In a year that has witnessed the replacement of Duke's traditional honor code with the new Community Standard, the Duke Honor Council has had a lot on its plate.
Charged with the ethical education of the Duke community, this group of 20 undergraduates has risen to meet the challenge. A slew of programming for March and April is set to follow up a yearlong effort to teach the student body and faculty about the University's new philosophy, which went into effect at the beginning of last semester.
But Judith Ruderman, vice provost for academic and administrative services and chair of the Academic Integrity Council, pointed out, "The proof is in the pudding."
"We have yet to see whether there is more of an awareness of expectations," she said, "whether there is more thinking twice before committing an action, whether there is greater consideration for the effect of an action on the entire community."
In replacing Duke's traditional honor code, which was most recently revised by student referendum in 1993, the University sought to establish a higher level of maturity among the members of its community. By raising expectations, however, the Community Standard has simultaneously upped the ante for the Honor Council.
Recognizing that this would be a year for innovation, the council has been quick to infuse old roles with a new vigor.
An updated version of the traditional spring Honor Week is slated to start April 5. By coordinating the event with the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and shortening its span to three days, council members hope to increase attendance. Following a joint kick-off with UNC, Duke's Honor Week will attract debaters with panels centering around two hot topics of the moment: corporate ethics and the ethics behind MP3 usage.
Honor Council Chair Robert McDonald said he is hopeful that "the combination of programming and discussions and panels during Honor Week will lead to a better understanding and a more honorable Duke."
In addition to Honor Week preparations, the Honor Council has been busy coordinating an integrated marketing campaign for integrity at Duke, spanning from advertisements in the Great Hall and the Marketplace to more innovative methods, such as the bus advertisements that will be posted this month and in April.
"[Honor at Duke] is not something that can be turned around overnight," Ruderman said. "The Standard alone is not enough. There must be continuing dialogue among students, faculty, staff and administration."
Yet she said she had high hopes that the Honor Council's continued efforts would achieve the necessary exchange of ideas.
Dean of Students Sue Wasiolek was also optimistic about potential collaboration.
"I really think that over time the Community Standard is going to evolve to the point that it is a household word that is respected and revered by everyone," she said. "The current understanding of the Community Standard is so far beyond what the understanding of the honor code was."
The Community Standard serves as an ethical umbrella over the entire University, having been adopted as preamble to the individual codes of conduct for each graduate and professional school in addition to constituting the main code of conduct for the undergraduate population.
"It is a philosophical under-girding," Wasiolek said. "It is not a rule, a regulation, or a judicial code."
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