The University is not free from dishonesty, but many campus leaders would like to see it that way.
During a panel last night sponsored by the Honor Council, several participants said the current honor code was not as effective as it could be.
"Part of the problem is that there's no sort of peer pressure toward honor," said Trinity junior Jordan Bazinsky, Duke Student Government president-elect. "There's a whole lot of people who are willing to get your back so you won't get in trouble with the administration, and not a whole lot of pressure in reverse."
The lack of emphasis on the honor code contributes to Duke's relatively ineffective code. "I remember touring at [The University of Virginia at Charlottesville] and the tour guides making such a big deal of it," said Bazinsky. "I don't remember them talking about it here."
Young Trustee-elect Justin Fairfax stressed that expectations of honor should be clear to students from the beginning. "I don't believe I saw [the honor code] until I got to campus," he said. "It's important not to expect people to change once they get to campus."
Several possibilities for strengthening the code were mentioned, but most of the night's discussion focused on the possibility of implementing a social code that would govern students relations outside the academic sphere.
"One of the issues I see... is the issue of respect for property, both University property and other students' personal property," said Trinity sophomore Christine Varnado, a representative from the Community Service Center. "Students need to see their four years here as... less like a hotel stay."
Varnado added that, in the long run, a social code might lead to more people obeying currently unwritten rules. Regardless of its potential benefits, however, Varnado said she was not in favor of extending an already thinly enforced honor code.
"I think there's a large contingent of students who would advocate leaving the honor code in the academic sphere," she said. "I fear that if the code were extended..., it might lead to an overall disrespect for the code."
Panhellenic Council President Kate Heath agreed. "I'm not 100 percent sure that you can teach or instill morality at this stage of the game," the Trinity junior said. "If a freshman comes on campus and holds themselves to low standards, what can we as a community do to change that?"
Although a more all-encompassing code of conduct may not be the answer, panelists agreed that the current system has plenty of room for improvements. "At the very least, we should walk up to [someone who has cheated] and say, 'Hey-not cool,'" said Bazinsky, who did not advocate a policy requiring those who witness cheating to report it.
The discussion took place in the Fleishman commons in the Terry Sanford Public Policy Building, and was attended by about 20 people.
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