Context: I'm an undergraduate student studying at BYU.
This article puts a nasty and unfair spin on the whole situation. While I do accept that there are probably some things that could be changed with the way the HCO handles cases, this article is reporting false or misleading information.
For starters, the bit about "mandatory religious worship" as punishment is nonsense. I don't know where they got that. Probably a misunderstanding of how the HC Office encourages students to attend their worship services---whatever their religion might be. Secondly, "stories of being suspended or expelled for violations such as kissing a date good night," etc. is ludicrous. BYU hasn't expelled anyone in 2019---and only two people in the current academic year. Those were for crimes: Title IX violations and the like. If they expelled people for all the things mentioned in the article, (and on Instagram) BYU would have a much higher expulsion rate.
Many of the stories on the mentioned Instagram page are pure fabrication. Many more are highly embellished. After talking with some people involved with the protest, I went and talked to the HCO myself with some hard questions: the Honor Code Office is not there to expel or punish students---they're there primarily to help students develop character and morally-upright lives. (This being one of the aims of BYU's education.)
Granted, I would like to see some sort of student component in the HCO. I think that's a good idea. There are unfortunately a lot of people who are just angry at an institution trying to do good.
If you're curious, I recommend reading the source instead of trusting the NYT: https://honorcode.byu.edu
This article puts a nasty and unfair spin on the whole situation. While I do accept that there are probably some things that could be changed with the way the HCO handles cases, this article is reporting false or misleading information.
For starters, the bit about "mandatory religious worship" as punishment is nonsense. I don't know where they got that. Probably a misunderstanding of how the HC Office encourages students to attend their worship services---whatever their religion might be. Secondly, "stories of being suspended or expelled for violations such as kissing a date good night," etc. is ludicrous. BYU hasn't expelled anyone in 2019---and only two people in the current academic year. Those were for crimes: Title IX violations and the like. If they expelled people for all the things mentioned in the article, (and on Instagram) BYU would have a much higher expulsion rate.
Many of the stories on the mentioned Instagram page are pure fabrication. Many more are highly embellished. After talking with some people involved with the protest, I went and talked to the HCO myself with some hard questions: the Honor Code Office is not there to expel or punish students---they're there primarily to help students develop character and morally-upright lives. (This being one of the aims of BYU's education.)
Granted, I would like to see some sort of student component in the HCO. I think that's a good idea. There are unfortunately a lot of people who are just angry at an institution trying to do good.
If you're curious, I recommend reading the source instead of trusting the NYT: https://honorcode.byu.edu