ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Monday, May 13, 1996 TAG: 9605130131
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: A-2 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: MIKE HUDSON AND KATHY LU STAFF WRITERS
Washington and Lee junior Paul Saboe sat in the audience during the university's Mock Presidential Convention in March and heard speaker after speaker - including former Vice President Dan Quayle - laud W&L's honor system.
It bothered him.
"I guess what hit me was the irony that here a good portion of the audience was drinking underage," he recalls.
Don't get him wrong. "I have this deep love for W&L - and a great respect for the ideal of honor we're pursuing here."
But he worries that W&L students are a "bit too self-congratulatory" when they talk about honor.
The honor system says any student who lies, cheats or steals will be expelled - no matter how petty the offense. Washington and Lee is one of a handful of colleges - University of Virginia and Virginia Military Institute are others - that have a "one strike and you're out" policy on honor violations.
A few students have been raising questions about W&L's honor system this spring in student forums and letters to the editor. Most, such as Saboe, don't question the "one strike" rule, but wonder about acts that aren't included in the definition of honor violations - such as underage drinking, fraternity hazing and sexual assault.
Demian McGarry, a sophomore from New Jersey, thinks the critics are "the vocal few."
"I think that the majority of students say they come to W&L because of the honor system," said Keith Benedict, a law student who is president of the university's Executive Committee, which serves as its honor court. The system "allows you to know that you're looking a student in the eye and know you're going to get the right answer - you're going to get the truth."
Saboe is not sure it's quite so simple. "I think of honor as something of a constant struggle." The definition needs to be constantly debated, he said.
Saboe isn't against underage drinking, but he believes it raises interesting questions about where honor and lawbreaking begin and end.
Benedict said it's dishonorable to buy alcohol with a false ID, but not to drink illegally. "We're not about adjudicating some of the more minor infractions of society's laws and regulations," he said.
Sexual assault cases are handled by a Student Faculty Hearing Board. Anyone found guilty of rape by the board will be expelled, Benedict said, although those found guilty of a lesser offense, such as sexual battery, might be put on probation or suspension.
Junior Theresa Jones says rape is best dealt with by the separate board because victims need sensitive, specialized treatment.
Some students say sexual assault shouldn't be handled by the Executive Committee because it's harder to prove than, say, the theft of a stereo.
Saboe said confronting rape within the honor system is "just taking a responsible stand."
About five to 10 students leave school each year after being accused of an honor offense. Some withdraw before their hearing; others are expelled by the honor court.
A survey of W&L's class of 1994 found about two-thirds would report a case of cheating. Only 5 percent said they wouldn't, but a sizable minority - 30 percent - were uncertain.
Sophomore Brian Fobi said he wouldn't turn anybody in unless their actions directly affect him; he doesn't want to be a policeman. Besides, "Like my mom says, you're only hurting yourself if you cheat."
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