Four years after its implementation, the University Honor Code has had little effect on the number of plagiarism and cheating cases brought before the Undergraduate Judicial Board each year.
According to the Office of Student Development, 15 students were found guilty of plagiarism or cheating during the 1996-97 academic year. Two students were found guilty on two counts, bringing the total to 17 cases. This figure is slightly above the average of 13 cases per year during the past 13 years.
Paul Bumbalough, associate dean for student development, said he was surprised that seven of the infractions were committed by seniors, a number considerably higher than the previous annual average of one or two. This difference was noteworthy, he continued, given that the graduating senior class was the first class to have the honor code in place for its full tenure at the University.
"It may well be an aberration, but I will be very interested in looking at the class break-down next year as well," Bumbalough said.
Prior to instituting the honor code in 1993, the University operated according to an honor commitment under which students were asked-but not required-to abide by conscientious academic standards.
Under the new system, however, all students sign a code upon matriculation obligating them to conduct themselves in an honorable manner and to report instances in which they witness other students breaking the code.
The penalty for an honor code violation is a two-semester suspension and although this punishment is not set in stone, Bumbalough said a departure from it would be "quite unusual."
Labeling the honor code a "work in progress," Bumbalough said he believes it has been successful thus far. One change he said he has observed is the increased number of calls his office has received from professors asking for information about how to handle possible infractions. The code has also resulted in a greater number of anonymous student notifications to professors about possible violations, he said.
Most of those involved with the honor code, however, suggest that it is not very effective.
Trinity senior Brad Klein, incoming chair of the UJB, said the "big issue" in the honor code is the failure to report violations.
"We need to keep in mind that the honor council is still relatively young," Klein said. "The process by which it becomes ingrained in the collective student conscious is going to take time, though the troubling part is that the principles behind the honor code and the judicial code that's been there for a long time aren't much different. Students should have the gist of it by now."
One complaint levied against the code is that professors often do not play enough of a role in enforcing it, either by ignoring cheating in their classrooms or by failing to report infractions.
Trinity junior Jeff Pavlovic, a Duke Student Government legislator last year, is conducting a survey to collect data on this issue.
"It was my belief that [in addition to students failing to adhere to the code] there is also a problem with the system," he said. "If teachers don't enforce it, students will not be required to follow it."
Late last semester, Pavlovic distributed a survey asking faculty members how often they encounter honor code infractions and how they handle them. He received about 250 replies from the 1,200 surveys he sent out and will have analyzed them by the fall.
Bumbalough agreed that the lack of professorial enforcement is a problem. He suggested that difficulties stem from the fact that unlike students, who are obligated to follow the code, professors are not required to report violations.
"If there were some way a faculty member was required not to resolve it on his/her own," Bumbalough said, "that might increase the numbers [of students who appear before the UJB]. But, on the other hand, if a faculty member isn't willing to turn in a student anyway, making that requirement wouldn't necessarily be a positive development."
Pavlovic said another key problem lies in the lack of student awareness-a situation that was far from the case at the institution from which he transferred, the University of Virginia.
"At UVa, the honor code is pounded into your head," he said. "Every freshman knows about it, and the Honor Council is the most prestigious and honorable thing to be involved in."
Trinity sophomore Sandy Dhaliwal, vice chair of Duke's Honor Council, said the council "wants to create a whole new outlook"
She said the council, which is charged with educating the University on issues of ethics and honor, plans to write a mission statement in the fall. She added, however, that she could not yet comment on any other specific initiatives the council will undertake.
Trinity sophomore Julian Harris, chair of the council, was not available for comment.
Pavlovic said two DSG legislators are working to include a mandatory honor code event in the freshman orientation schedule, but neither could be reached for comment.
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