The BYU Code of Honor places students at the school under well-defined guidelines of conduct. All students at BYU are required to sign a statement that they will abide by the honor code, which requires honesty, chastity and virtue, obedience to the law, clean language, respect for others, and adherence to the Word of Wisdom. It also states that all students must abide by the school's dress and grooming standards.
While such rigid requirements may seem unpleasant and restrictive to some, students at BYU generally respect the honor code and the freedom and blessings it gives them, according to student leaders.Matt Cowley, BYU's student body president, said: "I think the majority
of people really, honestly do respect that commitment they made to live by the honor code. That's why they're here."
He and three BYU Student Association vice presidents - David Fernandez, Kamie Hobbs and James Johnson - shared their feelings about the honor code in a recent Church News interview.
Together, they came to several conclusions. They agreed that the honor code frees them from distractions to their primary purposes at BYU - spiritual and mental growth. They consider the honor code to be a personal matter; while all students are required to sign a statement that they will live by the honor code, whether they do or not is still largely a matter of personal integrity. And with a few exceptions, the BYU honor code is simply the standard of living expected of all members of the Church.
David, who is from Bolivia, remembered the feelings he had when he first arrived on the BYU campus.
"It wasn't that everybody blended, that everybody was wearing the same thing," he said. "But everybody rallied around the honor code in such a way that it allowed a good spirit to be felt in classes. It reminds me of how respectful I have to be, not only with myself personally, but with others."
James added: "The honor code so much enhances your education. You can sit in a class without worrying about someone coming in dressed in a way that draws your attention away. You don't have all the distractions."
Kamie said: "It's nice to be with all these other people who encourage you to be your best. Being around so many individuals who are adhering to the honor code makes me want to have an even higher standard. It's a source of inspiration in everyday living."
While most students at BYU adhere to the honor code, the leaders acknowledged that there are some who don't.
"It's really interesting, because sometimes the people who have a problem with the honor code seem louder because they draw our attention," Matt said. "If 100 people are walking on the quad and 99 are wearing shorts that are the appropriate length and one person is wearing short shorts or has some other odd way of expressing his or her individuality, our attention is going to be drawn to that one person."
The atmosphere created by students living the honor code is part of the BYU experience, a big reason so many want to attend the school, the leaders said. But agency isn't taken away and some students don't live up to their word.
"It's a personal commitment," David stressed. "Some say, `My free will is at stake because I am forced to do this if I want to be here.' But it is still a personal decision.
"I don't think the university is making you live a certain way. When you decide to come to BYU you are making your own decision and with that decision comes a lot of responsibilities. This institution has established some criteria of how behavior is going to be. It is your free will. You decide for yourself to sign the document agreeing to abide by the standards."
James said: "The honor code gives people the opportunity to prove that their word means something. I came to BYU and signed my name to something and then lived by it. The personal development that comes from showing that I'm a man of my word is very satisfying."
He also said that many of the complaints about the honor code relate to dress and grooming standards, which are the most visible aspects. "But those who understand what the entire honor code is, don't have a gripe about it," he said. "That is because they already believe in those things - being honorable, being honest, living the Word of Wisdom, living the law of chastity. That is what is included in the honor code."
David noted: "The real world' may offer different things. But you don't have to be part of it. Our reality is that we are members of the Church and we abide by the honor code. We are chaste and all those things. That is our reality. That's ourreal world.' We're happy with it and feel comfortable with it."
Because BYU's honor code is basically just the standards of the Church, Kamie said students can enjoy its blessings on any campus, not just at BYU.
"It is a personal commitment to a standard," she said. "At BYU, it's easy because it's written out for us and we're required to sign it and we're required to live by it. But possibly, individuals at other universities may have a greater opportunity to make a personal commitment because they don't have the encouragement all around them to obey the Church standards. Anyone who has committed himself or herself to be a worthy member of the Church can receive the blessings of living like that."
While attending BYU is a unique experience, students can have many good experiences at any college, Matt said. "But there is a different set of expectations and responsibilities here," he said. "So when you decide for yourself that BYU is the experience you want, you choose all of it and that includes the honor code. While ours is unique in that it reflects, for the most part, our ideals as Latter-day Saints, it's not like there is no honor anywhere but at BYU."
But, as Kamie stated: "BYU's standard is a high standard. The honor code is something that everybody ought to be living everywhere. But at BYU we need to strive to live the highest standard that we can because in a lot of ways we are set up as an example and a representative of the Church."
While Church standards are basic to the honor code, it goes beyond what is required of members of the Church generally, BYU Pres. Rex E. Lee said. He pointed out, for example, that dress and grooming standards require shorts and skirts to be knee length or longer, and long hair and beards on men are not acceptable.
"The honor code is part of what makes BYU distinctive," Pres. Lee said. "People come here because we are different and they want to be part of that difference. The honor code sets us apart from other universities. The evidence that students do like it is that so many want to come here to go to school. It is an integral part of the total Church environment that attracts students here."
