2 may 2004
the stentorian | ncssm
Is an Honor Code Necessary at NCSSM?
O ur school is in the
midst of creating an
honor code, so here's
what everyone should know
it.What is an honor code?
Generally, an honor code is a
statement that all the members
of an organization agree upon
and that builds a sense of trust
between the members. This
trust encompasses not only
addressing issues such as
cheating, stealing, and misrep
resentation, but also respect
ing the teachers, students, and
staff, in both the academic
arena and campus life.
Students share the responsibil
ity of upholding it by turning
in students they find in viola
tion of the honor code; while
this action is not mandatory, it
is an important component of
the process, and is required in
order for the Honor Code to
truly accomplish its mission
and purpose. Schools with
honor codes generally enjoy
unproctored exams. The
implications for our school
include possible open PFM for
use at any time, open library
hours, and other privileges that
demand high responsibility.
Most importantly, however, an
honor code creates a campus
where students and teachers do
not have to worry about unfair
learning environments that
disrupt the school experience.
Many prestigious colleges and
universities of long standing
are proud to have honor codes,
including Emory College,
Princeton University, and
should feel comfortable telling
any other member of the com
munity that they don't think
that what they are doing is
right." In this way, one can
the morale of the student body.
Proponents of the honor code
believe that it will somehow
stop 'lying, cheating and steal
ing' and encourage 'respect'
Overall response to the question: Do you beleive
this honor code is a way to work twords that ideal
community?
Stanford University.
There are many students who
are excited about this honor
code. Caroline Saul, member
of the Ethical Awareness
Group at NCSSM, voices this
well, as she states, "I really
like the bit in the code about
holding oneself and one's
peers accountable. We based
that part off of an aspect of
Haverford's code called con
frontation, where a student
avoid going to higher powers
such as administrators; in a
sense, "You don't have to tell
on the person, you just have to
tell the person."
However, not all students at
NCSSM show support for a
proposed school honor code.
Dwight Springthorpe, a junior,
voices his concerns, "The
greatest concerns I have with
the proposed honor code are
whether it will work and its
effect on both the image and
among the student body just as
several college honor codes
have done. However, there is
one key difference between a
college honor code and our
proposed code: college honor
codes are enforced, ours will
not be. Thus, it is just a bit of
paper. Those who do not
lie/cheat/steal will continue to
do so and those who do will
not be stopped by a trivial
page that cannot enforce what
it supports." Furthermore,
another concern is whether an
honor code is actually needed
on our campus. If the majority
of our school is comprised of
students who already live by
the ideas
behind the
honor code,
then having
students sign a
document to
embody these
beliefs may be
insulting to the
character of the
students.
Will an
honor code
work at
NCSSM? Like
many things,
such as
trimester
schedules,
everything
starts out as an
experiment.
NCSSM started out as an
experiment, and the new
trimester scheduling will
prove to be another attempt at
something new for the school.
The only disadvantage to
experiments is that they may
prove to fail. However, if the
honor code does instill a new
atmosphere of trust and
respect among the entire
school's population, then it
could be well worth it.
□ agree
E disagree
Volumes "Said" From Silence at NCSSM
Derek Paylor
A lthough naysayers
might say the protest
spirit is absent from
our generation, the month of
April witnessed tightlipped
NCSSM students actively
spreading the word for an
important cause. It was the
National Day of Silence on
April 22nd, an event acknowl
edging the discrimination and
abuse many lesbian, gay,
bisexual, and transgendered
(LGBT) youth suffer during
the average school day. In the
silence emitted, students
across the country hoped, iron
ically, to incite dialogue about
safety in schools across the
country. Headed by Spectrum,
this campus' gay and straight
alliance (GSA), the event
brought this issue to people's
attention. By pinning cards on
their chest, those participating
alerted students and faculty of
their right to remain silent in
support of a serious cause.
Senior Bryan Butler, one of
the co-presidents of Spectrum,
accurately describes the pur
pose behind the day: "Specific
to our age group, [LGBT] stu
dents are five times more like
ly than straight students to
miss school because of feeling
unsafe. Gay, lesbian, and
bisexual young people are four
times more likely to commit
suicide. Hiding these prob
lems in society and schools
does not make them go
away.... Supporting our peers
who feel that they must remain
in the closet is an act that cre
ates discussion about the
issues at hand."
Junior Krista Johnson
people."
After the school day, a
"Speak Out" forum was held at
Francesca's on Ninth Street.
Students from GSAs around
the Triangle took this opportu
nity to socialize and share
experiences with each other. A
local news station covered the
gathering, and students gave
April 21, 2004
was wonderful. Everyone was
extremely positive and friend
ly, and it was shocking to see
so many GLBT [youth] and
GLBT advocates gather
together in one place."
The Day of Silence did have
its downside, as junior Lauren
Hodges points out: "I observed
the homophobia of NCSSM-
Day of Silence
Please understand my reasons for not speaking today. I
am participating in the Day of Silence, a national youth
movement protesting the silence faced by lesbian, gay,
bisexual and transgerider people and their allies. IvTy
deliberate silence echoes that silence, which is caused by
harassment, prejudice, and discrimination. I believe
that ending the silence is the first step toward fighting
these injustices. Think about the voices you are not
hearing today.
What are you going to do to end the silence?
Day of Silence
enjoyed participating, men
tioning, "I hadn't done any
thing like that before.... It
wasn't just about standing out-
it was awareness. I felt like I
was doing something to make
people aware of the LGBT
community." Shay Wiley, a
junior, believes "It's always a
wonderful thing to have that
kind of support at an event that
means so much to so many
their opinion regarding the
Day of Silence in front of a
camera. Junior John McCoy,
who appeared on that night's
news broadcast, saw the Day
of Silence as a "triumph," even
after initial disappointment.
"After experiencing the dis
heartening experience of pass
ing out Day of Silence cards,
to walk into Francesca's and
see so many supporting faces
the little things from what is
said [by people]...! learned
how deeply important words
are and how we don't realize
what we say." Joshua Judkins
points out NCSSM is "some
where where I can speak out
against these injustices with
out being chastised as I
would've [in] my old commu
nity back home." He adds,
however, "I wish we didn't
have to have this day."
Spectrum co-president,
Allyson Scotton was glad "the
youth were able to imite and
speak out about their trials and
triumphs within the LGBT
[community]."
Others on campus chose to
abstain from the event, such as
junior Trey Thompson, who
sees a division in which causes
he supports: "I support the
movement to stop violence
against women. I feel I'm a
chivalrous person, but I can't
support the gay activist, and I
find Leviticus 18:22 as reason
not to support gays as a whole;
however, 1 don't condone the
violence against gays."
The event sparked dialogue
around the campus. Students
who refrained from talking
provided more detailed infor
mation to fellow students once
the day ended. Even with stu
dents on both sides of the
issue, the day proceeded with
out a hitch, and students still
addressed an important cause
on their own without adminis
trative leadership. NCSSM,
although sometimes detached,
is influenced by our society,
and luckily our pseudo-60s
protest spirit can respond
accordingly when the situation
arises.