Page 7 - ThePhoenix1995-96

On the Hill The Phoenix Thursday, September 14, 1995, Page 7 Academic honesty is not the "golden rule" at WMC It also assumes that academic integrity cases, Sayre added. sure that all of my srudeotsare not only partment said, '1ask all students in my By JilL M>\RRON ma- SlaffWriler is a social obligation and that all aca- One sophomore psychology honest with me but are honest with introductory classes to write out the Academic honesty is something demic dishonesty is unacceptable, in- jor said, "I cheated on a test and I got themselves and that they don't cheat." pledge on their tests and sign it, Tdon't that every college strives for, b.itdothey cluding lying, cheating and stealing. caught. All my professor did was take However, just because professors stress it as much in my upperclassesas really get it? The college believes that students who me out of the room and told me not to are enforcing it does not mean that stu- I should." Taitexplained thaI he makes Western Maryland College is one are found guilty of violating the Honor let it happen again. Nobody takes this dents are following it. A junior com- sure that students are spread out and he school that tries to achieve academic Code are subject 'to penalties, which Honor Code stuff seriously." munication major said, "Sure I've stays in the room during exams. He honesty. The way this is done is by may include suspension from college. According to a brochure signed an Honor Code pledge, bn I've acknowledged that there have been adhering to the honor system. Within According to Dean of Student titled, ''IssuedandPerspectivesonAca- never really followed it or paid atten- times when he was unsure whether stu- the honor system their is an Honor Affairs Philip Sayre, there were three demic Integrity;' a 1979 study reports tion to it." This same student then asked dents were cheating. Code. But how many students really Honor Code violations that went that the percentage of students who re- what the Honor Code is for. ''I have to be careful that students know what the Honor Code is or why through the Student Affairs office last port that they have to cheat in order to Dean Sayre believes that if the are not cheating. They may only be it exists? . year. Although this is a relatively small get good grades increased from 7.5 HonorCode is strongly enforced early looking up. stretching. I don't want to According to the WMC Student number, Sayre believes that there were .percentin 1969 to 8.8 percent in 1976. on in acollege career, then students will falsely accuse anyone:' Guide and Datebook, the WMC honor more violations that he was not made More recent surveys at the University be more inclined to follow it through- When students areaccused of vio- system began as a formal code in the aware of. of MAryland, the University of Dela- out their college years. ''Every student lating the Honor Code, they go before 1960's when the student body devel- Dr. Samuel Alspach of the biol- ware, the University of California at has to take freshman composition. I the Honor and Conduct Board, which oped a procedure for adopting aca- ogy department and four-year member Santa Barbara, Princeton University think that if every professorspends three iscomposedofanequal numberoffac- demic honesty. Within this system, of the boardsaid, ''The board has seen andtheUniversityofAW.onareponthat orfourclassesontheHonorCode, what ulty and student members. 'The board there was an all-student honor and con- fewer numbers of violations last year, over 25 percent of the student body at it is and why we have it., students will has no set guidelines for punishment, duct board made up of 30 members. due to the fact that many professors these schools have resorted to cheating better understand it and be able to fol- but members do go through a training The board provided information handle violations themselves." Alspach or plagiarism on more than one occa- low it in good conscience," Sayre said progrnm with Dean Sayre. The pro- about the Honor Code, investigated al- added that there have been more cases sionduringtheirlJl1dergtaduatecareers. One freshman biology major said, gram consists of describing different leged Honor Code infractions, con- of violations in years past IN addition, the sAme survey reported ''HonorCode? What's that? I'veheard types of violations and their punish- ducted hearings of students accused of These unreported violations are that over 40 percent of all colleges re- of it and signed it, but I have no idea ments to the new board members. academic dishonesty; disciplined stu- being handled between the violating port that over 75 percent of students what it's for. Nobody ever explained it Honor Code violations include dents when they were found guilty and student and the faculty member ruther surveyed admitted to engaging in some tome." cheating on tests and quizzes; using regularly held board meetings to review than going through the Honor and Con- sort of academic fraud. According to Sayre, there used to another person's notes as your own; the honor system. duct Board. Sayre believes that this is Although academic dishonesty be pamphlets distributed on the Honor asking for or giving answers on a test; In 1975,WMCfacultyandthestu- one flaw in the present honor system. appears to be a growing problem on Code, but they got thrown away. In handing in someone else's homework dent body changed the Honor Code in "Working outthe matter between manycollegeanduniversi[tycampuses. addition, all professors were once re- as yourown, or consulting with another two ways: First, by including both fac- the violating student and the faculty WMC seems to have a tight reign on quired to have the HonorCOde pledge persononyourhomeworktx:forehand- ulty and students on the board in equal member is a good system if it is taken infractions to the honor system. The on some wall of their classroom, but ing it in; obtaining answers before a test numbers. And secondly, by broaden- seriously," Sayre said. In order for the honor system is clearly defined in two this is no longer a requirement. or quiz; altering data recorded from a ing the responsibilities of the Honor violation to be worked out between the places in the Student Guide and Sayre also believes that it is better laboratory experiment; and falsifying Code to include misuse of library ma- student and the faculty member, the fac- Datebook and many professors enforce for the students themselves to write the academic records. terials and borrowing privledges. ulty member has to go through the Stu- it in theirc~ms. "_ .. ~_ ~ ..... _H,9n_9r .~e"pl~.s<:,",~n their tests he- There are various punishments for The honor system at WMC as- dent Affairs office to assure that there Art history professor Dr. Julie cause the more they write it the more the different types of Honor Code in- sumes thai. all students believe in aca- is no repeat offense and put the offense Badiee said, ''I ask all of my students familiar it will become tothem and the fractions. According to Sayre, punish- demic integrity, which the college he- on record at the Student Affairs office. to write out the Honor COde pledge on more seriously they will take it. ments include a letter grade reduction lieves iscentral toOOtaining knowledge. However, this is not beingdoneinsome their tests and sign it. I want to make Dr. Ron Taitofthe sociology de- see "Honor Code," p.9 (Not A LotOf Money) r"·tl."~_-r&RC:EL:-_ MSRP SIottIt!g undetS1115. SEEYOUR TOYOTA DEALERTODAY. ,.!'''!c!~.eN' _NOOIIN._m._CPDK'-.:I' __ ctt.IltU_MCI