A Mary Washington Degree Speaks Volumes about Ethical Character

WARREN, New Jersey The University of Mary Washington (UMW) is renowned for nurturing and fostering the personal integrity and honor of its students. What enables the university to do so is its unique Honor System that has become the embodiment of the Mary Washington educational experience. By living under the Honor System, students at UMW find themselves at an advantage compared to their peers at other universities for a variety of reasons.

First and foremost, the UMW Honor System creates a community of trust that permeates the campus. By having students pledge not to lie, cheat or steal, and providing proper sanctioning mechanisms if any of these acts are committed, the Honor System ensures that students trust one another's actions and words.

For example, many students leave their belongings in the study halls without fear of them being stolen, and professors allow students to take unsupervised exams. By creating this community of trust, the Honor System has provided a comfortable environment that eases the transition away from home for first-year students and provides a safe place to live, work, study, and have fun.

A by-product of the community of trust is the development of good ethical character in those who live under the Honor System. Students find that they become reciprocal to one another and treat others with the same care and respect that they would want to be treated. By upholding the Honor Pledge, students become accustomed to that way of life, and most continue to abide by such principles well after graduation.

The Honor System also provides a venue for students to become involved on campus. The system is stewarded by the student-run Honor Councils (one for each campus), which are responsible for educating students about the Honor System, voicing the student body's opinions of the system to the administration, conducting honor investigations, presiding over honor hearings, and issuing sanctions to those found responsible for an honor violation. Students who are not part of the Honor Council are periodically asked to be jurors for honor hearings.

By having a student-run Honor System that involves all facets of the student body, UMW students are committed to upholding the system and feel great pride in knowing that, as individuals, they can make a difference on campus.

One of the lasting impressions that the Honor System has on the students is the value it adds to a UMW degree. In the years following the collapse of Enron, employers are now, more than ever, interested in hiring trustworthy, loyal, and ethical employees. By graduating from UMW, students have proven that they can live under an honor system that exemplifies these traits. A Mary Washington degree speaks volumes about the ethical character of the individual who possesses one, and surely makes each a prime candidate for employers who are seeking well-rounded, trustworthy individuals.

Lastly, UMW's Honor System allows students to redeem themselves and learn from their mistakes throughout their collegiate career. Many honor systems at other universities are largely punitive, having been implemented primarily to punish offenders.

At UMW, the Honor System's primary goal is to gather the university community under an umbrella of trust and develop good ethical character in all those who live under it. By having a five-sanction system that emphasizes graduated sanctioning, firstand second-time offenders are able to learn from their mistakes while continuing to be part of the university community.

Many universities have a "one-strike and you're out" policy. At UMW, we value education, redemption and maturation. Students everywhere are bound to make a minor mistake or two - at UMW, we place an emphasis on how to move past those mistakes so that students can reach their full potential.

The Honor System is at the heart of the University of Mary Washington, fostering trust and mutual respect between students, faculty, staff and administrators. In the simplest terms, it is the foundation of the UMW educational experience. Benefits abound from living under such a system. I encourage those looking for a college to take a long look at what UMW and its Honor System has to offer to their development and future. For more information about the Honor System, please refer to www.umw.edu/studentaffairs/umw_honor_system.
Stephen Gregg is president of the University of Mary Washington's Honor Council.

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