Honor Code History
The Honor Code at Lynchburg College is based on the expectation that students will not lie, cheat, or steal in academic and non-academic matters. The Honor Code has a dual function of protecting both academic and personal integrity.
The importance of honorable conduct has been emphasized at Lynchburg College since its founding in 1903. A professor of history wrote, “The College ... stands for all that is noble ... and will be sadly disappointed in any student who so forgets her precepts as not to stand for her teachings in every ... honorable way.” During the 1933-34 academic session, students and faculty adopted a formal honor code for the College. At that time, students stated, “It is not too much to require of any person that he be honest and that he conduct himself in an honorable way.” With modifications, the Honor Code has been in continuous operation since its adoption, succeeding because most students in each generation have respected it and have given it a high place in their obligations as Lynchburg College students.
In describing the importance of honor in the College, Dr. John M. Turner Jr., former dean of the College, wrote:
Honor makes possible excellent academic achievements without a system of police proctoring.
Honor makes possible satisfying social relations in a spirit of confidence and trust.The heritage that we have at Lynchburg College is a most valuable one. May all of us preserve the spirit of honor, strengthen it by our conduct, and thus transmit this valuable heritage to those who follow us.
Because the Honor Code is of central importance in the College community, every student is placed on his/her honor and is expected to the Lynchburg College Honor Pledge:
I understand the importance of honor in any community. Only by maintaining a strict standard of honor can we expect to achieve any measure of academic or social excellence. I, therefore, pledge that during my tenure as a student at Lynchburg College, I will not lie, cheat, or steal either in College affairs or in the environs of the College, nor tolerate such actions by fellow students.
Students are expected to abide by the Honor Code themselves and not to tolerate actions by fellow students which breach the Code. In matters of honor, any reluctance to report a violator is transcended by each individual’s responsibility to the entire student body. If a student witnesses or discovers any infraction of the Honor Code, he/she shall ask the person(s) at fault to report the offense to the appropriate professor, the Office of the Dean of Students, or the Student Judicial Board, which have been granted authority to address such matters.
