Christopher Benos ’22
Guest Writer
When institutions fail, citizens must act. University of Virginia students answered a call to action by voting – for the first time ever – to reform the Single Sanction of expulsion. This year’s election required us all to work together. This reform is a victory for students, for restorative justice, and for democracy everywhere.
For nearly 180 years, University of Virginia students found guilty of an Honor offense were expelled. Never again. Students made their voices heard, overwhelmingly voting to reduce the Single Sanction from expulsion to a two-semester leave of absence. This vote is historic for so many reasons. Most obviously, this vote ushers in the first change to the Single Sanction in University history. It confirms that institutions can change for the better to address concerns about bias, racism, unaccountability, and inequity. It confirms that every person is worthy of redemption and a second chance. And it confirms that further change is possible if we all work together towards common goals.
The referendum campaign itself was also historic. It brought together, for the first time, a near supermajority of an Honor Committee with a diverse coalition of student leaders, a unified Student Council, and countless community members. It overcame significant obstacles. And it required utilizing every democratic tool available, from a grassroots signature campaign to a specialized working group, to achieve success.
Above all, this reform proves that stories matter. Expulsion inflicts suffering on students and families. It isolates. It ruins financial stability. It reduces students to statistics. And it strips students of their dignity, stigmatizing accused and guilty students as people without the potential to contribute to the University or to civic life. Institutions must acknowledge and address the very real, very human costs of the policies they defend. When those costs are too great, those institutions must change.
This campaign teaches us important lessons. First, change is a collective enterprise. Only together, by leveraging diverse perspectives, compromising on policy decisions, organizing, and voting can real change ever succeed. Second, reform requires action. Doing nothing is a privilege of those with means, power and status. Third, democracy should not be taken for granted. Standing up for meaningful change is essential to preserving the health of our institutions — and by extension, our republic.
Change also carries responsibility – our work does not end here. To all students: demand the best from your elected leaders, on and beyond Grounds. You deserve representatives who listen, who build consensus, who uplift, and who lead with dignity.
Democracy is in danger, both at home and abroad. This campaign is proof that the future – in our hands – is bright. Democracy takes work, but it can – and must – survive. We all are stewards of the future before us. We must listen to and lift up others. We must respect a diversity of ideas, backgrounds, and viewpoints. We must fight for the causes and communities we care about. The fights ahead of us require that we all work together. Only then can we achieve a fairer, more equitable, more peaceful world.
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Christopher Benos is a third-year law student. He authored the 2022 Honor Sanctioning Referendum and led the campaign which secured its historic ratification.
christopherbenos@virginia.edu