Honor Code

Sorry to post again so soon, but I just remembered this right after I posted the last entry. Something that happened today made me really miss being in Mount Holyoke's honor code community. I had gotten out of class early, so I was sitting and waiting for Alison so that we could head to the market, and another friend came and sat with me. While we were chatting, a guy from her class came over and said thank you. She asked why he was thanking her, and he explained that he had "borrowed" a few answers from her test.

WHAT.

After he walked away, I turned to her and said, "I can't believe him. You should report him to your teacher," expecting her to share my frustration and shock.

"Yeah, but...he's my friend's roommate and I don't want to cause trouble for him," came her reply.

"But cheating happens only because we allow it to. Give me his name, I'll report him if you don't feel comfortable doing it yourself!" I urged her.

"I don't want him to get kicked out of the program," she told me. She wouldn't give me his name.

I was absolutely shocked and disappointed by her cavalier attitude toward scholastic integrity. Why should any one person unfairly benefit, and why should we as members of the same community allow that? I'm sure all my fellow Mount Holyoke students recall Penny Gill's heartbreaking e-mail regarding the Honor Code last year. For non-MoHos or those who don't recall, I've pasted the text here:

"Dear Students:

"I write to you with a heavy heart. We are in the midst of an epidemic of cheating this year. I have had more cases of academic dishonesty in the last month than in any semester since I became dean. These are not the usual honor code cases, of failing to note a quotation or provide a citation. These are cases of intentional cheating: taking notes into a test, copying another student's exam, using materials that are not allowed on a take-home exam, and sharing answers to problem sets.

"As a community, we have some serious thinking to do. Do we wish to BE an honor code community and college? Are we willing to undertake the hard work of self regulation and mutual support which that requires? Do we believe it is possible for students from around the world, who hardly know each other, to embrace these values, live according to them, and trust each other to do so? Will current students be willing to teach these values and practices to new students? Are we willing to name those who violate these very high standards of ethical behavior and individual responsibility?

"And what if we don't answer yes to these questions? First, faculty will necessarily impose many more restrictions on when and how you do your work. A deep contract of trust and shared responsibility between students and faculty will inevitably erode and disappear. If students tolerate cheating by other students, grading students on a "curve" would effectively change the incentive structure for non-reporters, for example. Our much admired system of self-scheduled exams would probably come under scrutiny. Ultimately, I imagine the value of a degree from Mount Holyoke College would be undermined. The fundamental fabric of our college would be deeply threatened, and we all would lose.

"I am also speaking of this to the faculty, as this directly affects every aspect of their teaching and their relationships with you. I hope that all of us can stop now and think deeply about this, and consider how we can turn this around before it infects every aspect of our life together. We can do so much better at being who we believe we really are.

"With best wishes to each of you,

"Penny Gill
"Dean of the College"

This experience today has truly made me appreciate how much I love being a part of an honor code community. To have a student so blatantly confess to cheating to another student and for that student not to come forward? I think that's simply an abomination. This past year at Mount Holyoke, I witnessed an instance of cheating, and I immediately reported it to the professor. I'm not entirely sure what the fallout was, but I felt it was really important to the integrity of our community to make sure that she was performing fairly. I understand that it's not easy to report such instances, but what's right isn't always easy. As Thomas Paine once said, "The harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph." The work it takes to maintain the integrity of an honor code community is worth the struggle.

In high school, honor codes didn't mean quite so much to me and I felt okay about breaking them, and it led to some serious consequences. As I've begun to grow and mature into a true Mount Holyoke woman (which I hope to become someday), I've come to deeply value the importance of honor and integrity. College was turning over a new leaf for me, a blank slate. I want to be a person of integrity; I don't think it's right to benefit over my peers unfairly, I'd rather earn everything that I receive. How could I appreciate these benefits fully if I felt I did not deserve them? For the last two years, I am so proud to say that every good grade, every election, every audition, every job that I've earned has been because of my own hard work and devotion. I appreciate complying with the honor code not only for the purposes of avoiding such consequences as I had before, but because being a part of an honor code community is such a special, unique thing, and it's part of what makes me love Mount Holyoke so much. Yes, being a member of such a community is hard work, as Dean Gill points out in her e-mail. But isn't it worth it?

I just pulled out the Honor Code card that all first-years receive and sign at the Honor Code Ceremony their first semester at Mount Holyoke, and I discovered that I received mine exactly two years ago today. Even here in Israel, I've carried it around with me in my wallet as I have since the day it was given to me.

I realize that the picture quality is poor, so for those who don't know these words, it reads: "I will honor myself, my fellow students, and Mount Holyoke College by acting responsibly, honestly, and respectfully in both my words and deeds."

Tonight I am so deeply missing my beloved Mount Holyoke community, nearly to the point of tears.