Northwestern’s motto, Quaecumque sunt vera — “whatever is true” — sits below the NU seal and provides a mission statement for NU students. It’s a lofty goal, made all the more unattainable by college pressures such as job-getting, beer-drinking, and the endless pursuit of a viable mate. Maybe NU’s student body needs some incentive to remember this doctrine. Administrators seem to think so.
NU unveiled a new “ethics and compliance” Web site on Friday that provides a link to a form allowing anyone to anonymously “report misconduct or violations of University policy.”
The concerns raised by this service are numerous and significant. A glance at the clock is mistaken for a glance at the test taker next to you, and suddenly an anonymous tipster calls in to report a cheater. Four years of work ends abruptly with nothing more than an early-morning knock from your school’s dean and a painful stint in front of the rest of NU’s disciplinarians.
That’s not the only issue at hand. Should students police other students? Campus could become a panopticon, NU-style — complete with 7,500 pairs of beady little eyes to do all the spying.
While the objections are legitimate, we give the system the benefit of the doubt. Academic dishonesty is always a cause for concern on college campuses. Classes are cutthroat and the competition remains fierce. It’s not hard for students to justify some occasional corner-cutting.
If there’s any problem with the new way of reporting violations, it lies with those who would treat the system irresponsibly, not with the system itself. We hope NU students have the moral integrity to police themselves and not abuse the privilege.
If they can’t, then they should have chosen a university with a different motto.