USD Magazine, Winter 2000

Raising these issues is important to both the intellectual and social climate of a campus," says College of Am and Sciences Dean Pat Drinan. "Not only do you help prevent incidents of cheat– ing, but adhering to the principles of academic integrity also creates a sense of trust and community responsibility that permeates campus life." CHANGlNG THE CHEATING CULTURE Getting a discussion of academic integrity off the ground requires the dialogue begin with freshmen as soon as they set foot on campus. At freshman orientation, new students hear from their peers in Associated Students - USD's student government - about the principles of academic integrity and the higher standards they are expected to meet as college students. Faculty advisers have been asked to talk about the issue with their freshman students, and all students receive a pamphlet explaining the university's expectations on the subject. If a violation occurs, the current academic integrity policy for USO undergraduates works like this: When a faculty member suspects cheating or plagiarism, he or she submits the case to a hearing committee made up of faculty, administrators and one student. The hearing committee decides if it is justified and hands out penalties, which can include reduction in grade, additional work, suspension or expulsion. Faculty are expected to confront the student and determine if the offense was intentional before going to the committee. "The committee is important because it can document instances of multiple cheating offenses in different courses, which is much more serious," says Drinan. "But the overall philosophy is one of assistance and education, not just punishment. The goal is to help the student learn from what has happened, and ultimately to help them suc– ceed in college." Faculty and administrators who attended honor code schools are the biggest proponents of institut– ing an honor code at USO. Orinan, a graduate of the University ofVirginia, recalls not just being trusted to take exams unsupervised, but leaving books around campus without fear of theft and being trusted by local merchants to cash checks without showing identification. At other schools with honor codes, libraries are left open and unse– cured 24 hours a day, and students pile backpacks in buildings without concern for theft. "Obviously you can't create a utopia, especially when your campus is in an urban area," says Orinan. "But graduates of honor code schools look back with reverence at the virtue and habits of character they learned. Academic integrity in the classroom often translates to personal integrity outside the classroom."

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WINTER 2000