What is Going on With Darden and Honor?

UVA’s Reddit page is buzzing with discussions about the Spring Honor Committee update and a rising wave of cheating incidents—especially at the Darden School of Business. UVA students are asking a question that The Jefferson Council has been researching for quite some time: “Anyone Know What is Going On with Darden and Honor?” This comes as no surprise to us. At our annual meeting in April, TJC President Joel Gardner shared what he had heard from a current UVA student:

"Cheating is so bad at Darden that they launched an investigation—but they uncovered so much misconduct, they were afraid to release the findings. They thought it would cause a scandal."

The Jefferson Council believes the Honor Code is not just a policy—it’s a pillar of UVA’s identity. Rooted in student self-governance, it reflects a deep tradition of integrity and mutual trust. Diluting the system with soft alternatives like “reflection letters” risks eroding academic standards and the character of the University itself.

When we first caught wind of the growing cheating scandal, several TJC researchers filed FOIA requests for the internal report. We were told, “the University has no records responsive to your request.” Lacking the specific name of the alleged report, we didn't have enough detail to pursue it further ourselves. However, the semester’s cumulative honor violations, largely from Darden, have provided more than enough for the UVA community to start piecing the puzzle together.

Now that the truth is out, the question remains: What will UVA do about it? Will this become yet another scandal that the University brushes aside, jeopardizing Darden’s reputation in the process? Perhaps the best course of action would be for the Board of Visitors to convene an emergency meeting and, in the spirit of UVA’s community of trust, hold it in open session. This would allow the public to see the extent of the issue and contribute to finding a solution.