Candles in hand, a soft yellow glow casting light into the gym, they stood as the Class of 2011 and vowed to live a life of honesty, integrity, responsibility and respect – the cornerstones of Elon University’s honor code. Details...
The morning event featured remarks from the four class presidents, two alumni and the president of the student government.
“We are entrusting to you the health of our community,” said Michael Bumbry, a 2007 alumnus starting a term with the Board of Trustees. “We trust you will enhance, and not tarnish, the reputation of our university.”
The class presidents spoke about each of the four values.
HONESTY: “In the classroom that means developing and using your own thoughts rather than borrowing those of others and not giving credit,” said senior class president Lauren Murphree. “When you pledge honesty, others see you as a person who can be trusted and relied upon.”
INTEGRITY: “Integrity means we are true to our word and can be trusted to carry out our responsibilities and live up to our pledges,” said Mallery White, president of the junior class.
RESPONSIBILITY: “None of us can act without some other person feeling the impact of our actions,” said Maria Wyka, president of the sophomore class.
RESPECT: “We will have fun,” said Justin Peterson, the newly elected president of the freshman class, “but not at the expense of another person or group.”
As each quality was described, officers from the respective classes lit large candles from a center candle in front of the stage. Following the remarks, the officers lit hand-held candles from the larger displays, then walked the floor of the gym for nearly 1,300 freshmen to accept his or her own flame on candles they received when they were seated.
President Leo M. Lambert closed the ceremony by leading the audience in reading aloud the Call to Honor:
“Today we are entrusted with the honorable legacy of Elon University, dedicated to the intellectual, personal and spiritual growth of all its members, to the advancement of knowledge for the good of all, and to the service of local, national and global communities. To that end, we affirm our commitment to the core values of our university:
“We commit ourselves to honesty, being truthful in our academic work and in our relationship with others.
“We commit ourselves to show integrity, being trustworthy, fair and ethical.
“We commit ourselves to responsibility, being accountable for our actions and for our learning.
“We commit ourselves to respect, being civil, valuing the dignity of each person, and respecting the physical and intellectual property of others.
“With these commitments we join generations of Elon students as bearers of its honor.”