Honor and Tradition

A Tradition of Civility and Honor.

At Hampden-Sydney, the word honor describes a way of life. For over two and a half centuries, students at Hampden-Sydney have subscribed to two basic statements of honorable behavior, thereby assuring that the College community remains a safe and dignified place in which to learn and grow. Two basic principles govern the behavior of Hampden-Sydney students, allowing the College community to operate with mutual trust and respect.

The first principle is the Code of Conduct, under which Hampden-Sydney students promise to treat each other, members of the College community, and everyone else they meet, as they would like to be treated themselves. This principle is as valuable today as when it was simply stated in the early nineteenth century:

"The Hampden-Sydney student will behave as a gentleman at all times and in all places."

The second principle is the Honor Code. The Honor Code defines all of a student's interactions - academic, professional, and social. The Honor Code applies in all times and in all places. By agreeing to follow the Honor Code, students let each otherand the College know that they have no intention of advancing their own interests by underhanded or illegal means.  The Honor Code should not, however, be viewed as a set of rules. It espouses a set of ethical principles which make it possible for all to live in a community of mutual trust and respect. These principles constantly practiced as a student will be internalized and become the core of one's lifelong ethical standards:

"The Hampden-Sydney student will not lie, cheat, or steal, nor tolerate those who do."

These two principles continue to govern the behavior of Hampden-Sydney students, allowing the College community to operate with trust and respect.  More  explicit forumulations of these principles in the rules and policies of the Student Justice System are presented in Section 4 of the Key and in the Academic Catalogue. Every student should become familiar with those versions as well.

There are also a few less formal traditions on campus. One that promotes civility is the expectation that a Hampden-Sydney student will speak to everyone he meets.

 

Read more....
Honor Codes Work Where Honesty Has Already Taken Root
The Chronicle of Higher Education
By Jennifer Dirmeyer and Alexander C. Cartwright