What BYU leaders, coaches, athletic directors have said about the university’s honor code

The concept of honor runs deep into the roots of Brigham Young University, an academy-turned-university whose foundation was shaped by its first principal, Karl G.

Maeser .

Known for his high moral expectations and deep love for his students, Maeser believed that cultivating a character of honor and self-discipline was inseparable from education.

Let the principle of honor be cultivated in every school and at every fireside, by example as well as by precept, Maeser wrote in a book he published in 1898 .

Let that divine plant of the heart be nursed by love and confidence, parents and teachers becoming living object-lessons in this regard.

According to A.

LeGrand Richards , a former religion professor at BYU and author of Maesers biography, Called to Teach, Maesers early philosophies seeded the culture of honor and becoming the university still holds today.

Many institutions of higher education act as if moral character is irrelevant to learning, but BYU has believed differently, Richards told the Deseret News.

Yet recent discussions surrounding former BYU quarterback Jake Retzlaff and his decision to withdraw from the university, after facing a seven-game suspension for violating the schools honor code, have reignited questions about the code and how it functions today.

In this context, its worth exploring what university leaders, coaches and athletic directors have said publicly about the code, its significance and its intended benefits for the BYU community and beyond.

BYUs honor code: What is it and why? At its core, BYUs honor code represents an university-wide commitment that all students, faculty and staff make to excellence and to abide by specific standards aligned with the teachings of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the universitys founding and sponsoring institution.

For students, this commitment is made upon enrollment and renewed annually through a brief review module, wherein they and all other campus community members agree to: Maintain an ecclesiastical endorsement Be honest, including by following the universitys academic honesty policy , which prohibits plagiarism, fabrication/falsification, cheating and any other academic misconduct Live a chaste and virtuous life, including by abstaining from premarital sex and same-sex romantic behavior Abstain from alcoholic beverages, tobacco, tea, coffee, vaping, marijuana and other substance abuse Participate regularly in church services Respect others, including by avoiding profane and vulgar language Obey the law and campus policies, including by following the universitys dress and grooming principles and expectations and its student housing policy Encourage others to comply with the honor code and other related policies This same set of standards governs all institutions within the Church Educational System and applies to every person regardless of religious affiliation.

But why? BYU President C.

Shane Reese offered some insight as he addressed the campus community during his first devotional message as university president.

BYU is a university with a mission, he said.

And, like the churchs full-time missionaries, we at BYU have chosen to be distinct from the world.

President Reeses remarks echoed those of President Jeffrey R.

Holland of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, which he delivered decades earlier when he, too, gave his first devotional message as BYU president.

BYU is, by definition, a school of extraordinary expectation, President Holland said in 1980 .

It is a school with a mission, a mission it has been called to by prophets, and we want the medium, which is you and me and everyone here, to be representative of the message.

That is the agreement we made in coming here.

According to the honor codes website, the mission that BYU and all other institutions within the Church Educational System seek to accomplish is to develop disciples of Jesus Christ who are leaders in their homes, the Church and their communities.

President Reese explained that the honor code helps in this regard, by engendering an atmosphere conducive to that mission, an atmosphere marked by honor, integrity, morality and consideration of others.

The universitys Honor Code Office handles each reported violation individually, employing a primarily educational approach focused on helping students understand, reflect upon and recommit to university standards.

Our goal is to help students come back into good standing as quickly as possible, the offices website states .

We want students to succeed.

This approach is reflected in the statistics which show that more than 95% of honor code cases are resolved with students remaining fully enrolled at BYU and that only about five students are expelled each year from a population of 35,000 students, according to the BYU Honor Code Office.

How BYUs honor code fits into sports Like all other areas of the university, BYU sports teams are committed to upholding the universitys religious mission and, with it, the honor code that helps to accomplish it.

If it ever came down to the only way to stay in this is to walk away from our values, that would be the end of athletics, said Elder Clark G.

Gilbert , the church commissioner of education and a General Authority Seventy.

Speaking with podcast hosts Dave McCann and Blaine Fowler on an episode of the Deseret News Ys Guys Podcast , Elder Gilbert explained that the schools religious mission and values give the universitys sports teams purpose.

Thats why we do this, he said.

We have to do that, or else this investment is hard to justify.

With this purpose, he noted, BYU sports teams carry the responsibility to operate differently than teams at other schools do a challenge amid the changing landscape of college athletics.

Yet, even with challenges such as rising costs and issues related to NIL payments to players, Elder Gilbert said the church and universitys leadership retain the courage to be different.

Why do we have confidence that we can continue to thrive in this environment?, wrote Advancement Vice President Keith Vorkink and former athletic director Tom Holmoe in a Deseret News opinion piece published November 2024.

Because we are built differently.

Holmoe and Vorkink explained that the goals BYU sports teams have to be competitively excellent and live the gospel of Jesus Christ are mutually reinforcing, not mutually exclusive.

We believe that sustained success of our athletic programs will only occur as our athletic department stays true to our gospel-founded principles, they said, and the degree to which we succeed will largely be determined by the strength of our commitment to that distinctive mission.

Expressing a similar commitment during Big 12s media days this summer, BYUs recently named athletic director Brian Santiago told KSL Sports that the universitys sports teams view their distinctive mission as a strength.

Its something that well never shy away from, he said.

And I think our competitive advantage into the future in college athletics is who we represent, the honor code (and) the way that we are unashamed about what it is.

So, how do they do it? How do BYU sports teams unashamedly sustain the universitys mission, values and honor code in practice? Elder Gilbert explained it all begins with the people: hiring and recruiting people who both understand and embrace the universitys mission, culture and standards.

Referring to BYU coaches such as footballs Kalani Sitake and basketballs Kevin Young, Elder Gilbert said: These people get what it means to be at BYU.

They do not see it as a constraint.

They see it as our competitive advantage.

If we end up hiring coaches who want to go a different direction, it will be a double whammy.

It will hurt who we are, and they wont be successful.

One of the ways BYU coaches have demonstrated they understand what it means to be at BYU is that they lead their recruiting pitches with the universitys mission and standards.

Its not like, Well, someone tell them about the honor code at the last minute, Elder Gilbert said.

BYU coaches work to ensure their athletes both understand and desire to align with the schools values.

Does this approach pose a challenge? Sometimes.

The honor code is so different.

Its so unique, Holmoe said in an episode of the Church News podcast published in 2022.

And as with Retzlaffs case, prioritizing the schools mission and standards means holding student-athletes accountable, even when doing so might make for some tough calls.

There is a level of expectation and a standard that we ask of our student-athletes and our students altogether to live by, Sitake said in reply to a question he received about the schools honor code during the Big 12s media days this summer.

Yet, several of BYUs coaches have noted that leading with and sustaining the universitys mission and standards actually helps them filter through prospects to find the talent and commitment theyre looking for.

It also helps them offer their athletes a focused environment where they can grow.

In a Runners World article published May 2022, BYUs track coach Diljeet Taylor pointed to runner Jenna Hutchins as an example.

Hutchins, like Taylor, is not a member of the Church of Jesus Christ, but she committed to BYU in November 2021 because she was drawn to the universitys values and the atmosphere that living them would create.

She liked the idea of the culture, the no drinking, Taylor said.

The honor code was not a deterrent.

Hutchins commitment to BYU was especially significant knowing that, as the first high school girl in the U.S.

to run a 5K under 16 minutes , she could have signed with any Division I program.

Thus, even when the universitys honor code may drive many student-athletes to opt for other college sports programs, saying Hey, its not for me, Santiago told KSL Sports many are choosing BYU precisely for what it stands for.

He said, Some of the best in the country are going, Its exactly what were looking for.

We want this structure, we want the discipline, we want leadership.

Santiago added this includes student-athletes both in and outside the Church of Jesus Christ.

He said both are choosing BYU and standing with confidence and going on the offensive about why they feel so passionate about BYU and what it stands for.

...

They know exactly what theyre signing up for.

And they see the benefits.

Liz Darger the schools senior associate athletic director and senior woman administrator told the Church News that with all of lifes demands, student-athletes dont have time for distractions.

Yet, she explained, the honor code helps limit those distractions, enabling student-athletes to focus on getting an excellent education, being the best they can be at their sport and building healthy relationships.

And so, certainly, there can be challenges with (the honor code) because it is so unique, she said, but student-athletes see it as something that will help them in their progression.

Changes and challenges As with sports, BYUs honor code on a broader scale has faced its challenges.

In 2016, the schools honor code received backlash, seeing as surfacing reports claimed that fear of expulsion for honor code violations such as entering a bedroom occupied by the opposite sex, drinking or using drugs had kept some victims of sexual assault from going to the police.

BYU took these reports seriously, taking intentional steps to address the publics concern .

What resulted was the establishment of the honor codes amnesty clause in 2017.

This clause grants victims or witnesses of sexual assault immunity from receiving disciplinary action for violating the honor code at or near the time of the assault.

Likewise, the schools administration has consistently sought to review and adapt the honor code and its disciplinary processes, oftentimes prompted by student input.

For example, when a student rally protested issues with BYUs Honor Code Office and its enforcement practices in April 2019, the schools administration underwent yet another examination of the codes enforcement policies, making changes intended to reduce misunderstanding and anxiety regarding its procedures, as well as increase transparency.

These changes in policy included presuming students are not in violation of the code unless they accept responsibility or the offices investigation makes such a determination, allowing students the option to have a support person accompany them in meetings with the Honor Code Office, providing a more detailed appeals process and removing the term counselors for Honor Code Office employees.

Having taken over as director of BYUs Honor Code Office in January 2019, Kevin Utt responded to the rally and other student feedback hed received, saying: I have taken seriously the charge to review each facet of the honor code process.

The feedback from the students has been an essential component to this process, as it has provided a comprehensive perspective on the realities and perceptions of the honor code and the honor code office.

Most recently, the schools administration changed the honor codes dress and grooming standards to principles and expectations, following the churchs broader efforts to focus on doctrinal standards rather than arbitrary rules.

The honor codes updated dress and grooming principles and expectations are grounded in core principles, President Reese told students in 2023 .

These core principles include striving to represent Christ, the church and the university; seeking to preserve an inspiring environment free of distractions; and promoting modesty and cleanliness in dress and grooming.

It is clear to me that the changes to the dress and grooming principles on this campus represent an elevated approach, not a reduced standard, President Reese continued.

Still, he acknowledged that in order for this principle-based approach to work, the campus community would need to be open to conversations about said principles.

This will require effort from each of us, he said.

We will need to speak with civility and listen with soft hearts.

I invite everyone on this campus employees and students alike to be part of those conversations and to make adjustments as needed..

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