The Honor Code: Past and Present

Nearly every VMI Cadet will agree that one of the most central aspects of the Institute, its way of life, and its purpose is the Honor Code. VMI's Honor Code consists of a simple mantra of 12 words "A Cadet will not lie, cheat, steal, nor tolerate those who do." The importance of this sentence cannot be understated as it is the first piece of knowledge taught to Rats upon matriculation day and is reinforced throughout their following years at VMI. While this Code is not only present within the daily life of VMI Cadets, it defines the moral standard of all those who have attended and graduated from the Institute, forging them into citizen-soldiers of character amidst a tumultuous world. Simply put, without the Honor Code, VMI would not be what it is. Or would it? To properly understand the Honor Code and its foundational role within both VMI's history as well as its present, it is necessary to examine the history of the Code and the Honor Court themselves. The below excerpt from an article written by Molly Rolon, an editorial specialist with the VMI Alumni Agencies, highlights and summarizes the history of the Honor Code and the Honor Court in reference to a presentation titled "Pursuit of the Ideal" given by Col. Kieth Gibson '77 on the honor system. Excerpt Below: Col. Keith Gibson '77, VMI Museum System director, spent hours in the VMI Archives recently. He researched the honor system at VMI throughout the Institute's history. He shared what he learned with the audience at the April 6, 2021, virtual alumni town hall meeting in a presentation titled Pursuit of the Ideal. At the beginning of VMI's history, the Honor Code was not codified. VMI cadets were gentlemen, and as such, "could not abide" lying, cheating, or stealing, explained Gibson. The earliest existing court-martial records date from 1848. The Institute did have courts to deal with infractions of internal rules and things like being drunk in public or being AWOL. Court members always included at least one cadet, plus staff and faculty. Occurrences of lying, cheating, and stealing, though, were rare. From the court, a cadet would receive a penalty commensurate with the violation, including dismissal. The records call this a "dishonorable discharge." In the Institute's early years, the Corps did not want to have specific rules about honor. The cadets were initially lukewarm to institutionalizing honor, Gibson said. If honor was codified and institutionalized, it was not real honor.In 1908, Lt. Gen. Edward Nichols, VMI Class of 1878, was the superintendent. He was concerned about hazing. He appealed to the cadets' "personal sense of integrity" to combat the issue. A "court of honor" was established. At that time, cadets were considered gentlemen and thus inherently honorable. Extending the court of honor to deal with issues of lying, cheating, or stealing was considered unnecessary. The framework of the current Honor System comes from World War I. In 1917, federal troops were housed at VMI alongside cadets. Wearing different uniforms, the federal troops lived with and formed up with the Corps. They were at VMI for short periods of time under the Specialized Training Program. Many of these troops were not interested in cadet life or honor, and the practical need for an honor system arose, Gibson explained. By the beginning of the 1919 academic year, the Corps accepted the notion of an honor system and an accompanying court to address lying, cheating, and stealing. A guilty verdict from the Honor Court would result in a dishonorable discharge—a drum out. The drum out was adopted from the U.S. Army manual for courts-martial. Originally, guilty cadets were present. This has not been the case since at least the late 1960s, Gibson said. More recently, the act of naming the drummed-out cadet has been discontinued. During the first half of the 20th century, the Honor Court consisted of the 1st Class cadet officers, three elected 1st Class cadet representatives, the 2nd Class cadet officers, and the president and vice president of the 3rd Class. In 1927, the General Committee was conceived by Brig. Gen. William Cocke, superintendent and VMI Class of 1894, to deal with separate disciplinary issues. With World War II came more changes at VMI. Federal troops were again housed with the Corps for training. After the war, seasoned veterans—many of whom were commissioned officers—returned to finish their education. Reorganization of the responsibility for cadet leadership, which was in the hands of a few cadets, had been considered for years. Change came during the 1951-52 academic year, when then-Cadet Peyton J. Marshall Jr. '52 was chosen as the regimental commander. He was also the class president. At that time, he would have been the General Committee president and the Honor Court president due to his position as class president. Marshall worked with the Corps and administration to change the cadet governance and put it into the hands of more cadets. In the 1970s, the cadet government system was clarified. The General Committee dealt with class privileges, the Executive Committee with public behavior, and the Rat Disciplinary Committee with the rat system. The Honor Court dealt only with violations involving lying, cheating, and stealing. In the 1980s, more education about how the Honor Court functioned was added for cadets. Despite this, cases of cheating and stealing rose. In the 1990s, small "cells" of cadets who did not care about the honor system sprang up, starting in summer school with a cheating ring. These cells agreed not to report instances of lying, cheating, or stealing. Maj. Gen. John Knapp '54, superintendent, appointed an honor task force. Alumni and the Board of Visitors became involved. Several changes came during this time, including adding a randomly selected jury to hear Honor Court cases and an appeals committee to the BOV to hear contested honor convictions. Both changes remain today. The randomly selected jury meant more cadets could take part in and have ownership of the Honor Court. The Corps was surveyed in 1995 and again in 2001. The survey revealed that the changes in the 1990s resulted in a renewed respect for and commitment to the Honor Code. "Throughout its history, the Institute has dedicated itself to the principles of honorable conduct," Gibson said toward the end of his presentation. "Although statements of procedure and policy differ from one cadet generation to another, the basic principle of the VMI honor system has remained constant." The system's success comes from its simplicity, distilled into 13 words, Gibson continued. From these words, the Commonwealth, the nation, and the world have benefited immeasurably. The difference between the Honor Code in its origin and what VMI has today is clear in an administrative and codified sense; yet, it remains the same in spirit. The existence of the 'honor code' as inherent to all Cadets as 'gentlemen' or the existence of a court to judge lying, cheating, and stealing to be unnecessary are interesting concepts for the modern day Cadet. Despite this stark contrast in the current administration of the Honor Court, in speaking with current members, it is clear that the sentiment and reverence surrounding the Honor Code remains. Cadet J. Addison Hagan V '24, a prosecutor on the Honor Court said: "[The Honor Code] is the foundation and the bedrock upon which everything else at this school is built. We are trusted a lot as cadets due to the honor code and following [it] is not anything exceptional. [The Honor Code] defines the base expectations for Cadets that you do not lie, cheat, or steal." This intrinsic importance of the Code to Cadets and to VMI is not lost on the newer generations as Cadet Elijah Alberti '25 noted: "[The Code] is the prevailing characteristic about everything that's taught here. It's the first thing taught here through the cadre during the Ratline and then through the Honour Court when you first meet them. Rats learn pretty early on that [the Code] is the foundation of the school and going forward everything at [VMI] is viewed through that lens." From the first day of matriculation, the Honor Code is identified as the central aspect of the Institute, often identified as 'the soul of VMI' by Cadets. Even past their tenure at VMI, the Code dictates the actions of alumni as civil servants and citizen-soldiers. For those who do not successfully subscribe to this belief in a VMI defined honor, the consequences are clear and have been from the beginning of the Institute. While the administration of drumouts may have changed over time, the enforcement of a single sanction honor code remains constant and unchallenged. Most Cadets understand the benefit this system brings to the school and the character of its Cadets as identified by Cadet Hagan: "Thankfully we have a culture that embraces [the Code] and for the few that do not, they do not get to keep that privilege of calling themselves a VMI cadet." Alongside this necessarily harsh system comes an element of fear. Fear of being dismissed through a drumout, and a sense of paranoia surrounding the Honor Code and the Honor Court. This fear is felt predominately by the Rats as they have entered into a foreign system of which they initially have little understanding. While this fear may appear concerning to those who do not wish to live under constant threat of being dismissed by an unforgiving and seemingly mysterious system, this perception soon gives way to one of reverence as identified by Cadet Alberti: "Once you have moved on from the first interaction [with the Honor Court], the initial fear felt by Rats is replaced with the reverence for the Code. Apart from meeting the Honor Court, the most important interaction is your first drumout, characterized by what I've heard called 'remorseless drums.' It's not that these are terrible people but someone we were close to, called brother, and [someone who] branched off, something to which we don't subscribe. There's a zero tolerance policy and everyone understands that this person should no longer be a part of the brotherhood." With the direct and unapologetic nature of the Honor Code comes a resulting reverence for what it means to be a Cadet and what it means to be honorable, something identified by earlier Cadets who perceived a codified system of honor to not be real honor. While debate may arise concerning 'real honor,' the respect and admiration for the Code and its integral place within VMI is undeniable. It is with this understanding and with this reverence that VMI Cadets continue to enforce and support the Honor Code. As the Class of 2024 passes the mantle of leadership to those within the Class of '25, the principles of a Cadet-led system of honor remain. Cadet Hagan reflected on his experience on the Honor Court by saying: "The Honor Code and the Honor Court are completely run by Cadets which I am very thankful for. Being a part of that system, it was very relieving to me to see that one of the fundamental systems of VMI is still Cadet-led. The Honor Code was made by Cadets because they wanted to hold themselves to a certain standard and that's still the case. One of the best examples of that is the Cadet juries. It's not the prosecutor that rolls them, at the end of the day the decision to roll them is left up to a jury of their peers." The element of Cadet participation and control in enforcing a self-prescribed standard is essential for the persistence and growth of morality within the VMI system. Cadet Alberti identified the unique role of Cadets and the universal application of the Honor Code during his time on the Honor Court as he stated: "Myself and everyone else on the Honor Court are privileged as we get another look on the Honor Code compared to other people. It's looked on as something that isn't separate from you. When you're the one educating and prosecuting, you get a different look into it [which] gives you a responsibility to maintain [the Code] and there's a bigger spotlight on you. What doesn't change is how the Code applies and how people share the Code. The Code belongs to everyone else the same way it belongs to me, everyone has the duty to uphold it in the same way." This emphasis on the role of Cadets and the importance of the Honor Code to VMI has and will remain constant throughout the history of VMI as it necessarily must. It is now with the graduation of '24's Honor Court that '25 must take on the reins. Undoubtedly, this is a responsibility of which the rising officers are aware, a responsibility and duty they will maintain as the incoming president Cadet Alberti stated: "Just like any other leadership opportunity it's an opportunity to be a servant to everyone else. Unlike Cadre, this is a leadership opportunity that applies to everyone. I want to see the Honor Court retain its strength, maintain its reputation, and still serve the benefit of the Corps." As '24 moves on, we must both wish and require strength and integrity for those at the helm of the Corps' honor system. In addition, we must do the same for the Corps as a whole lest we forget, honor is a lifestyle. The following are the rising Honor Court officers for the Class of '25's Honor Court: President: Elijah G. AlbertiVP for Investigations: Spencer D. TateVP for Education: Harrison WilliamsVP for Defense: W. Jack RobertsProsecutor: Noah J. AhrensProsecutor: Jonah M. JurackProsecutor: Anna Yemelianova