BYU has seen a lot of changes this past year — the biggest one being the Honor Code reformations. I remember reading the Honor Code stories that the students were posting and wondering what BYU was going to do about it. There were so many debates about the Honor Code and what it stood for; I felt that a divide was being created among the campus community.
When the Honor Code Office stated this past May that it would be more transparent about
the process, I felt content and relieved. I haven’t had any experience with the office, but I’ve
noticed fewer and fewer stories coming about since then and I feel that the reformations played a part in that. Reflecting back on this incident, I appreciate the fact that BYU listened and has continued to listen throughout the rest of the year.
Mental health has been another big conversation on campus this year. With the higher rates of anxiety and depression being found on college campuses, it can be hard to provide the help needed to all of the students. CAPS is a great resource that we have on campus, but there have been complaints from students about long waiting periods for the help they need. BYU was aware of this issue and addressed it by increasing the number of counselors in CAPS this past September. BYU saw the issue and listened.
There will be different issues that arise next year at BYU (and a continuation of issues happening right now), but we can remember that BYU has listened before and can listen
again. There may be a lot of different things that BYU can still work on, but we can’t forget the positive changes that have been made this year. We don’t know what 2020 will bring, but we can thank BYU for what it has done for us in 2019.
—Spencer McWilliams
Universe Editorial Assistant
