Brigham Young University Honor Code

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.^[1]

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 Ernest L. 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.^[1]

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.

In 2007, BYU 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. 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),^[2] 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.^[3] 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.^[4][5] Also that year, Fox News highlighted BYU's blocking of pornographic and other sites, including Youtube, from campus Internet connections,^[6] pursuant to the code's prohibition of the viewing of pornographic material. After three years, BYU lifted the YouTube ban in 2009, again receiving nationwide press attention.^[7]

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.^[8][9][10] Southern Virginia University, which espouses Latter-day Saint standards, also uses a similar code of conduct.

The Honor Code received national attention in March 2011 when the university dismissed BYU Cougars basketball player Brandon Davies from the team for violating the code,^[11][12] reportedly having engaged in premarital sex,^[13] the same day the college basketball rankings came out listing BYU as the #3 team in the nation.

The Eight Circuit Court has found requiring shaving to be discriminatory.^[14]

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 of which one is a member)
• Respect for others
• Clean language
• 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 without permission; such permission is usually granted only to men with skin conditions aggravated by shaving or for theatrical performances requiring beards. While BYU used to grant permission for religious purposes, this is no longer recognized as a valid exemption.
• Students are prohibited from having guns on campus.^[15]

Enforcement

Honor code policies and principles are promoted by BYUSA, the Student Service Association, and the Honor Code Office. The Office handles all accusations and violations, and works in conjunction with Bishops of BYU wards. If the student's Bishop is thought to be able to corroborate the alleged infraction, the accused student may be required to sign a legal form waiving his or her rights to ecclesiastical privacy, which allows the school direct access to the Bishop and any content discussed on the said topic, or others which may have been in violation of the Honor Code, but not yet reported. 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 into the office to speak with an Honor Code officer. Severe and continued violations can merit expulsion.^[16] Students may be brought to the attention of the Honor Code office by faculty, staff, or other students.^[17] BYU Events Staff patrol school dances for Honor Code violations.^[18] 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.^[19]

The Honor Code has been attacked by Darron Smith, a former instructor at BYU, as being applied in a racially disparate manner.^[20] However, Vai Sikahema, a former player on the BYU football team and native Tongan, defended the honor code, saying that it was not racist and citing a number of players from a variety of racial backgrounds who had positive experiences there. He said that although the honor code isn't perfect, it is constantly evolving and is better than it was in the 70s and 80s.^[21]

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.^[22][23]

• 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 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.^[24] 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.^[25]

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.^[26]

References

1. ^ ^{a b} BYU: A House of Faith - Standards & the Honor Code
2. ^ BYU NewsNet - BYU Clarifies Honor Code
3. ^ BYU Honor Code
4. ^ Soulforce statement about Brigham Young University
5. ^ http://www.brentrasmussen.com/log/node/1454
6. ^ "Brigham Young University Bans YouTube Access for Students". Fox News. 2007-02-17. http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,252541,00.html. 
7. ^ . http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/06/27/brigham-young-university-_n_221908.html. 
8. ^ statesman.com
9. ^ UT San Antonio students apparently copied honor code | STATE NEWS | KHOU.com | News for Houston, Texas
10. ^ Google Inc. - South Florida Sun-Sentinel.com
11. ^ Pat Forde (March 2, 2011). "BYU puts principle over performance". ESPN. http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/columns/story?columnist=forde_pat&id=6175251. Retrieved 3 March 2011. 
12. ^ "No. 3 BYU loses after dismissing player for honor code violation". CNN. March 3, 2011. http://news.blogs.cnn.com/2011/03/03/no-3-byu-loses-after-dismissing-player-for-honor-code-violation/?hpt=T2. Retrieved 3 March 2011. 
13. ^ "BYU’s Brandon Davies apologizes to teammates". Salt Lake Tribune. March 2, 2011. http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/cougars/51348870-88/davies-byu-code-honor.html.csp. Retrieved 3 March 2011. 
14. ^ http://openjurist.org/926/f2d/714/bradley-v-pizzaco-of-nebraska-inc-bradley
15. ^ BYU NewsNet - Concealed Weapons Prohibited at BYU
16. ^ BYU NewsNet - Honor Code Exists to Uphold Gospel Principles, Create Environment
17. ^ BYU NewsNet - Universities use social networks to find misbehaving students
18. ^ BYU NewsNet - BYU Dances Keeping it Clean
19. ^ BYU NewsNet - HBLL reviews Honor Code enforcement
20. ^ "The Truth About Race, Religion, And The Honor Code At BYU". http://deadspin.com/#!nohonor/5791461. 
21. ^ http://www.deseretnews.com/article/700129420/Vais-View-On-the-honor-code-and-accountability.html
22. ^ http://housing.byu.edu/offcampus/approval/byuApproval.html
23. ^ http://saas.byu.edu/catalog/2009-2010ucat/GeneralInfo/Housing.php
24. ^ BYU NewsNet - Honor code influence helps and hampers student housing
25. ^ BYU NewsNet - BYU housing office prohibits firearms in apartments
26. ^ BYU NewsNet - Students resistant to and confused by new housing boundaries

External links

• BYU Honor Code Home Page
• History of the Honor Code