Article and photo by Ethan Lyne, Staff Editor
The reverberations from the #AllStrugglesOneCode protest at Haverford’s Fall 2017 Plenary were felt loud and clear on Sunday, Feb. 18, at the Spring 2018 Plenary. Despite the short duration of this year’s Spring Plenary, many of the same discussions raised at the previously Plenary were reintroduced, such as how to address some of the critical issues many people see within the Honor Code. A significant majority of students voted to open the period of ratification of the Honor Code, but it remains to be seen whether or not enough students will vote to ratify the Honor Code at the end of this week.
Quorum was reached within an hour of the start of Plenary at 2 p.m., and it moved quickly at the start with the first and only resolution on the agenda. The one resolution proposed was to add a clause to the Alcohol Policy specifically addressing rape culture and other behaviors inconsistent with this policy. It included several substitutions and additions to various sections in the Alcohol Policy that sought to include more direct language about the consumption of alcohol and the prevention of sexual violence.
According to Michael Bueno HC’18, co-chair of Joint-Student-Administration Alcohol Policy Panel (JSAAPP), the resolution was put together by members of JSAAPP, the Women*s Center, and the Dean’s Office. He also noted that this is not the solution to ending rape culture at Haverford, listing several ways within the students’ power.
The resolution faced little opposition or questions from the students present, and only had one friendly amendment added to the original proposal: a sentence that explicitly gave students the ability to seek assistance if they feel unsafe personally dealing with a situation inconsistent with the Honor Code. The vote on the final resolution passed resoundingly with the student body.
After the quick passage of this resolution, students around the gym began to look up from their laptops and take out their headphones, preparing for what many expected to be an impassioned discussion on the Honor Code after the protest from this past semester and recent social media discussions.
In the days and hours leading up to Plenary, there was an effort by several Haverford students in a Facebook group called “Havermemes” that sought to push for a Special Plenary to address some longstanding issues with the Honor Code. These issues are seen as a continuation of many of the desires of the #AllStrugglesOneCode protest last semester. As a result of the Facebook group and many informal discussions across campus, conversations began throughout the gym as many sought to understand more about this effort leading up to the Honor Code’s ratification.
There was a vigorous pro-con debate about the ratification of the Honor Code by numerous students from diverse perspectives and opinions, listened to carefully by much of the students in attendance. Many sought to fundamentally change the Honor Code and the way self-governance works at Haverford; they felt that holding a Special Plenary was the best way to do this. Some expressed concern about the potential pitfalls of the lack of any Honor Code; they thought there were better ways to deal with the issues than the creation of a Special Plenary, which requires 75% of the student body to attend to reach quorum.
After this debate, students overwhelmingly voted to open the ratification of Honor Code, meaning that voting to ratify will occur virtually and will likely take place on Thursday and Friday. According to Riley Wheaton HC’20, the Honor Council Librarian, there will be three voting options: approving ratification, approving ratification but with objections, or not approving the ratification of the Honor Code.
He continued, “If more than two-thirds of the student body votes either yes or yes with objections, the Honor Code is ratified. If more than two-thirds of the student body votes, but…if less than two-thirds [of the voters] end up voting yes [or yes with objections], then a Special Plenary is automatically convened.” However, according to Wheaton, if less than two-thirds of the student body votes, there has to be a gathering of signatures of 40% of the student body to state they will attend a Special Plenary, and then a Special Plenary will be convened.
The potential to hold a Special Plenary all depends on the vote of the student body and whether students vote to ratify the Honor Code the way it is. Check back later in the week to read the Bi-College News’ updated reports on Haverford’s Honor Code.
