Alumni Congressmen Discuss the Honor System
Alumni Congressmen Discuss the Honor System
How the Honor System has shaped two alumni in the halls of Congress
(Representative Neal Dunn, ‘75 (R-FL), talks with Kamron Spivey, ‘24. | SOURCE: Alex Kagan)
Even in the halls of Congress, the values inculcated by Washington and Lee’s Honor System are not forgotten by those members who lived under it for three or four years.
On October 30, W&L College Republicans hosted a first-of-its-kind event: all three W&L alumni serving in Congress speaking on campus. Over 100 students, faculty and community members poured into Stackhouse Theater to listen to Joe Wilson, ‘69, from South Carolina’s 2nd Congressional District, Neal Dunn, ‘75, representing Florida’s 2nd District, and Morgan Griffith ‘83L from Virginia’s 9th District.
After discussions of foreign policy, President Trump and more, all moderated by W&L College Republicans President Stepan Onyshchuk, The Spectator interviewed Congressmen Wilson and Dunn about their experiences with the Honor System during their undergraduate years.
Congressman Wilson used a powerful anecdote to explain the significant impact the Honor System has had on his approach to politics.
On September 9, 2009, then-President Obama convened a joint session of Congress to discuss his proposed reforms to America’s health care system. Congressman Wilson recalled sitting in that joint session and being incensed about the comments the President made regarding illegal aliens.
“He said that illegal aliens were not going to be covered by Obamacare,” Wilson said, adding that earlier “that day I’d been briefed by staff that there’d been two different committees that had met … and Democrats voted to provide health care coverage to illegal aliens.” Infuriated at this apparent lie, Wilson interrupted Obama’s speech, exclaiming, “You lie!”
He later pondered why he had such an immediate and hostile reaction to the President’s comments. He cited the Honor System’s principles: “I will not lie, I will not cheat, I will not steal and I will not tolerate those who do.”
While the White Book has been stripped of references to lying, cheating and stealing, first by removing them as core, prescribed Honor Violations (HVs), and then removing them as even the “historical standard” of HVs, the violations still carried weight in Congressman Wilson’s conception of the Honor System.
He went on to explain that the Honor System has cultivated a profoundly negative and dishonorable view of lying such that President Obama’s statements evoked this instilled belief, triggering a visceral reaction. “When he began his speech, to me, very arrogantly … saying that there’s people here not telling the truth about the bill, I felt provoked.”
Wilson said that he “would’ve never done it on purpose.” He said, “I’m not blaming the W&L Honor Code, but I know that’s where I was coming from.”
After being informed that the White Book no longer contains a direct reference to lying, cheating or stealing, Wilson reacted very negatively, stating, “That’s very disappointing.
The Honor System, as it was implemented when he was a student, holds a special place in Wilson’s heart. “It meant a lot to me,” he insisted. He emphasized the importance of a community where one can leave their possessions without worrying about theft.
Representative Neal Dunn also held a distinct fondness for the Honor System.
When asked what he thought about the impact of the Honor System, Dunn said, “I think it benefited all of us. We had an articulated system of honor and honesty, and fair dealing. And, you know, just being fair to the people around you and not cheating.”
Dunn explained that it was always helpful to students who were just figuring out how to interact in the real world to see high moral standards lived out. “It’s a very good influence on young people to articulate those values and see them being articulated and enforced,” he argued.
Dunn disagreed with the common assertion among some segments of the student body that the accused are treated unfairly or that the Executive Committee (EC) prosecutes without discretion. “I don’t remember any situation ever, in four years, … where somebody was railroaded [or] that they were treated unfairly by the Honor System.”
He asserted that the EC “bent over backwards to make sure that every student had fair due process, because it was a serious offense.” He said, “I don’t think we ever over-prosecuted anybody.”
Overall, the congressmen had high praise for the Honor System and its effects on their characters, even as they continue to help run the government and the country.