Has Honor Endured at Washington and Lee

23 May 2025

Hello Fellow Washington and Lee Alumni,

I hope you and yours are well. I also hope you can soon visit our campus, which is even more beautiful at this time of year.

I am fortunate to be on campus fifteen times each school year, giving me the opportunity to speak with many students.

Perhaps, you would agree that one cannot separate Washington and Lee University from our Honor System. And this school year, I have talked about this invaluable tradition with more than 70 students representing a cross section of the student body.

The universal response is that regarding tests and exams, the Honor System is as strong as we knew it to be. Tests are still unproctored, and students usually get to take exams in the setting and time block of their choosing.

Papers and projects are a little more of a gray area. Individual professors have different parameters on collaboration with other students. A student replied, “The Honor System is strong enough that we can handle the different parameters.” On a similar note, AI is a matter I am confident can be handled by those on campus.

I am grateful and confident that the Honor System that influenced us will be equally valuable to current and future students.

While the Honor System holds strong, it has not been entirely free of pushback and criticism in recent years. To hear more on the subject, I encourage you to listen to The Redoubt’s new podcast series, General Lee Speaking. In their latest episode, TGR Fellow Kamron Spivey speaks with Drew Thompson, a senior from Richmond, about the Honor System and its historic importance at Washington and Lee.

You can listen to the podcast HERE.

Look forward to seeing you in Lexington!

Sincerely,

Jay Dorman
‘70, Sigma Nu
 The Generals Redoubt