On March 19th, Haverford College held its 2023 Spring Plenary. Four resolutions were on the agenda for the afternoon, as well as the ratification of the Honor Code. Students began gathering in the GIAC at 2pm, though a required quorum of 66% of the student body was not reached for over an hour. Pleas were sent out over microphone and Zoom chat for texts to be sent campus-wide, encouraging further attendance. When quorum was, at long last, tenuously reached, the plenary Rules of Order were laid out, put up for a vote, and ratified.
Resolution #1: Make Voting More Accessible
The first resolution of the afternoon proposed measures to increase student access to voting on all election days. The resolution was conceived in order to increase youth voter participation, and in light of a study revealing that a great deal of students cite “busy scheduling, including work and classes, as reasons for not voting.” Students Lucas Sherman & Ellie Baron presented several action items including giving student workers paid time off to vote, and the cancellation of classes on election day. During the Q&A section, some students voiced concerns about cancellation of classes and the divide between students who can and cannot vote, while others praised the opportunity to give tangible support to youth participation in democracy. The resolution was passed with no amendments.
Resolution #2: Ranked Choice Voting
The second resolution, presented by Grant DeVries and Kabir Hinduja-Obregon, was introduced following particularly drawn-out honor council and student council elections this year, which delayed action of the committees during both semesters. A new voting initiative proposed altering the Google Form, which facilitates student voting, to allow for ranked choice voting. The resolution was passed with no amendments.
Resolution #3: Honor Code Resolution
The next resolution was presented by Sarah Campbell, Emily Almgren, Janani Suresh, and Joey Carol, all members of the Honor Code Revision Committee. Their proposal seeks to modify “several sections of the Honor Code with the main goal being to move Honor Council away from a punitive system and towards a more restorative practice that advocates for students through several facets of the Honor Code.” This modification includes facets of the Jurisdiction section of the code, adding language in reference to the conduct of Haverford students on other college campuses. Suggested amendments to the code include an emphasis on mediated discussions between both parties in a circumstance of code violation. During the pro-con debate, concerns regarding the possibility of faculty retaliation were voiced, and answered with assurances that all possible preventative measures would be taken to avoid such a circumstance. No amendments were presented. Voting on the third resolution began at approximately 5:40, and continued as quorum was twice lost and regained, over the course of more than half an hour. At this time, the decision was made by the co-chairs of the Honor Council to end plenary, in frustration over repeated loss of quorum.
This action necessitates the organization of a special plenary, or “splenary.” In order to hold splenary, a petition must be signed by 40% of the student body, and in the case that this event is approved, 75% of the student body must attend and vote on all resolutions presented. If ratification of the Honor Code does not occur within 6 academic weeks after Spring Plenary, it will be void, and students will lose access to all its protections.
On March 23rd, a petition was sent out to the student body by the election coordinators. Within 12 hours, it had gained the signatures of over 40% of students, and more in the days since. A Special Plenary was scheduled for April 2nd at 12 pm. 75% of the student body must convene in person to vote on the fourth resolution of the semester, and to ratify the Honor Code. Privileges of the code at stake include self-scheduled exams, protection from professors seeking expulsion, protections against accusations of plagiarism, and the protections of the alcohol policy. Tune in to a follow-up article after Sunday’s special plenary (splenary) to see where the chips may fall!
Read full write-ups of all plenary resolutions and their minutiae here.
