Table Of Content,§M£IBRIARCOLLEGE
3 2449 0510968 3 jar College
1999-2000
Student Handbook
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has earned the rose may bear it."
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.S94 Sweet Briar College
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*et Briar, Virginia 24595
1999/2000]
Sweet Briar Song
Sweet Briar, Sweet Briar, flowerfair,
The rose that on your crest you wear
Shall neverfade, but always bear
O
Thy beauty Sweet Briar!
,
Sweet Briar, Sweet Briar, thy columns white
Shine on thy hills a beacon light
Oftruth, to burn with radiance bright
O
Forever, Sweet Briar!
Sweet Briar, Sweet Briar, we sing to thee.
hAay thyfoundations ever be
Strongas thy hills, thy purity
That ofthy rose, Sweet Briar!
Class Symbols
The Class of 2000 The Class of 2002
Motto: Factum non verbum Motto: Ne obliviscamur
(Actions not words) (Lestweforget)
Colors: Purple and gold Colors: Green and black
Emblem: Swan Emblem: OakTree
The Class of 2001 The Class of 2003
Motto: Honor ante honores Motto: SpectamurAgendo
(Honor before reward) (We are proven by ouractions)
Colors: Peacock blue and green Colors: Delph blue and black
Emblem: Peacock Emblem: Lion
ThispublicationoffersgeneralinformationandincludessomeCollegepolicies.Consultthe
College catalog and/or academic rulings, which are on file in the Dean's Office and the
Library, as thefinalauthorityonallacademicpolicies. Contactthe DeanoftheCollegeor
theDeanofCo-CunicularLifeforfurtherclarificationonmaterialcontainedinthisdocument.
PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE
This 1999-2000 edition ofthe Student HandbookofSweet Briar
College will be ofmajor importance toour incomingclass forfirst year
—
students the Class of2003. But a new look at this Handbook is a good
idea forsophomores, juniors and seniors as well. It reminds all ofus of
the structures andprinciples that undergird ourpowerful community.
Ofparticular importance is the HonorCode thatgoverns the integrity
ofour intellectual andcreative work as well as ourbehavior associal
beings. Please read it carefully. At Sweet Briar, this HonorCode works.
Itworks because Sweet Briarstudents value the respect ourcode affords
each individual, and the confidence and trust itfosters in ourcommu-
nity.
The principles, codes, policies, institutions and organizations outlined in
this Handbookare almost entirely the product ofthestudents ofSweet
BriarCollege, which hashad a tradition, since the very first entering
class, ofgovernance ofstudents by students. It is you, each individual
student, who holds within yourselfthepower todevelop a networkof
friends and mentors, to live an honorable and fulfilling life, and to make
yourown experience at Sweet Briar intellectually rich and emotionally
compelling.
Welcome!
Elisabeth S. Muhlenfeld
President
SGA
Officers
AmandaAtkinson Thea Okonak
President Vice President
Leah Solivan BrieanneVogler Kim Graff
Treasurer Secretary ElectoralOfficer
DonyeleGibson ArianaWolynec- AngelaAiken
Publicity Officer Werner PublicationsChair
Inter-ClubChair
EvangelineEasterly
JudicialChair
BenedicteValentin AlisonJohnson
AcademicAffairs CEO President
Chair
Wendy Bramlett JaimeOliver
Residence LifeChair Day Student
Representative
GermaineGottsche Jessica McCloskey BeckyCefaratti
Vice President Vice President VicePresident
Class of 2000 Classof 2001 Classof 2002
Table of Contents
Sweet Briar's Mission 6
Historical Sketch 6
Section I: Student Government Association
Student Petition 8
SGA
Constitution 8
SGA By-Laws 12
1998-1999 SGA and Class Officers 17
Inter-Club Council 18
Clubs and Organizations 20
Committees 26
Publications 27
Directory of Club and Organization Officers 28
Section II: The Honor System
The Honor Principle 33
Student Self-Governance 33
The Pledge 34
Standards of Academic Conduct 34
Standards of Non-Academic Conduct 35
Sanctions 37
Students' Rights 39
The Judicial Committee 39
Judicial Process 41
Section III: College Policies
Code of Conduct 47
Alcohol Policy 47
Drug Policy 51
Smoking Policy 53
Policy on Hazing and Standards of Group Behavior 53
Sexual Harassment Policy 55
Statement of Compliance 56
Anti-Discrimination Policy 56
Involuntary Withdrawal Policy 57
Intercollegiate Athletic Physical Examination Policy 57
Confidentiality of Records 57
Academic Policies 59
Academic Honors 61
Academic Honorary Organizations 61
General Information 63
Section IV: Residence Life and Housing
Terms and Conditions of College Residency 64
Room Assignments 67
Visitation 68
Quiet Hours 68
Storage Policy 72
Health and Safety 77
Fire Safety 77
Keys 78
Section V: College Services
Office of Co-Curricular Life 82
Day/Turning Point Student Information 82
Career Services 82
Co-Curricular Programs 83
Outdoor Programs 83
Health and Counseling Services 84
Religious Life Services 86
Department of Safety 86
Food Services 92
Book Shop 94
Mail Services 95
Campus Facilities 95
Guest Housing 99
Communications 100
Transportation 101
Academic Offices 102
Library 102
Art Galleries 104
Alumnae Association 106
College Officials 107
College Calendar 108
Campus Map inside backcover
Sweet Mission
Briar's
Sweet Briar is a fouryear, independentcollege whose aim is toprepare
women to be active, responsible members ofa world community. Its
curriculum is organizedon the premise that a foundation in the liberal arts
and sciences is an essential means to this end. Studyofthe liberal arts and
sciences enhances the development ofcritical andcreative abilities,
develops the ability tosynthesize disparate information, equips the student
forgraduate and professional education, and encourages the individual to
A
continue to learn long after leavingSweet Briar. broadly based academic
program teachesher toview her experience withinwidercontexts, to
appreciate the achievementsofthe past, to understand the methodsand
major theoriesofscience, to gain an appreciation ofthe arts, and to
communicate withprecision and cogency. At Sweet Briarthisstudy takes
place within a residential environment that encouragesphysicalwell-being,
ethical awareness, sensitivity to others, responsibilityforone's actions,
personal initiative, and the assumptionofleadership.
Sweet Briarcontinues its commitment as a women'scollege in orderto
devote allofits resources to the educationofwomen in the full range ofthe
liberal arts and sciences, including thosesubjects thathave been tradition-
ally considered as male domains. The faculty teach individualson a human
scale. Insmallclasses, students receive the attention thatencouragesself-
confidence and the improvement ofskills for life and livelihood. A highly
qualified faculty, committed to undergraduate teachingofthehighest
standards, contributes to fulfilling these goals. The College continues to
seek a diverse student body which is drawnfrom a national and interna-
tionalpool ofapplicants. As an independent college, Sweet Briarpossesses
the flexibility torespond to the manychallenges that face highereducation
in a rapidly changingworld.
Historical Sketch
Sweet Briar was founded on the first yearofthiscenturyby Indiana
FletcherWilliams in memory ofheronly daughter, Daisy, whodied in 1884
at the age ofsixteen. Mrs. Williams was adaughterofElijah Fletcher, who
came to Virginia from Ludlow, Vermont, in the earlynineteenthcentury
and taughtschool in AmherstCounty. Laterhe moved toLynchburgwhere
he owned andpublished a newspaper, became a civic leader, and amassed
large holdings ofland as well as a considerable fortune.
At the time ofMrs. Williams' death in 1900, herestate consisted ofmore
than eight thousand acres ofland, includingthe Sweet Briarplantation,
and halfofone million dollars. Underthe termsofher will, theTrustees
were directed to incorporate an educational foundation in the stateof
Virginia, toestablish itasaperpetualmemorial toherdaughter, andto turn
overto itallproperty lefttothem intrust.
ItwasMrs. Williams' desire, accordingto thefollowingexcerptfromher
will, that, "Itshallbe thegeneralscope andobjectoftheschool to impart
to itsstudentssucheducation insound learning, andsuchphysical, moral,
and religious trainingasshall in thejudgmentofthe Directors bestfit them
tobeusefulmembersofsociety."
ThefirstBoardofDirectorsdetermined thattheCollegeshould be free
fromdenominationalcontrol and that itshould maintain the highest
academicstandards, unitingclassical and modern idealsofeducation.
Sweet BriarCollegeopened formally inSeptember, 1906, with fifty-one
students, includingfifteendaystudents. ItsA.B. degree, grantedfor the first
time in 1910, wassoon acceptedforgraduatework in leadinguniversities.
By 1921, Sweet Briarheld membership in the SouthernAssociationof
Collegesand SecondarySchools, theAmericanAssociationofUniversity
Women, and the AmericanCouncilonEducation, and was approvedby
theAssociationofAmericanUniversities. Sweet Briaris a memberofthe
College EntranceExamination Board, is acontributingmemberofthe
AmericanSchoolofClassical StudiesatAthens and is affiliated with the
IntercollegiateCenterforClassical Studies inRome. Sweet BriarCollege
offerscourses leadingto teachingcertification in the State ofVirginia and
29otherstatesatboththe elementaryandsecondarylevel. The music
department isapprovedby theNational AssociationofSchoolsofMusic.
ItschapterofPhi Beta Kappa is theTheta ofVirginia, authorized in 1949.
AchapterofPiGammaMu, the internationalsociety insocialsciences,
wasestablished in 1983.
The affairsoftheCollege aremanagedby a self-perpetuating Boardof
Directorsconsistingofnomore than32 memberselected annually. The
Directors include the PresidentoftheCollege, the Presidentofthe
Alumnae Association,fouralumnae nominated by the Alumnae Associa-
tion, and three alumnae fromsuccessive graduatingclasses.
SweetBriar'spresidentshave been: Dr. Mary Benedict, whoheldoffice
fromtheopening in 1906 until 1916; Dr. EmilieWatts McVea, from 1916
to 1925; Dr. MetaGlassfrom 1925 to 1946; Dr. Martha B. Lucas from 1946
to 1950; Dr. AnneGaryPannellfrom 1950 to 1971; Dr. Harold B.
Whiteman,Jr. from 1971 to 1983; Dr. NenahE. Fryfrom 1983 to 1990; Dr.
BarbaraA. Hillfrom 1990to 1996; and Dr. Elisabeth Muhlenfeld, who
beganheradministrationasninthpresidentoftheCollege in 1996.
Section
I
Student Government
Association
The Student Petition (October 17, 1906)
OnOctober 17, 1906, the studentsofSweet BriarCollege, believing in the
dignity and honor in studentgovernment, desired individual and commu-
nity responsibilityfor the conductofstudents in mattersnot strictly
academic. The students petitioned before the President and the Facultyfor
legislative and executive control in non-academic matters.
The faculty, on October 20, 1906, endorsed the requestsofthestudent
bodyconcerning matters ofcontrol in non-academicsituations. This
endorsement was madewith the understandingthat the facultywould
approve anyconstitutional changes. While the college grants these
privileges to the StudentGovernment Association, thecollege reserves its
right to bringdisciplinary action in anycircumstance where a studentor
group ofstudents have violatedcollegepolicies orregulations.
The Student Government Association, on March 29, 1985, proposed that
faculty approval ofthe StudentGovernment Association's constitutional
changes be eliminated. On March 29, 1985, the facultyvoted in favorof
the StudentGovernment Association's motion (see Section VI, B for
approval process).
Constitution of the Student Government Association
Introduction
The charterofSweet BriarCollege grants to the BoardofDirectors "full
and complete management andcontrol" ofthe College and its affairs.
Subject todelegation ofthis authority by the Board, responsibilityfor the
governance ofthe College isshared by the Administration, the Faculty,
and the students.
1. The Administration has theprimaryresponsibilityfor the physical
security, healthand welfareofthe College; forthe maintenance,
improvement and preservationofall facilities; for the financial
