Since 1962, Dartmouth has ascribed to the "Academic Honor Principle." This code essentially states all students will be held accountable for their own work and academic activities. Moreover, it obliges students to accept the "responsibility, individually and collectively, to maintain and perpetuate the principle of academic honor." The honor principle is by no means unique to Dartmouth, as many other universities have their own brand of the Honor Principle. Nonetheless, our university can distinguish itself with the Honor Principle, by approaching it as a moral compass for life, opposed to just an anti-cheating tool.
Dartmouth students have been exposed to the Academic Honor Principle since freshman fall. Most tests have a brief explanation of academic honor on the front cover, and directly below, a line for the student to sign, verifying that the student will "abide by the Dartmouth Honor Principle." Sometimes our professors quickly go over the definition of academic dishonesty (cheating) and jovially warn us not to seek assistance from our neighbors during testing. Most of the time, the professor exits the room and testing ensues. Professors also demand well-cited papers, complete with thorough bibliographies. Some professors even verify the accuracy of these sources. Essentially, our faculty does its part to perpetuate the Honor Principle. Most students do not violate the Academic Honor Principle. Some do, and a handful of these transgressors are caught. Dartmouth, however, should elevate the Honor Principle far beyond as an anti-cheating tool. Our administration and professors should approach the Honor Principle as an instrument to teach ethics and morality to its students . The potential of the principle goes largely unrecognized as professors and students treat it as just a formality, not as a reminder of the importance of high moral quality in academia and in life.
Our society reeks of unethical behavior. Just about every day, we are bombarded by stories of dishonesty and immorality presented almost gleefully by the media. Martha Stewart, Bill Clinton, Bernard Kerik and many other public figures have all ethically transgressed. Countless others continue to cheat, steal and lie and are never exposed. Worst of all, those who are caught, like the morally bankrupted characters mentioned above, send a clear message to the rest of society, you are only wrong if you are caught. The very people who allegedly provide us with moral leadership are flushing our ethics down the toilet.
Of course, Dartmouth cannot stop the moral decay of our society. However, our university does have the ability to change the lives of its students for the better. Students forge meaningful relationships with classmates and professors, and are immersed in a unique environment, which is indeed formative to their development. The Dartmouth student receives a top-notch education, but presumably does not leave the institution with an improvement in ethical values. Some may argue that those who have made it into Dartmouth have superior work ethic and drive. However, these two characteristics do not translate into exemplary moral quality. I am not accusing any one of my fellow classmates of unethical activity. No one is perfect though, and we can always strive for self-improvement. Why shouldn't Dartmouth, an institution interested in the well-being of its students, help us further develop our character?
Does the Academic Honor Principle have any relevance to the development of ethics? Currently, it does not. If our administration recognizes the potential in this principle, and inculcates the value of the honesty and integrity into the minds of its students, Dartmouth graduates can soar throughout life. Professors should consider having a candid discussion with their students on academic integrity at the beginning of the term, as opposed to glossing over it at the start of tests. President Wright should reserve an important spot in orientation week for a worthwhile dialogue about academic honor and its application in "the real world." Perhaps the Committee of Standards should consider revising its punitive measures toward violators of the Honor Principle aiming for a more case-by-case review in order to correct moral glitches in a student's set of values. One cannot assume students have a uniform set of ethical values, even at Dartmouth. But if the Dartmouth community approaches the Academic Honor Principle as more than just a code applicable for scholastic assignments, a Dartmouth diploma will mean much more than academic achievement --- it will stand for educational and ethical excellence.
