Photo courtesy of The University of the South Flickr
By Justin M. Weaver
Staff Writer
With the mid-morning light shining through the stained glass windows of All Saints’ Chapel, Sewanee’s newest and largest class to date sat with their backs straight and palms sweaty in apprehension of signing the Honor Code. The date was August 31, and Sewanee’s soon-to-be freshman class was about to set themselves apart from other college students their age by pledging, to themselves, each other, and the administration not to lie, cheat or steal. For more than a hundred years, this ceremony has taken place.
With revisions and constant respect, the Honor Code has and will continue to set University of the South students apart for years to come. “I feel that signing the Code as a class cultivates a community of trust and respect between our class and the faculty that guides us daily,” McKenzie Cook (C’20) said. Along with pledging to not lie, cheat or steal, students agree to write the statement, “pledged” followed by their signature, atop all examinations, quizzes and other papers. This signifies their acceptance and reaffirmation of the Code and all that it stands for.
Guided by Honor Council upperclassmen, who are said to exemplify the Code, along with the support from professors, the freshman class preceded with pen in hand up the sunlit isles to print and sign the Code. This was preceded by the official handing off of the freshman class from the dean of admissions to the dean of students and loud cheers from what is now Sewanee’s brand-new freshman class.