Mary Washington College - Battlefield Yearbook (Fredericksburg, VA)

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son was so anxious to realize, began to emerge. The establishment of the Honor S} ' stem repre- sents the most significant aspect of this gradual maturation of an institution. It was in 1 842 that Professor Tucker presented the following resolution which was immediately- adopted h the faculty: In all future written examinations for distinctions and other honors in the Uni ersity of Virginia, each candidate shall attach to the written answers presented by him in such examinations a certificate in the following u ' ords, ' I, A.B., do hereby certify on honor that I ha ' e derived no assistance during the time of this examination from any source whatexer, whether oral, written, or in print, in giving the above answers. ' This pledge was later extended to include gix ' ing as ' ell as recei ' ing aid. The present form of the pledge appended to all quizzes and examinations at the Uni ' ersity reads, I hereb ' eertif ' on honor that I have neither given nor recei ' ed assistance upon this examination. During the years prior to the adoption of the Honor System the most elaborate precautions were taken to prevent cheating. A committee of professors supervised the administration of each examination. Students were forbidden to speak or to leave their seats until the examination had been completed. This rigid and relentless super- vision seems to have provoked a competitive spirit among the students to circumvent its restrictions. The suspicious attitude of the faculty toward the integrit - of all no doubt weakened the sense of moral obligation to act fairly. The adoption of the Honor System with its implicit faith in the word of the student marked a new era in relations between the faculty and student body. It ' as several years before the numerous restric- tive regulations governing the administration of examinations were revoked. However, it became increasingly evident that the student felt a strong sense of personal obligation not only to abide by his own pledge but to see that other students were faithful to theirs. As time went on, the enforcement of the Honor System passed more and more from the control of the Facultv to that of the student body. In fact, it became a matter of jealous concern among the students that they be given the proper peroga- tives in matters affecting their honor. It was not until after the War Between the States that the Honor S ' stem reached its full fruition and became the exclusixe instrument of the students. It was the -, rather than the faculty, who forbade violators of the pledge to return to the University. The right of appeal to the Faculty was abolished. The function of the presiding professor at an examination became that of an adviser and con- sultant rather than a suspicious overseer. Any- thing remotely resembling espionage by the Faculty during examinations came to be regarded as unwanted and unjustified. The Honor System today is a student code, interpreted and administered exclusi ely by the student bod -. In the words of the catalogue, It imposes no burden on the faculty. Experience 25