Lyon students commit themselves to high standards of personal integrity through the Honor and Social Systems. These incorporate an honor pledge, a code of honorable conduct, standards of student behavior, and a series of procedures carried out by the Honor and Social Councils, which are chosen by the student body. Beginning in the 1920s, students and faculty experimented with an honor system, but this experiment was abandoned after World War II. The Lyon College Honor System was re-established in 1992, when the college community voted to adopt a new system, reaffirming the institution’s commitment to standards of honor.
The Honor System is based upon the belief that Lyon undergraduates are mature individuals, capable of acting honorably in academic matters without faculty surveillance and that they should be encouraged to take responsibility for their own conduct as individuals and as a community. By signing the Lyon College Roll of Honor, students commit themselves to the ideals embodied in the Honor System—integrity, responsibility, and a regard for others—and recognize their own responsibility to assist in maintaining an environment in which honorable conduct is expected.
The Social System was developed in 1994 as an outgrowth of the Honor System and in keeping with the philosophy that students should assume a significant role in shaping their lives at Lyon. The system establishes a code of conduct by which Lyon students agree to abide.
The Social System is maintained and administered by students through the Social Council, made up of 19 students. The Council’s responsibility is to uphold the College’s Social System and to uphold the rights of each student during investigations and hearings. The Council investigates allegations, conducts hearings when necessary, and may impose penalties up to and including expulsion. The full text of the Standards of Student Behavior is in the Student Handbook.