Dishonesty code changes may encourage integrity
Issue date: 8/28/09 Section: Editorials
Amid many changes this year, Miami University is also reforming the Code of Student Conduct. The new student dishonesty policy brings together academic dishonesty and non-academic dishonesty into one category. Before, students were allowed two strikes in each category before the Office of Ethics and Student Conflict Resolution could suspend students for a semester. Under the new rules, if you receive an academic dishonesty sanction and already have a nonacademic dishonesty sanction, you will be suspended. Two strikes, you're out.
The editorial board of The Miami Student believes this change is consistent with the university's focus on integrity and sends students the message that they are expected to act with integrity both in and out of the classroom.
No matter which way a student may try and go around the system, be it cheating on an exam or using a fake I.D., it hurts not only the student but the credibility of the university. Each individual is a representation of the student body and the values that make up a Miami graduate.
Students should come to Miami having already learned the importance of integrity before arriving on campus, but by removing the categories for dishonesty the university is telling students that "cheating is cheating and lying is lying," and neither will be tolerated.
The overwhelming nature of college can push students toward the temptation of cheating. These strict punishments may help deter students from thinking about using cheating as an option. The university has a responsibility to continue to hold students to these values.
This board recognizes it may be difficult for many to see how cheating on an exam is the same as using a fake I.D. uptown, but the university is recognizing that cheating in one aspect of a student's life may make it easier to turn the other way when tempted to cheat in another aspect of their life.
These changes will also prepare students to make all future decisions with integrity. After college, students will be in many challenging situations that require honesty and integrity.
If Miami can instill these values in students while they are undergraduates, employers will be able to say Miami graduates can make tough decisions well and avoid using dishonesty as a means to achieve a goal.
The editorial board of The Miami Student believes this change is consistent with the university's focus on integrity and sends students the message that they are expected to act with integrity both in and out of the classroom.
No matter which way a student may try and go around the system, be it cheating on an exam or using a fake I.D., it hurts not only the student but the credibility of the university. Each individual is a representation of the student body and the values that make up a Miami graduate.
Students should come to Miami having already learned the importance of integrity before arriving on campus, but by removing the categories for dishonesty the university is telling students that "cheating is cheating and lying is lying," and neither will be tolerated.
The overwhelming nature of college can push students toward the temptation of cheating. These strict punishments may help deter students from thinking about using cheating as an option. The university has a responsibility to continue to hold students to these values.
This board recognizes it may be difficult for many to see how cheating on an exam is the same as using a fake I.D. uptown, but the university is recognizing that cheating in one aspect of a student's life may make it easier to turn the other way when tempted to cheat in another aspect of their life.
These changes will also prepare students to make all future decisions with integrity. After college, students will be in many challenging situations that require honesty and integrity.
If Miami can instill these values in students while they are undergraduates, employers will be able to say Miami graduates can make tough decisions well and avoid using dishonesty as a means to achieve a goal.
Viewing Comments 1 - 2 of 2
oxres
posted 8/29/09 @ 1:35 PM EST
Refusing to honor a contract is also dishonesty. It is not legal to sign a lease and just walk away from it. For some reasons student affairs won't follow through on this even though the student code of conduct clearly states that anyone can file a complaint, and violating any federal, state or local law is an infraction under the code. (Continued…)
95 Alum
posted 8/30/09 @ 12:15 AM EST
Cheating didn't seem to hold Ted Kennedy back. He cheated and was thrown out of Harvard and he ended up in the US Senate and is now being honored as a Saint. (Continued…)
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