For those of you that did not attend BYU (or that one in Idaho or Hawaii), the Honor Code is a strict set of rules governing how students should dress and conduct themselves while attending BYU. It limits facial hair, hairstyles, housing, same-gender attraction, and general conduct. People complain that the Honor Code is outdated and takes away the agency from students. Agency that is most important to help individuals grow into It is very strict in writing but admittedly looser in application. Every generation of BYU students has found their own way around the Honor Code. Most teachers won't kick you out of their class if you are dressed inappropriately, you only have to shave if you are going to the testing center or need to visit student services, and you can always lie about your off campus conduct.
I never had any problems with the Honor Code except for the part about being clean shaven. I have a glorious beard.
The first time I grew a beard was right before I started school. I was recently married and had started a new job, so I thought it would be fun to try something new. I grew out my beard for a few months and I really liked it. Not because it was trendy or cool, but because I felt more comfortable with facial hair. My beard made me more confident. But in January of 2009, I shaved off my beard and started school at BYU.
My first few years, I was really against the Honor Code. I even wrote an opinion paper about the Honor Code for my English class. I would go days in between shaving, trying to grow out my stubble. I toyed with the idea of lying so that I could get a Beard Card. Every summer, I would grow out my beard (which is against the Honor Code since it is supposed to be lived at all times when you are enrolled as a student at BYU. Not just during the semesters you are taking classes).
I remember getting mad at one of the student services employees because they wouldn't help me with my financial account because I hadn't shaved that morning. (I just called in and they helped me right out).
The day that I graduated, I started growing a beard and I have had one ever since. I love my beard, but looking back, I realize that I should have given more heed to the Honor Code. Not because it is doctrine, not because it is cultural, but because I signed a contract saying that I would follow the Honor Code.
At the beginning of each school year, BYU requires students to get an ecclesiastical endorsement from their Bishop. As part of that endorsement, you sign saying that you promise to follow the Honor Code while at BYU. To me, that constitutes a legally binding contract. I have given my word that I will follow the Honor code, no matter how stupid or old fashioned I believe it to be. The content of the Honor Code does not matter, but my actions do.
There may come a time that the Honor Code will change. It may get stricter or it may loosen restrictions, but one thing remains the same: If you attend BYU, you have given your word to follow the rules as outlined in the Honor Code. Your word and your integrity should be worth more than wearing a fashionable outfit or showing off a glorious beard.
“I have been asked what I mean by “word of honor.” I will tell you. Place me behind prison walls—walls of stone ever so high, ever so thick, reaching ever so far into the ground—there is a possibility that in some way or another I might be able to escape; but stand me on the floor and draw a chalk line around me and have me give my word of honor never to cross it. Can I get out of that circle? No, never! I’d die first.” - Karl G. Maeser
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