Article XII of Honor Code promotes equality and justice
Last year, nine Rice students decided to exercise their rights under the honor system by utilizing the Honor Code's Article XII. With the Student Association General Election ballot this week, a majority of the Honor Council's members - although not all - wish to undermine Article XII's check on judicial power by amending it; they have done their best to paint this piece of our Honor Code as a caustic evil that harms the innocent and exonerates the guilty. On the contrary, Article XII allows you to determine, for yourself, if the honor system ruling by the Honor Code under which you are about to be judged is evenhanded and, if necessary, allows you to avoid improper judgment. It exists in the Honor Code to protect a student's right to plea "no contest" and to ensure his or her just treatment in the event of an unjust Honor Council. There is no reason to remove, alter or amend it. The amendment to Article XII must not pass!For those who do not know, Article XII allows a student confronted with an Honor Code violation to forfeit credit for the class in question and to withdraw from the university within three days for a period not less than two semesters with the knowledge that, following this self-imposed punishment, the Honor Council will no longer carry out action against him or her.