The Honor Council has always sought to establish a close rapport with the faculty. The Council seeks not only active faculty participation in the Honor System, but also the constructive criticism that instructors may offer from their unique perspectives. The Honor Council is not a panacea for all acts of academic dishonesty nor does it automatically ensure honorable behavior of all students in academic matters. At Vanderbilt as I have said before and as you may hear me say again, our first concern is the human intellect, but our ultimate concern is the human being. If we had to make a choice among human values we would choose Honor over learning, over skill, over understanding.
Students look to their teachers for guidance in their academic endeavors.
If instructors do not give full support to the workings of the System, it is understandable why some students might attempt to violate it. Without faculty support of the System, students are led to feel that is an anachronistic bit of idealism to which everyone merely pays lip service. To help the student understand his or her responsibilities under the Honor System, the Honor Council conducts a thorough orientation program for all freshman and transfer students at the start of the fall semester and ongoing programs on academic integrity throughout the year. The many efforts of the Council, however, are not enough. The Council needs each faculty member s help and support.