continuing to make news, especially in the wake of controversies regarding SGA’s policies about campaigning and record-keeping. One of the elections students may not have noticed, however, was the election of Jenner Gibson ’11 to the post of Honor Council chair. Gibson will replace Athan Makansi ’10, who served as chair during the 2009-2010 year.
Gibson’s election comes during a remarkable year during which the Honor Council celebrated its 50th anniversary at Davidson. The year-long celebration has included speakers, panel discussions and a poster series highlighting student, faculty and staff perspectives, as well as a student forum, the first the Honor Council has sponsored in five years.
“All these efforts were especially aimed at creating better communication between students and the Honor Council,” Makansi said.
Makansi explained that the chair fulfills a number of responsibilities, including planning special Honor Council events. But, he said, “The chair’s main task is to smoothly run an honor council hearing. In this capacity, the chair calls on honor council members to ask questions and calls on the Defense Advisors and Student Solicitors for their questions and opening/closing statements.”
Gibson served as an Honor Council member during Makansi’s term. “Elected to the council last year, I’ve come to quickly appreciate the significant difficulties each case presents our council,” he said. “Far from being an automaton who hand out punishments, we spend hours to take each individual and their case seriously. From there, we determine guilt and, if needed, a penalty.”
Makansi stressed the importance of every member of the Honor Council in creating a responsible and compassionate environment. “I feel very lucky to be surrounded by the gifted and dedicated Honor Council members,” he said. “The Student Solicitors, Defense Advisors and the Vice-Chair work extremely long hours to make the Honor Council hearing runs smoothly and the accused gets a fair and timely hearing.”
“Not every person accused of a violation is guilty, but when appropriate, the honor council spends an long time discussing how a sanction will affect the accused, the college community and the educational mission of the college,” he continued. “Often a hearing can last five to seven hours and sometimes more than 12. Honor Council members show incredible enthusiasm for thoroughly deliberating a case and determining a just sanction for the accused.”
Gibson explained that he wants to focus on community awareness about Honor Council procedure during his term. He praised the way the Honor council tries cases fairly and promptly, but he added that he will make efforts to educate the Davidson community on its efforts.
“What seems less effective is our communication of this process to the community,” he said. “Therefore, my plans include conducting a mock hearing this spring for the student body at large, as well as one during freshman orientation. I want a mock hearing to become a standard facet of orientation, so that every student who graduates from Davidson will have seen the various elements and roles in a hearing. This is a priority; whether it is a Davidson 101 or an outgrowth of the signing ceremony, I am committed to adding this feature to next year’s orientation.”
Makansi agreed that clarifying the public understanding of the council is a priority. “I do wish that the Honor Council continues to push for increased transparency in its operations through student-faculty forums, mock hearings and panel discussions,” he said.
Gibson explained that many of these efforts for transparency center around the code itself rather than simply council hearings.
“I ran for chair because I believe that role will allow me to, in concert with the council, communicate our inner workings and the code itself,” he said. “Human nature can’t be perfected. But, our work isn’t done on this campus until every student knows how a case is tried and the fundamental principles outlined in the Red Book.”
“I wanted to be chair of the council because I want to foster collaboration before cases between the Defense Advisors and Solicitors, while also helping the council to examine a case from all perspectives,” he continued. “As Chair, I won’t vote on cases, nor will I argue for outcomes. But I find the role of chair vital to ensuring our Code’s integrity and the welfare of the accused.”
“My main concern is seeking novel ways to reach out to students and faculty. I don’t accept the honor council as a static body that tries cases; we are going to try to engage you. To that end, any feedback is always welcome.”
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