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Brigham Young University Honor Code
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The Brigham Young University Honor Code is a set of standards by which students and faculty at Brigham Young University, a school owned and operated by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, are required to live. The standards derive in many ways 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. Similar honor codes exist for BYU's sister schools Brigham Young University–Idaho, Brigham Young University Hawaii, and the LDS Business College.
y forms of the BYU Honor Code are found as far back as the days of the Brigham Young Academy and early school President Karl G.
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Encyclopedia
The Brigham Young University Honor Code is a set of standards by which students and faculty at Brigham Young University, a school owned and operated by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, are required to live. The standards derive in many ways 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. Similar honor codes exist for BYU's sister schools Brigham Young University–Idaho, Brigham Young University Hawaii, and the LDS Business College.
History
Early forms of the BYU Honor Code are found as far back as the days of the Brigham Young Academy and early school President Karl G. Maeser. 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 schools moral rules prohibiting obscenity, profanity, smoking, and alcohol consumption. Maeser also, however, relied largely on students' honor and honesty in keeping such rules, intending faculty visits as times of counsel rather than espionage. After Brimhall, enforcement became somewhat more lax (there were no more faculty visits). However, the same basic principles were encouraged: morality, abstinence from alcohol and tobacco, and a dependence on the honor and honesty of students. The 1930s and 40s saw increased standards regarding rules related to student housing, as well as dress codes. Women were allowed to wear slacks only on Saturdays, and men wore uniform for a short time.
In the 1960s several rules regarding longer hairstyles in men were introduced as a result of the many liberal movements occurring around the country. However, long hair and beards were not completely against the rules until the mid-1970s. The 1960s also saw changes in rules regarding women's dress, as Church leaders made statements against low-cut dresses and short skirts. Women by this time were allowed to wear slacks and pant-suits, but jeans were not allowed until 1981.
The Honor Code itself was not created until about 1940, and was used mainly for cases of cheating and academic dishonesty. The Student Honor Council, created around 1949 oversaw case violations. This council met with enough success among students in alleviating cheating that President Wilkinson suggested in 1957 that 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.
Schools unaffiliated with the LDS Church have also mimicked BYU's Honor Code. In March 2008, The University of Texas at San Antonio was accused of plagiarizing a new honor code from that in use at BYU. Southern Virginia University, which espouses Latter-day Saint standards, also uses a similar code of conduct.
Standards
The BYU honor code governs not only academic behavior, but morality, and dress and grooming standards of students and faculty, with the aim of providing an atmosphere consistent with LDS principles. 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:
- Appropriate gender-specific behavior (no sexual harassment)
- No involvement with pornographic or indecent material
- No inappropriate sexual activity (no sexual relationships outside of marriage)
- No homosexual behavior
- Obedience to the law
- Active participation in Church services (according to whatever religion one is a member)
- Respect for others
- Clean language
- Following the "Residential Living Standards" (visiting hours for members of the opposite sex)
- . Abiding by the guidelines for dress, grooming, and housing. Skirts and shorts 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 without permission; such permission is usually granted only to men with skin conditions aggravated by shaving or to men whose religious beliefs, such as Sikhism, require them to wear beards.
- Students are prohibited from having guns on campus under the Honor Code.
Enforcement
Honor code policies and principles are promoted by the Student Honor Association, which works in conjunction with Bishops of BYU wards. The Honor Code office handles violations. Not all students at the school are familiar with LDS standards, so students who break the code for the first time are usually only contacted by mail as a warning and clarification of standards. Later violations may cause the student to be called in to the office to speak with an Honor Code officer. Severe and continued violations can merit expulsion. Students are usually brought to the attention of the Honor Code office by other students. BYU Events Staff patrol school dances for Honor Code violations. Cafeteria, library, athletics, and BYU Testing Center employees are asked to encourage students to follow dress and grooming standards, sometimes denying service to students living against policy.
Housing
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 with extenuating circumstances can apply for a housing waiver for special approval. This approval is designed to ensure that students live in a safe environment that is consistent with the standards of the University. Since BYU 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. Among the BYU housing standards is that bathrooms and the bedrooms be off limits for members of the opposite sex. Members of the opposite sex are required to be out of the apartment by midnight. 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. BYU also does not permit fraternities nor sororities.
In 2003, BYU announced that beginning in 2007, housing would only be BYU approved if it was within two miles 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 that the new boundaries might shoot up apartment prices and decrease the amount of available housing. According to BYU, the effect would be minimal, as 98% of students already lived within the designated area. All in all, about 40 properties lost BYU approval due to the new guideline.
Cheating
A 2007 Collegehumor.com survey found that schools with honor codes were more likely to have cheating problems. Schools with honor codes had an average cheating rate of 68%, while those without honor codes scored 42%. Managers of the survey suggested that this was because schools with honor codes trusted their students more. However, a 1999 Duke study found that 92% of BYU students had never seen someone cheat, compared the the national average of 55%. BYU suggests that this may be because in addition to an honor code, the school requires that students be endorsed by an ecclesiastical leader. Also, many students are used to living honestly, making the honor code more of a continued commitment than a new one.
Internet use
BYU's Honor Code prohibits the viewing of pornographic material on the Internet. A recent Fox News report highlighted BYU's blocking of pornographic and other sites, including Youtube, from campus Internet connections.
Homosexuality
BYU recently reworded its honor code to clarify policy on homosexual behavior. Several students, including gay and lesbian students, thought that the previous wording was confusing and unclear. Lauren Jackson, a lesbian BYU student, commented "If BYU wants celibate students, it has every right to demand that and to limit behavior, but the issue with the Honor Code is not about lifestyle, it's about identity. Not being allowed to express an identity is very damaging." While both homosexuals and heterosexuals must abide the church's law of chastity (i.e. no sexual relations outside of marriage, no crude language, and no pornography), the Honor Code additionally prohibits all forms of physical intimacy that give expression to homosexual feelings (i.e. dating, making out). There is no similar restriction against expressing heterosexual feelings. No one may advocate homosexuality or promote homosexual relations as being morally acceptable. It also prohibits cross-dressing. It does make clear, however, that sexual orientation is not an honor code issue. Several civil rights organizations, including Soulforce, have criticized BYU's Honor Code for its practices.
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