Honor Code evolves over time

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    By MIKI MEEK

    The BYU Honor Code has evolved over the past 123 years from an informal statement to an official document of specific policies.

    “I trust you all. I give you my confidence … I put you all on your word of honor,” said Karl G. Maeser to the 29 students in his first class at Brigham Young Academy in 1876. This statement was the establishment of the first unofficial Honor Code, according to John J. Hunter, who did a study of the Honor Code.

    The Honor Code didn’t become a university policy until 1949, when the student body adopted it with a vote of 2,184 to 722, said former Spencer Palmer, a BYU professor who was a student at that time. BYU then-President Ernest L. Wilkinson and a few students created a document that would assist the students in maintaining a high standard of honor, he said.

    Although an official Honor Code didn’t exist before that time, the university expected students to abide by the standards of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Palmer said.

    However, as BYU began to experience growth, change and diversity in the establishment of an official Honor Code became necessary, said Alton Wade, vice-president of Student Life.

    Since 1949, the Honor Code has become more detailed and has gone from one brief paragraph to five pages, he said.

    “We are becoming a more legalistic society and when students sign a contract they have a right to know the rules in detail,” Wade said. A defined Honor Code prevents confusion among students by giving them a clear understanding of their responsibilities, he said.

    The Honor Code is constantly undergoing changes that are made as needed, Wade said.

    The most recent alterations in the Honor Code are the addition of three more policies, he said. In February, BYU met with Ricks College, LDS Business College and BYU-Hawaii to coordinate a unified Honor Code, he said. Previously, the LDS church’s four different educational systems had varying Honor Code policies and this decision made them all equal, he said.

    The unified Honor Code was approved this month and will go into effect this fall, Wade said.

    Although the Honor Code has gained policies throughout the years, it has also dropped some, he said. Dancing, which involved a “grotesque contortion of the body such as shoulder or hip shaking or excessive body jerking,” was a violation of the Honor Code in 1967.

    “Grubby attire” such as T-shirts and sweatshirts were prohibited on campus along with the “no bra look” in 1972. Nine years ago, socks were required.

    Dress and grooming standards are areas of the Honor Code statement that will probably continue to change, Wade said. However, the chastity and honesty policies will always remain the same, he said.

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