Collegiate Times

After the resignation of about half the students on the Honor System board, the university has responded saying they wish the students had stuck it out.

David Ford, Vice Provost, and Ron Daniel, Associate Provost, both feel that the decisions to resign were regrettable.

"I think it's unfortunate," Ford said. "I regret that they have chosen to resign rather than settle whatever difference they might have because this is an organization that serves the entire students body. I frankly don't know of another student organization like this. I regret that those who resigned would not resolve any differences that they felt that were there."

Greg Sagstetter, the former chief justice and first to resign said the students were frustrated with the university's failure to follow through with promises and provide the board with the resources they needed to get the job done well.

"We really need to review this system and there needs to be more of a focus on education instead of punitive results," Sagstetter said.

Ford however said they should have waited longer for results.

"I really regret that they chose to resign, I think I've learned that sometimes even if you don't achieve the kind of agreement of position that you want, your best bet is to put your position on the table. When you resign, it takes out of that role of conversation,"

Ford does not recognize the same problems within the Honor System as Sagstetter.

"I think it is a different situation," Ford said. "I don't see the problems that are described. I see the University Honor System working."

Sagstetter though said the problems with the system are so complicated, there needs to be a review from a committee that is impartial and is currently not involved with the Honor System.

"The associate justices that resigned were just trying to add justice. Those that administer the Honor System should follow the principles they enforce," he said.

The administration's immediate response in handling the situation was appointing Associate Chief Justice Amanda Beringer to follow Sagstetter.

"Our immediate plan of action has already been put in place," Ford said. "That is that the review board has chosen and recommended the appointment of a new chief justice. There have been associate justices put in place to replace those who resigned. And the work of the University Honor System will continue."

The administration feels that the appointment of Beringer was constitutional.

"The appointment that the president made of the new chief justice is keeping with the new constitution of the undergraduate honor system," Ford said.

Kay Heidbreder, legal counsel for Tech, was asked for her interpretation and concurred with the decision to appoint Beringer, Ford explained.

The administration agrees that the concerns of Sagstetter were being heard since he expressed them in the summer and of the idea to create an objective committee to review the Honor System's processes.

"The provost did hear that request, and I think as he has stated before, they were starting in on a process of reviewing the undergraduate honor system, which is a program review that takes place," Ford said. "Given the incentives for service that the chief justice was requesting and given the fact that the provost was informed that Honor System did not meet the criteria for a student organization, therefore, was no longer going to be supported by the student budget board, nor provided office space in squires. With all of those things going on, the provost felt he wanted to address the incentives issue that the chief justice put forth first, and then follow that up with a program review that would begin this semester. The chief justice agreed that that process made sense. I'm not sure why they felt they were not being heard."

The decision to review the Honor System was tabled until fall so that the concerns of Sagstetter could be examined immediately, Daniel said.

"The plan was to start the review next fall," Daniel said. "The reality is we are committed to a review. But we felt like we needed to be committed to the things brought to our attention by (Sagstetter)."

Daniel could not recall anything like this happening in the years he has been working with the Honor System.

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