The ceremony, part of New Student Orientation, formally introduces new students to Elon’s Honor Code and calls on them to consider how those values will guide their decisions in the classroom, across campus and beyond the university.
Elon University’s Class of 2030 committed to uphold the university’s core values of honesty, integrity, responsibility and respect during the annual Call to Honor ceremony Monday, Aug. 24, in Alumni Gym.
Student Government Association President Michael Swartz ’27 opened the ceremony by reminding students that the Honor Code extends to all aspects of life at Elon.
“These are more than just four words; they are a guiding star for every decision we make throughout life,” Swartz said.
As part of the ceremony, student leaders representing each class signed the Honor Code book, symbolizing their commitment to the four values.
Swartz encouraged students to view honesty as more than avoiding academic misconduct, noting that the relationships students build with peers, faculty and staff depend on fulfilling commitments and remaining true to their word.
‘Honor matters’
Emily Elrod, assistant teaching professor of mathematics and statistics, reflected on how honor has shaped her 20-year career in education, from public K-12 schools and community colleges to public and private universities.
“Honor matters,” Elrod told students. “To me, honor is reflected through honesty, integrity, responsibility, and respect. It matters in the classroom, in our professional relationships, and in the trust that others place in us as individuals and leaders.”
Elrod, who is beginning her fifth year at Elon, said the opportunities she has received throughout her career have been rooted in relationships built on trust. She encouraged students to think about academic honor not simply as a set of rules designed to prevent misconduct, but as an important part of the learning process and developing character.
Elrod said students can sometimes feel pressure to immediately have the correct answer or succeed from the beginning. Instead, she encouraged them to embrace mistakes, reflection and improvement as essential parts of learning.
“My hope is that students leave the classroom not only with stronger content knowledge, but also with a deeper understanding that honor is not simply about following rules, it is about becoming the kind of person others can trust, respect, and rely on throughout a lifetime,” Elrod said.
Building a strong foundation
Kenzi Maness ’27, a history and political science double major and president of Elon’s First Generation Society and Phi Alpha Delta, spoke directly to the Class of 2030 about respect, the Honor Code value their class will represent throughout their time at Elon.
Maness shared how the four values have shaped her own Elon experience as she prepares to graduate a year earlier than originally expected. Doing so, she said, required honest conversations with professors, organization, self-reflection and an understanding of how much she could reasonably take on.
“If you are not honest with yourself, then you cannot be honest with others,” Maness said.
She compared the four Honor Code values to blocks forming a tower: Removing one can weaken the others and eventually destabilize the entire structure.
“This is a new chapter so build your tower strong and lean on the amazing resources Elon has to offer when you need to,” Maness said. “The Honor Code sets a standard we are all expected to meet, a standard that strives to make us all better citizens, students, family members, and friends.”
Joining generations of Elon students
President Connie Ledoux Book then led 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.
Book signed the Honor Code book and offered the university’s commitment in return.
“We have pledged our commitment to live these Elon values,” Book said. “On behalf of the university, I pledge to you that Elon will do its part to challenge you to grow intellectually, socially and spiritually.”
The ceremony concluded with the singing of Elon’s alma mater and a final charge from Swartz to remain committed to honesty, integrity, responsibility and respect throughout their years at Elon.
As they departed Alumni Gym, students received commemorative coins inscribed with the word “Honor” and were invited to sign boards displaying the Honor Pledge on Young Commons, making a public commitment to the values they had pledged to uphold.
“We hope that this coin will help you recall this Honor Code ceremony and your commitment,” Swartz said. “It is what makes a community out of individuals and binds us together as Elon.”