BYU Students Value Their Strict Honor Code. But Not the Harsh Punishments
Context: I&#x27;m an undergraduate student studying at BYU.<p>This article puts a nasty and unfair spin on the whole situation. While I do accept that there are probably some things that could be changed with the way the HCO handles cases, this article is reporting false or misleading information.<p>For starters, the bit about &quot;mandatory religious worship&quot; as punishment is nonsense. I don&#x27;t know where they got that. Probably a misunderstanding of how the HC Office encourages students to attend their worship services---whatever their religion might be. Secondly, &quot;stories of being suspended or expelled for violations such as kissing a date good night,&quot; etc. is ludicrous. BYU hasn&#x27;t expelled anyone in 2019---and only two people in the current academic year. Those were for <i>crimes</i>: Title IX violations and the like. If they expelled people for all the things mentioned in the article, (and on Instagram) BYU would have a <i>much</i> higher expulsion rate.<p>Many of the stories on the mentioned Instagram page are pure fabrication. Many more are highly embellished. After talking with some people involved with the protest, I went and talked to the HCO myself with some hard questions: the Honor Code Office is not there to expel or punish students---they&#x27;re there primarily to help students develop character and morally-upright lives. (This being one of the aims of BYU&#x27;s education.)<p>Granted, I would like to see some sort of student component in the HCO. I think that&#x27;s a good idea. There are unfortunately a lot of people who are just angry at an institution trying to do good.<p>If you&#x27;re curious, I recommend reading the source instead of trusting the NYT: <a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;honorcode.byu.edu" rel="nofollow">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;honorcode.byu.edu</a>