PROVO, Utah — Brigham Young University has notified students about three major changes to its Honor Code office, which enforces the standards regarding chastity, abstinence, drugs and alcohol, dress and grooming and other standards students are required to adhere to in order to remain in good standing with the school.
A message to students from Honor Code Office director Kevin Utt summed up the changes:
- You will know at the start of our first meeting why we have asked you to come to the Honor Code Office and the nature of the reported violation. If you are self-reporting, we want you to have a clear understanding of what we need to know to help you remain in, or return to, good standing within the university. I want to reiterate that you will NOT be presumed in violation of an Honor Code policy unless you either accept responsibility or the investigation process makes such a determination.
- As part of our process, you will be told the name of the person who has reported the violation, except in situations where it is a matter of safety to a member of our campus community.
- From the first meeting with us, you will be given an explanation regarding what the investigation process entails and support resources that are available to you as you participate in the process. This includes an explanation of the steps we will take to find information that corroborates or disputes the original report; the preponderance of evidence standard that universities use; and the possible outcomes if found responsible for the policy violation.
Earlier this year, an Instagram account dedicated to sharing BYU students' negative experiences with the Honor Code office began to gain thousands of followers.
Last month, some BYU students organized a sit-in at the Honor Code office to call for changes in the office.
This is a developing story. Watch FOX 13 for updates.
