PROVO, Utah (ABC4 News) – Students at Brigham Young University will now know the reason they are being requested to meet with the Honor Code Office.
Instead of receiving a generic phone call from a scheduler, students will now receive a secure link with a letter that details why they have been reported.
Riley Madrian, spokesperson for Restore Honor BYU said some students used the honor code to weaponize others.
“It had caused anxiety for a lot of students and led to a lot of fear,” said Madrian. “Not knowing why you were called into the office, before you got in there caused a lot of stress.”
The letter will report the alleged misconduct, including any other information the student may need. Or, the letter may state that they are invited to meet with an administrator only as a witness.
“I’m very excited. It’s definitely a victory for us and for all students. We’ve been working with the administration over the summer and this is just the culmination of a lot of hard work between us,” said Madrian. “We’re grateful that BYU’s continuing to roll out changes and showing an effort in wanting to creating positive change on campus.”
In addition, students will be told (barring any safety concerns) who reported them.
“Our review of how we serve students showed the importance of clear communication from our office,” said Kevin Utt, Honor Code Office director. “This new system allows us to provide the details students want to know upfront while still protecting student privacy.”
Madrian said students can expect more changes to come, but at this time, she’s not authorized to disclosed what those changes are.
“They’re at a good start. There’s more to come, for sure,” she said. “Things are happening. Things are changing. The fact that BYU’s acknowledging that there’s a problem is huge.”
The change is one of many updates made that deal with transparency and Honor Code processes.
For more details on the new changes click here.
