students who experienced unwanted sexual contact said they did not report it. "It's heartbreaking that we have unwanted sexual contact on our campus and we would like to have less of that," said Ben Ogles, chairman of BYU's survey committee. He says more than half of students didn't think their experience was serious enough to report, and 21% of students were worried about honor code related discipline.
  53. ↑ Haurwitz, Ralph K.M. (March 31, 2008). "The lowdown on higher education". statesman.com. Austin American-Statesman. Archived from the original on April 13, 2014. Retrieved April 10, 2014.
  54. ↑ "UTSA students apparently plagiarized honor code". Houston Chronicle. AP. March 30, 2008. Retrieved 2014-04-10.
  55. ↑ Forde, Pat (March 2, 2011). "BYU puts principle over performance". ESPN. Retrieved 2014-04-10.
  56. ↑ Kavanagh, Jim (March 3, 2011). "No. 3 BYU loses after dismissing player for honor code violation". CNN. Archived from the original on March 6, 2011. Retrieved 2014-04-10.
  57. ↑ Drew, Jay (March 2, 2011). "BYU's Brandon Davies apologizes to teammates". Salt Lake Tribune. Retrieved 2014-04-10.
  58. ↑ Hyde, Jesse (16 Nov 2004). "Blacks say they face some bias at BYU". LDS Church. Deseret News. Archived from the original on March 6, 2017.
  59. ↑ Luke O'Brien; Darron Smith (April 13, 2011), "The Truth About Race, Religion, And The Honor Code At BYU", deadspin.com, Deadspin
  60. ↑ O'Brien, Luke (13 April 2011). "Two Decades Of Honor Code Violations". Deadspin. Archived from the original on 6 March 2017. Retrieved 6 March 2017.
  61. ↑ Maffly, Brian (24 Apr 2011). "BYU Honor Code enforcers are tougher on blacks, critics say". Salt Lake Tribune.
  62. ↑ Crocker, Lizzie (2 Aug 2011). "Mormons Wrestle With a Racist Past". The Daily Beast.
  63. ↑ Smith, Darron T. (2 May 2011). "BYU's troubling honor code pattern". Chicago Tribune.
  64. ↑ Smith, Darron T. (7 Jun 2013). "Has Lifting the LDS Priesthood Ban in 1978 Engendered Blacks Athletes to Attend BYU?". Huffington Post.
  65. ↑ Zerkle, Josh (4 Mar 2011). "Brandon Davies Has A White Girlfriend". Uproxx.
  66. ↑ Vai Sikahema (April 22, 2011), "Vai's View: On the honor code and accountability", Deseret News, archived from the original on April 26, 2011
  67. ↑ Evans, Whitney (September 27, 2014), "Students rally for beard 'revolution' in Provo", Deseret News, archived from the original on October 2, 2014
  68. ↑ Knox, Annie (September 26, 2014), "BYU student asks school to chop beard ban", The Salt Lake Tribune, archived from the original on November 25, 2014, retrieved November 2, 2014
  69. ↑ Evans, Whitney (September 27, 2014), Students protest BYU beard restriction, KSL 5 News
  70. ↑ Cutler, Annie (September 26, 2014), 'Bike for Beards' event part of BYU students' fight for facial hair freedom, Fox 13 News (KSTU)
  71. ↑ Knox, Annie (November 24, 2014), "Beard ban at Mormon schools getting stricter, students say", The Salt Lake Tribune

Further reading

External links

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