Policy: Trinity Honor System

All students in all programs at Trinity are expected to uphold a way of life that embraces personal integrity and responsibility, the foundation of the Honor System. The Honor System reflects the core of Trinity’s values as an institution concerned with moral as well as intellectual education. The Honor System has been part of Trinity since 1913, and is the foundation of Trinity’s moral life in community. The Honor System reflects a personal commitment on the part of all members of the community to individual integrity and shared trust; hence it also reflects a community commitment to abide by University policies, rules, and regulations. Upon joining the Trinity community, each student agrees to adhere to the following:

“I realize the responsibility involved in membership in the Trinity community. I agree to abide by the rules and regulations of this community. I also affirm my intention to live according to the standards of honor, to which lying, stealing, and cheating are opposed. I will help others to maintain this responsibility in all matters essential to the common good of the community.”

The Honor System is grounded in the philosophy that each member of the Trinity community will uphold, take ownership, and educate others toward an ongoing goal of maintaining a community of mutual trust, honor, and respect. The Honor System is, therefore, a way of life that is synonymous with adhering to rules and regulations established for the good of the whole community. The Honor System is present in all aspects of Trinity life, from academic integrity, to fairness in play and sports, to following social codes of conduct, to identifying and bringing to the forefront issues that may threaten individuals and their ability to embrace the system.

All students, faculty and staff should be mindful of their responsibility to be careful stewards of the Honor System. The Honor System requires each person in the community to make a commitment to live morally, honestly and with respect for the rights, needs, property and reputation of all others.

Acceptance of the Honor System is essential to membership in the Trinity Community. Trinity makes every effort to help all students understand and learn to live within the expectations of the Honor System.

Read the particular rules and regulations of Trinity, and the processes and procedures that exist to adjudicate infractions, determine facts, and impose sanctions. The Honor System is not the same as the judicial procedures, or the various rules and regulations. The Honor System is a moral code that imposes an obligation on each individual to act honorably and honestly for the good of the community whether or not a rule exists, whether or not anyone else sees the act in question, regardless of the presence or absence of an authority figure. In the Honor System, no one worries about being “caught” doing something wrong because everyone is responsible to do what is right as a matter of personal morality. The rules exist to help maintain order and to define what the community believes are common standards for behavior. The judicial processes exist to address situations in which individuals break the rules, or exhibit behaviors that are inconsistent with the principles of honor.