In May, C-VILLE initiated a discussion with several community members about Johnathan Perkins, a black UVA Law student who falsely alleged mistreatment by two white UVA Police officers. After Perkins confessed the lie, a different discussion ensued: Whether Perkins’ behavior violated UVA’s Honor Code, a single-sanction measure that may result in expulsion should a student be found guilty of a violation.
While honor trials are confidential, and Perkins’ has not been confirmed, it now seems that the student did graduate this year. American Thinker turned up various social networking sites and a LinkedIn account allegedly tied to Perkins, and posted excerpts that suggest the student graduated:
"Johnathan Perkins graduated with his Juris Doctor from the University of Virginia School of Law in 2011."
If Perkins did graduate, then he either did not face an Honor Code charge, or was found not guilty during a confidential hearing conducted by fellow UVA students. UVA lists its three criteria for Honor Code violations: act, intent, and non-triviality. Perkins confessed to fabricating an incident, which could arguably cover the first two criteria.
The third clause, however, introduces a few more shades of gray. When considering non-triviality, the UVA Honor Committee asks: "Would open toleration of such an act impair the community of trust sufficiently enough to warrant permanent dismissal from the University?"
What do you think? Did Perkins’ act constitute an impairment of UVA’s "community of trust"?