Eight months ago Brian Halaburka signed a code of academic integrity that he barely remembers and said has not changed his behavior.

Although the McCormick freshman does not cheat, he said he resented signing “a bunch of crap” that put this academic standard into writing.

“If someone is going to cheat, they’re going to cheat anyway,” he said. “Personally, I forgot all about (signing the code) and I’m sure most other people did as well.”

As Medill faculty decide how to implement an honor pledge passed two weeks ago, pledges at two other Northwestern schools yield mixed reviews from students.

For decades the McCormick School of Engineering and Applied Science and the Kellogg Graduate School of Management have asked students to sign a code of academic integrity with little controversy.

But the way in which each school implements its honor code seems to determine whether the pledge receives support from students.

McCormick students sign a four-page honor pledge at the Dean’s Convocation at the beginning of the year. Administrators are primarily responsible for disciplining violators, but the school’s associate dean for undergraduate studies can refer cases to a board of students and faculty for review.

Kellogg students implement the honor pledge and have a duty to report violations. Students elect an honor code chairman and serve as members of a committee charged with enforcing it.

The Kellogg pledge allows students to take examinations unsupervised, building trust between students and faculty, supporters said.

“Being peer-run gives (the pledge) a lot of legitimacy,” said Jim Lutz, vice president of academics for the Graduate Management Association and lead investigator of honor code violations. “There’s a punitive aspect without a doubt, but it’s really something that has to do with giving students an education in ethics.”

As Medill prepares to implement its honor code in 2002, administrators must choose between these models. Although administrators wrote and debated the honor pledge with little input from students, Medill is still deciding exactly how to teach students about it in class.

McCormick: Students Question Pledge

At McCormick, Assoc. Dean Stephen Carr said the pledge reinforces engineers’ need for honesty in their professional careers.

“Engineers often have responsibilities in which the safety of citizens rests on whether they make a mistake,” he said. “You’ve got to get that in right from the start. Ethical behavior is not an option for engineers.”

Graduating McCormick students also can take a sworn oath of ethical behavior, which about one-third of seniors choose to do, Carr said.

But some students said they do not remember signing the honor pledge – and that it would not have changed their behavior if they did.

McCormick freshman Steven Gaulding said faculty rarely mention the pledge after students sign it at the beginning of the year. He said he probably signed the honor code with “a bunch of other things,” but he can’t remember it.

Although he does not recall the pledge, he said it might have impacted his behavior if professors constantly reminded him of his commitment to academic integrity.

“I stand by my word; I won’t go against it,” Gaulding said. “(The pledge) is something formal. It’s not just like a spoken agreement.”

Kellogg: Student-Supported Pledge

Unlike McCormick students, who say they hear little about the pledge after signing it, Kellogg students say they are heavily invested in it.

Kellogg students said their honor code gives them additional responsibility in exchange for a vow not to violate the school’s trust.

Students take their exams at home but usually sign the front of the test to affirm that they have followed the honor code.

Recently, Kellogg’s student-run honor code committee has considered cases ranging from the theft of food from the school’s cafeteria to violations of the school’s mandatory attendance policy.

“The real value of the honor code is that it gives people an opportunity to practice ethics while they’re still in school,” Lutz said. “People are trusted with the responsibility not to violate the honor code. By respecting the honor code, you learn this lesson of what it is to abide by a system of ethics.”

Devin Gallagher, a first-year Kellogg student, said he follows the code because it demonstrates that administrators respect students’ honesty.

On Saturday, Gallagher said, he studied “all day” for a three-hour examination, then put his books away and took the test from 10:30 p.m. to 1:30 a.m. He said resisting the temptation to cheat is the most difficult part of Kellogg’s honor code.

“At first, I thought, ‘What is this? Is this a military academy or something?'” he said. “But I realized that by having a community of trust, you’re given additional responsibility.”

Medill: emphasizing Ethics

Medill administrators are in the process of determining how much input students will have in implementing the pledge.

Medill Prof. Mary Ann Weston, who heads an 11-member committee that will decide how to teach students about the pledge, said Medill’s pledge will “raise the visibility” of ethical issues and remind students to hold themselves to journalistic standards.

“It’s not as much about signing a pledge as about having journalistic or academic integrity,” she said. “You don’t acquire that by signing a pledge. Part of that is teaching what academic integrity and journalistic ethics are all about so it becomes part of what you learn here.”

Medill’s newly approved honor pledge restates the school’s already-existing code of academic integrity and warns students that plagiarizing or fabricating sources in stories can result in expulsion. Although Medill faculty overwhelmingly supported the pledge, some students and staff said it will not deter dishonesty.

University President Henry Bienen said Medill faculty have a right to ask students to sign an honor code but questioned whether it will prevent students from cheating.

“I don’t think there’s a lot of value added in it,” he said “I’m not completely negative about it, but I’m not heavily invested in it either.”

Other schools: Not a Problem

Despite Medill’s recent decision, administrators at NU’s other schools said they have no plans to ask students to sign an honor code.

Speech Associate Dean Cathy Martin, said the school makes students aware of academic standards but that a pledge might not be effective.

If Speech ever did require an honor code, Martin said she would like it to be positive instead of punitive.

“This has not been a problem in the School of Speech,” she said. “What’s a theater person going to do, plagiarize a play? ‘Hamlet’ is ‘Hamlet.'”

Education Assistant Dean Mark Hoffman said the school has very few instances of academic dishonesty and that signing a code is not necessary.

“We’re a small school that has a strong sense of community,” he said. “I haven’t heard of any instances that would encourage me to adopt such a code. I’m just not aware that it’s a problem.”

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Schools question honor code’s merit

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McCormick, Kellogg have had Medill-style pledge for decades, with varying success