(Haverford Specific): The Oh so famous Honor Code

I know many of you may be writing the Haverford Honor code essay, as you read this...so I thought I would share some of my thoughts about the Haverford Honor Code. The honor code at Haverford is unique as we have a social honor code, as well as the academic honor code.

Academic Code: The academic honor code is mainly concerned with cheating and plagiarism, which is a very serious matter at Haverford given that we have self scheduled, unproctored final exams and take home tests.

Social Code: The social honor code at Haverford attempts to create an environment of "trust, concern, and respect", which it does in some manner. Sometimes this so-called environment promotes an atmosphere where one feels they must "walk on eggshells" in conversations to create this, which I feel is a misinterpretation of the code. Many people feel they can't say certain things, or feel they must be "politically correct" in a discussion rather than saying what they truly feel.

Confrontation: I feel many people at Haverford tend to misconstrue the idea of confrontation. Confronting people to turn down their techno music, by saying that you don't like that kind of music and then expecting that the person will turn down the music, is not what the honor code is all about. The confronter should not expect the confrontee will automatically turn down their music. Furthermore, issues like these come up a lot. BUT....when a person actually has an issue with a person's actions or words, they almost Never confront them

Theft at Haverford: This is a life lesson....If you leave your stuff out in public, the chances of it getting stolen are HIGH...even at a "perfect little bubble" like Haverford.

*If you don't read anything else...Remember...
Just because there's an honor code, does not mean that everyone respects it, or even knows about it.

Again, make sure to visit the school to get your own opinion.
Note: This post was originally published in 2008, however this information is still relevant. The author has since graduated from Haverford.