This past September, Harvard University gained national attention for a cheating scandal that involved more than 125 students for collaborating on a take-home final.
This scandal emphasized the need for high academic integrity on campuses nationwide. The Harvard Administrative Board met after the investigation to discuss ways to increase academic honesty. One proposal was the institution of an honor code.
Upon enrollment at Hillsdale College, each student signs an honor code, promising to be “honorable in conduct, honest in word and deed, dutiful in study and service and respectful of the rights of others.”
According to The Princeton Review, Hillsdale ranks among other top private institutions for its reputable academic standing – a ranking that is based on the student body’s high academic performance.
Dean of Women Diane Philipp explained that the academic culture at Hillsdale reduces the amount of incidents involving academic dishonesty.
“Because of the honor code, academic integrity is easily discussed in the first meetings with the freshman,” Philipp said. “They take it seriously.”
Harvard students involved in the scandal complained about discrepancies among individual faculty’s definition of academic dishonesty.
Dean of Faculty and Associate Professor of Chemistry Mark Nussbaum explained that each faculty member has the authority to decide if a student’s action violates the academic policy.
“There are some gray areas. Sometimes, issues arise when students converse with each other about content of exams from one section of a class to another,” Nussbaum said. “But I think, in general, the student body here is self-policing.”
Recently, 350 Hillsdale students responded to a Collegian poll about academic integrity on campus.
The poll asked students to describe what they considered academic dishonesty.
Eighty-two percent believe that Hillsdale students are less likely to cheat than students at other academic institutions.
Seventy-one percent believe that cheating is not an issue in the classroom.
When asked if using previously graded tests was considered cheating, an overwhelming amount of students answered no.
“Within the chemistry department, we post old exams and other study guides. We recognize that there are going to be exam files in fraternities and sororities, and we just want to make sure that everybody has access to old exams, and that there is not an unfair advantage for some,” Nussbaum said. “We do write new exams every year.”
If a student at Hillsdale has violated the policy of academic honor, the appropriate faculty member files a report with the registrar and provost. The student then receives their first warning and the grade of the assignment or test is decided by the faculty member.
The report is then placed in their academic record. On the second offense, the student’s enrollment is put on review before the Academic Integrity Committee, which consists of three faculty members and three students.
Dean of Men Aaron Petersen explained that offenses are uncommon.
“Faculty have a handle on their students. Strike one is rare,” Petersen said. “Strike two is extremely rare.”
Senior Shelby Kittleson, student representative on the academic integrity committee, explained that the first offense usually results in a student changing their ways.
“Student expulsion is the last step in a long process,” Kittleson said. “Their first instance is usually plagiarism. If anything, people experience that one case and they get scared off.”
The Hillsdale policy on academic honor states that it is the role of the faculty to nurture the integrity of each student: “Faculty on its part hereby manifest its confidence in the honor of its students, but recognizes that honor, like all other virtues, must be learned and nurtured.”
Nussbaum did say that, over the years, there has been a rise in cases of plagiarism.
“The bigger issue along the lines of academic honesty is plagiarism, because I think a lot of students don’t have a handle on what constitutes plagiarism,” Nussbaum said. “However, a lot of that is done unintentionally.”
Philipp acknowledged that incoming freshman tend to stress over the academic pressure, often leading students to cut corners.
“Plagiarism is pretty prevalent in high schools. Students can get overworked and stressed and that is when dishonesty happens. We see it in a panic situation,” Philipp said. “However, our faculty communicate really well from the beginning with freshman, especially regarding plagiarism.”
At Harvard, the university is currently reflecting on what steps are necessary in restoring academic honesty.
At Hillsdale, however, faculty and students agree that by the virtue of the Honor Code, academic integrity remains strong on campus.