The Call to Honor ceremony, part of New Student Orientation, is an opportunity for new students to commit to Elon's four core values.
Elon University’s Class of 2029 committed to the university Honor Code during the Call to Honor ceremony in Alumni Gym on Aug. 25, 2025, pledging to uphold the four core values of honesty, integrity, responsibility and respect.
Student Government Association President Anya Bratić ’26 led the ceremony, which included representatives from each class signing the Honor Code book. Each class represents a different pillar of the Honor Code.
“We are honor-bound by Elon’s four core values, honesty, integrity, responsibility, and respect,” said Bratić. “These are more than just words. They are a guiding star for every decision we make throughout life.”
Andrew Moffa, assistant director of the Kernodle Center for Civic Life, spoke to the class and addressed each pillar of the code: honesty, integrity, responsibility and respect.
- Honesty: “Taking shortcuts in your life, academic or not, will only be a disservice to you later on,” said Moffa. “There will be times, due to all the extracurricular activities, a lack of sleep, the work piling up, when you will be faced with the choice. You may have the opportunity to make things easier for yourself in that moment by being dishonest with yourself, peers, staff, or faculty. I stand here today to encourage you to please make the difficult choice to always be honest.”
- Integrity: “Succeeding in college is a team effort,” Moffa said. “You will need to rely on others and and others will have to rely on you. Take this responsibility seriously and always step up to do your part.”
- Responsibility: “You are going to make mistakes. It is not about avoiding any and all mistakes. We are human and none of us are perfect (…) It is about responding to these moments by taking accountability and responsibility for our actions,” said Moffa. “Accept the consequences and vow to do better. And when the path towards doing better gets difficult, remember that you do not have to do it alone.”
- Respect: “Embrace the ways in which you are so similar, and most importantly, embrace the ways in which you are different,” Moffa said. “This is what respect means to me.”
Ashanti Horton ’26, a psychology major and member of the Honor Board spoke to students about how the Honor Code doesn’t just include respect for others, but also respect for themselves.
“We always hear ‘treat others how you want to be treated,’ but what if we flipped? What is we treat ourselves the way we so freely treat others,” said Horton. “We you begin this new chapter, yes, respect others. Listen, honor differences, uplift each other, but don’t forget that you are so worth respecting too. Treat yourself like someone who matters because you do.”
President Book then led the new students in reciting the Call to Honor:
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 relationships with others.
- We commit ourselves to show integrity, being trustworthy, fair and ethical.
- We commit ourselves to responsibility, being accountable for our action 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
Following the ceremony, students exited to Young Commons where they each signed posters inscribed with the Honor Code and received a coin with the word “Honor” engraved on it.
“I think it’s important to respect each other as students,” said Liza Hampson ’29. “It all our first time here, so why not be respectful and kind to each other and have integrity.”
