GOVERNANCE
From Your Board President Since the inception of our organization in 1925, Bruno E. Jacob believed that the Honor Society must be central to our identity. However, it was not until 2007, 82 years later, that former Board member Harold Keller proposed that we build upon the foundation of our Honor Society by creating a formal honor code. Much like other honor societies, the code would establish a set of ideals to guide honorable behavior for the group, particularly for our student members. Our first Code of Honor was created and adopted that year. Fast forward to 2016 and the Coaches’ Code of Ethics, developed to provide a set of standards for our coaches. The Code of Ethics was created in conjunction with the National Federation of State High School Associations’ guidelines for coaches and advisors, along with coach-driven committee recommendations, led by Board member Jay Rye. Shortly thereafter, the original Code of Honor was reviewed and revised and has served as a guiding document for the NSDA. This walk down memory lane provides a backdrop for the latest Honor Society advancement. At the December virtual Board meeting, our new NSDA Code of Honor was approved. The 2020 edition was developed by an Honor Code Working Committee, led by Nicole Wanzer-Serrano, Director of Development and Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, then reviewed by our coaches’ caucus
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ROSTRUM | FEBRUARY/MARCH 2021
leaders for feedback, before final approval by the Board of Directors. Without a doubt, our Honor Society has been and continues to be fundamental to who we are and how we function as a membership organization. Therefore, given the inherent importance of this document and its potential to positively impact our membership, as well as the speech and debate community as a whole, it is the feature Board agenda item for today’s conversation. To take a deeper dive into this document, which can be viewed in its entirety on the opposite page, let’s examine three questions. First, why have a Code of Honor? A code provides aspirational goals to guide honorable behavior. No code can provide all the answers, but it can provide a framework of key values and recommendations that inform and positively shape decisions and actions. This is, in a sense, a social contract, designed to positively guide both personal actions and social interactions. After all, without standards, there can be no expectations. An honor code not only encourages us to do the right thing, but also to continually search for the right thing to do. Second, why this Code of Honor? This revised code is significant because it clearly aligns with our organization’s values, which guide our decisions and actions. It has also been unified into one Code of Honor for student and coach members alike. This consistent set of standards forges a partnership
among everyone to consistently uphold our values and expectations. Additionally, this Code of Honor is a precursor for a best practices document for coaches and judges. This document will offer additional guidance to pragmatically put these practices into action. This allows the code to be consistent, but also sets the stage to address more specific issues for target audiences. Third, what will make this Code of Honor successful? Without a doubt, words on a page are not enough. However, words on a page can serve as the basis for developing an honor code culture. The code can come alive by directly communicating these standards, engaging in team discussions, sharing real-life situations, and problem solving viable solutions. It can gain momentum by utilizing the code at tournaments, sharing it with your judges to create basic expectations, and inviting in guest speakers or facilitators to foster these standards and behaviors. Literally and internally, signing on to acts of character, personal accountability, and social responsibility can and will have a profound ripple effect. These are honorable life skills, for a lifetime. That’s a Code of Honor worth promoting. That’s a culture of honor worth developing! To be continued...
Pam Cady Wycoff NSDA Board President pam.wycoff@speechanddebate.org