MADE of HONOR

BY ALEXANDRA EVANS

Before a young man officially joins the Hampden-Sydney brotherhood, he must pledge to “not lie, cheat, or steal, nor tolerate those who do.” He makes this oath alongside his classmates at Honor Convocation, a cherished ceremony that occurs during orientation week—in fact, on the new students’ very first night on campus. Dean of Students Richard Pantele ’13 says that signing the Honor Code pledge is “one of the most moving moments in the entire HampdenSydney student experience.”

The Honor Code is woven into the very fabric of HampdenSydney and ties together generations of men who have passed through the College gates. As Student Court Chairman Ian Novak ’23 said in his speech at this year’s Honor Convocation: “The College aims to transform you into good men and good citizens, and [Honor Convocation] is the first step in this transformation.” And everyone knows that Hampden-Sydney takes the mission of forming “good men and good citizens” very seriously.

Dean Pantele points out that while every student signs the same Honor Code, the ways in which they live out the values espoused in the code are unique to each young man. “The Honor Code is both a catalyst and a grounding point for every student’s time at Hampden-Sydney,” he says. “During those four years, it’s up to each student to use those ground rules to develop his own sense of what being a HampdenSydney man means.”

“But even more than guiding him through his college experience,” Pantele continues, “it starts him thinking about how he wants to live out the rest of his life and what values are important to him in life, not just in college.”

In keeping with the spirit of a student-run justice system, Honor Convocation is a student-led affair. After brief remarks from the president of the College and the passing of the gavel from the dean of the faculty to the Student Court chairman— symbolically transferring the power to mediate honor and integrity issues among the student body to the students themselves—faculty and staff members clear the stage, and only students remain, there to impress upon the newest among them that the Honor Code is also a pledge to be their brothers’ keepers.

Following the ceremony, the assemblage makes its way to the Bell Tower, and every new student rings the bell signifying his entrance into the community by agreeing to the standards set forth in the Honor Code. But as John Pittman ’20 reminded students in his 2019 Honor Convocation speech, “…it is not with the stroke of a pen and the shake of a hand that you become a Hampden-Sydney man. Rather, it’s a process.” Passing under the Bell Tower inscription that reads “Enter as youth,” the process of becoming a Hampden-Sydney man begins.

The men may change from year to year, but as the bells ring out across campus, the legacy of Hampden-Sydney and the honor shared between her sons reverberates through the ages.