Vowing to uphold their alma mater’s deepest values, freshmen gathered in Alumni Gym on Thursday morning to pledge their commitment to honesty, integrity, responsibility and respect — the foundation of Elon University’s honor code — at the fourth annual Call to Honor ceremony.
Student leaders representing all four classes shared with freshmen their reflections on what each quality represents. The Sept. 10 ceremony also featured remarks from SGA President Justin Peterson and Chase Rumley ’09, Peterson’s predecessor and a current youth trustee on the university board of trustees.
“I trust you will show that the character of an Elon student is above reproach both on and off campus, in academic and in social settings,” Rumley said.
The Call to Honor book signed by class officers includes signatures from alumni dating to 1936. Three of the class presidents, and acting president Michael Nowak for the Class of 2011, had signed their names prior to the ceremony. Other officers from the various classes signed the book during the program.
Honesty: “Honesty means keeping your word to others and upholding obligations,” said Taylor Martin, sophomore class president.
Integrity: “Integrity means being guided by our internal core commitments,” said Andrew Palmieri, freshman class president.
Responsibility: “Every action we take … creates a ripple and extends further than we think,” said Jay Reno, senior class president. “Your future will be the culmination of your actions.”
Respect: “Always take a minute or two to appreciate all this campus has to offer,” Nowak said. “But it’s most important that we respect ourselves. We cannot contribute to our society if we don’t have respect for ourselves.”
Led by Provost Steven House, the freshmen class recited the Call to Honor in the final moments of the program:
“Today we are entrusted with the honorable legacy of Elon University, dedicated to the intellectual, personal and spiritual growth of all its members, to the advancement of knowledge for the good of all, and to the service of local, national and global communities. To that end, we affirm our commitment to the core values of our university:
“We commit ourselves to honesty, being truthful in our academic work and in our relationship with others.
“We commit ourselves to show integrity, being trustworthy, fair and ethical.
“We commit ourselves to responsibility, being accountable for our actions and for our learning.
“We commit ourselves to respect, being civil, valuing the dignity of each person, and respecting the physical and intellectual property of others.
“With these commitments we join generations of Elon students as bearers of its honor.”