That's Against the Honor Code

That's against the Honor Code!

Once upon a time, I worked for the Student Honor Association (SHA) on BYU campus. My job was the best on campus, pretty sure. We were to educate people about the Honor Code and encourage people to live by these standards. I learned so many awesome skills, and I got paid to do things like design thank you cards on Adobe Illustrator, sing in a choir, and hand out free hot dogs. ;) My favorite thing was at the beginning of fall, summer, and winter semesters, we did a show for New Student Orientation (NSO). The show is called Tradition of Honor. It originally consisted of a number of campy skits illustrating various principles of the Honor Code, and a couple of movies as well. I helped write one of the skits, "Stick to the Honor Code," a play off of High School Musical's "Stick to the Status Quo." (Is anybody surprised I'd come up with that?)

Stick to the Honor Code!

The show got revamped in the last year or so of my employment, dropping most of the skits in exchange for more professional dance and music performances and dialogue to teach the principles. Even the videos got redone and were way more awesome and professional. We had Jericho Road come a sing, Max Hall came a spoke, we learned a Young Ambassador dance, etc. It was pretty cool. Both versions of the show were fun for me. I was really involved in putting them together.

The one skit that remained in the newer version is the well-known "That's Against the Honor Code" angels (pictured above). I know that skit backwards and forwards. I even transcribed the music for future generations. I know every part and the exact timing of everything that makes it sound the best. It's one of my favorite things ever.

Tonight for the first time ever, I was in the audience for Tradition of Honor. The first time. I was in the summer show before I started at BYU, in the fall show when I was going to NSO, and every show after that till I left on my mission. I think that's a total of nine shows, if I calculated correctly. And I miss it.

They did a pretty good job tonight. It was mostly the same as I left it, although the music of the angels's song was changed a bit (so much for all my transcription work, eh?) and the timing was definitely off in some parts, but some things they did were really neat too.

For two and a half years, my whole pre-mission BYU career, SHA was my life. I'm so grateful for the opportunities I had, and even more for the people I met and befriended. I was certainly blessed. The Honor Code angels are real, and I love and miss them.