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Student Government and
t he Honor System
Mexico Illinois
EDWIN MACK L. A. JANE
While the success or failure of the University of Illinois
idea of student self-government re- The Honor System at the University
mains unsettled, the actual system is of Illinois has a history of but four
undoubtedly extending every year. scant years in length. A struggle for
England, in the stage of experiments- domination over difficulty after diffi-
culfy during that time had the word
tion, gazes in wonder and a little tre-"failure" written in its final chapter.
pidation at the advances being made " The abandonment of the system
in American institutions. In the past was the result of a petition presented
few months a new and more daring in- to the Council of Administration of
novation than any so far attempted, the University by members of the Men
was effected in Mexico. and Women's Honor Commission on
"The Free and Sovereign State of April 3, 1923. The commission asked
San Luis Potosi", last year establ- for the abolishment after a vote of the
lished a university and brought forth student body on the question. Out of
in its constitution two new and re- the entire student body only 1,770
markable extensions of student gov- were willing to report violations of
ernment. San Potosi, by the way, is the honor code, 2,783 voted affirma-
a Mexican state about equal in size tively for an honor system. The num-
and population to Maine, established her of persons entitld to vote on this
in 1824 and noted chiefly for the pro- question was between 7,000 and 8,000.
duction of precious metals and to- This showed definitely that the stu-
bacco. In the constitution of this dents, while rather half-heartedly in
autonomous university the supervi- favor of the system, would not bind
sion of the institution is delegated to themselves to report violations. This
a Council and an Assembly. The fact fitted in well with the statement
former consists of four professors, of the commission that a great majori-
three named in a vote of all the pro- ty of the offenses reported to the
fessorl of the university, and the commission were brought to atte-
fourth by the students. This gives the tion by faculty members. The Council
students a distinct voice in the selec- of Administration's statement issued
tion o the supreme governing body of with the abandonment of the plans
the institution. The Assembly is com- says that "rarely did members of the
posed of two representatives from upper class who should, in the nature
each college, all of whom are chosen of things, be the most judicious, loyal
by the vote of all "professors, stu- and active up-holders of a true honor
dents, and higher employees." One system, report offenses"
of the representatives must be a stu- While this refusal to report offenses
I dent and one a professor. This puts against the honor system seems to be
the election of the Assembly virtually j the most important reason for the
in the hands of the more numerous abolishment of the system other facts
student body and gives them a power entered according to the report of
in the governing of the school un- the Honor commission. Lack of ma-
heard of until now, ture and efficient work on the part of
On the other hand, the conservative the commissions in deciding cases was
element in educational circles of our one count against the system.
own country are taking every advan- The heterogeneity of' the student
tage to "view with apprehension" the body was brought forth as a reason
advances being made in some sections. for the abolishment. Opponents of the
Student self-government has been, on system said it was impossible to teach
the whole, a steady, non-erratic move- the many foreign students the mean-
muent making few vast forward strides ing of the Honor pledge as it was tak-
and having met few momentous set- en at the University. Co-education
hacks. True, during the late war it was another difficulty that the Honor
broke down miserably in more than System failed to hurdle according to
one prominent institution, But this the report.
has been rather convincingly account- It was said in the commission re-
ed to the selective draft and the re- port that 'The student body of
sulting scarcity of seniors and juniorspthe University of Illinois is so
to lead the students. Again there large as to make the opera-
have been instances in the past few I ation of an honor system extreme-
months of a popular but misguided ly difficult if not impossible. Student
student leader involving the univer- opinion can not- be brought to bear
sity in undesirable tangles on as well on the offenders and the wide range
as off the campus. Student govern- from which the students are drawn
ment has had a tendency to encourage makes it impossible to build up an
student strikes, concerted demands, ethical rode requisite to successful
sad petitions, which have been oc- operation of the system."
curring almist weekly of late. Res-
gmnations have beene asked and ldismis- - The Honor system at the University
sals protested. Though the space of Illinois was founded in 1919 by a
given tihem in the news of the day sug- group of students and faculty men.
geats great importance, they are in no|It was in operation in every college
sense an indication of the failure of in the University until April 3, 1923,
student government. Though they when the Council of Administration
are to be discouraged, they should not'and the University Senate abolished
be suppressed. They are the in-tithe plan and substituted a mild form
dications of a desire for more ,of the proctor system.
student power which not finding real- 
ization along official lines, seeks in- indicates that the answer is in the
formal and sometimes violent means negative.
of expression. That reactionary movement, con-
The San Luis Potosi university tributed to also by several notable
marks a step in one of the directions failures recently of students to en-
where extension has been demanded: force respect for law and order in
the direction of replacement of stu- large American universities, places
dent for faculty authority, the assist- the student self-government idea in
ing of sthtisent0 in 'hat has been here- a critical situation. Whether the re'
tofore the sole work of the faculty. action will end in the near future or
The other phase is the extension of go on, largely depends on the success-
student authority over hitherto unsup- es or failures it meets in the first
ervised activities such as the regula- months of this school year.
tion of the number of campus social
events per week and the expenditure Noun ne pouvons pas prtendre au
of money in campus elections. bonheur absoli, mais nous devons cher-
Danger of overstepping themselves, Cher i l'atteindre par le plus grand
seems to be the fate of students who nomble de points possible. Notre bon-

are pushing this latter movement. heur est enclos dans notre vie, comme
They may find themselves restricted 'la statue dans le bloc de marbre. C'est
by the very love of authority. It has anous de la dugager. Les sculpteurs
been estimated that 80% of student practiciens procedent comme si la statue
life is off the csomus. Do we want existait deij dans sa gangue de pierre.
this 80% put on the regulated pain its atteignent par des sondages nom-
and penalty basis which the other breux qui s'arrtent juste a la surface
20% now is? A suggestion of back sde la future image. Is le touchent par
up, of going into reverse, in the uni- points. Nous devons etre les practiciens
versities where this off-campus stu- de notre bonheur.-("Les Mains Pro-
dent government has gone farthest, prees," Michael Corday).