Code debate comes to vote

Author: Aseem Mulji

In a meeting on March 19, the Student Government Association (SGA) and Faculty Council hammered out a compromise on the contentious Honor Code amendment on faculty proctoring, which SGA Chief of Staff Katie Hylas '09 called "the biggest thing the SGA has accomplished since I've been involved." The student body will vote on the three approved constitutional amendments next week.

The new amendment restores, with minor changes, many of the clauses slashed by the Honor Code Review Committee's (HCRC) original recommendation - most notably, the clause forbidding professors to proctor exams.

The new language differs from that of the current constitution only in that professors must now request permission to proctor from the Dean of the College rather than the Academic Judicial Board (AJB). This permission can be requested and granted by e-mail. In effect, the new amendment discourages faculty proctoring, but simplifies considerably the process of requesting permission.

According to Acting Dean Gus Jordan, "The new language allows faculty to obtain a quick response from the Dean of the College." He described the current system with the AJB to be "slow and cumbersome."

The new amendment "permits proctoring if a professor