Vote on New Honor Code Pushed Amid Controversy

The College Council has postponed the vote on the proposed updates to the Student Honor Code, per an email sent by Dean of Students Angie Tissi-Gassoway to the college community on Monday. The vote will now take place during the fall 2025 semester.

The postponed vote comes after proposed changes were met with controversy from the student body. According to Tissi-Gassoway’s email, the changes seek to condense the current honor code, which was last updated in 1984, from four pages to three paragraphs.

News about revisions to the Honor Code was first released in an earlier email from Tissi-Gassoway on April 8, inviting students to “make history” by voting on the new Honor Code, updating it for the first time in over 40 years. By shortening the Honor Code, the College Council “invites us to consider whether a more concise expression of those values might better reflect the Amherst of today and the community we continue to build together,” Tissi-Gassoway said.

Following a negative response from the student body, the College Council initially postponed the vote from April 14 to April 18 to provide students with more time to understand the changes. The council also implemented measures, such as two tabling sessions last week at Valentine Dining Hall with Association of Amherst Students representatives.

Tissi-Gassoway had also announced a town hall intended to address student questions on the updated Honor Code, but cancelled the meeting alongside the postponement of the vote. Community-wide discussions will be postponed until the fall semester as well.