An obligation to act

As part of the Duke Community Standard, every student pledges: "I will not lie, cheat, or steal in my academic endeavors, nor will I accept the actions of those who do." The latter half of this affirmation is known as the "non-toleration" clause. The Community Standard, with its pledge, is a statement of principles and expectations. The policies that flow from it provide a credible framework for action.

Until recently, the policy associated with the principle of "non-toleration" was the Obligation to Report. It required students to provide a full written statement of any observed Community Standard violations to the appropriate faculty member and/or to the Dean of Students Office.

But this policy was met with concern, disappointment, and outright hostility. Concern that reporting was tantamount to disloyalty. Disappointment that more avenues for action were not available. And hostility to the very principles themselves, in the mistaken but understandable notion that the policy was the same as the principles.

The principle in question-that you must act when you witness wrongdoing-is a valuable one. History teaches us so time and again. Recent events in business and politics have demonstrated the value of standing up for right in the face of wrong. In our community, we recognize that each person's actions contribute to an overall climate of integrity. Thus, the responsibility of guarding and upholding the Standard lies with us all. Absent such responsibility, the Community Standard rings hollow.

But like any statement of ideas, the Community Standard will cease to have meaning if stretched too far. Policy that fails to reflect the community's concerns can be both ineffectual and detrimental. We cannot risk undermining the statement of principles-the Duke Community Standard-by insisting on a policy that clearly does not seem either worthy or workable to the vast majority of undergraduates.

The new Obligation to Act replaces the Obligation to Report and represents a more practical approach to the idea of "non-toleration." The principle remains the same: You must do something in the face of dishonesty, because the alternative is to countenance a culture of cheating. But the new Obligation to Act opens up several alternatives for constructive action:

• Alerting the faculty member that cheating may be occurring in the course. This alert can be in any form, including anonymously. This information will allow the instructor to consider corrective measures and to address the topic with the class.

• Calling attention to the suspected violation as it is occurring, in either a public or a private matter.

• Identifying the suspected cheater to the faculty member of the course. The report will be treated in total confidence: the faculty member will not divulge the reporting student's name to anyone, and the reporting student is under no obligation to take the information any place else. The faculty member will then act on this information; at the very least, he or she will let the suspected student know that his or her behavior has raised suspicion.

• Speaking directly with the student suspected of violating the Duke Community Standard, either to gain clarity about what happened or to put the person on alert that his or her behavior could have serious consequences.

• Notifying the Associate Dean for Judicial Affairs within the Dean of Students Office. The Associate Dean will speak with the faculty member about this information, maintaining the confidentiality of the source. The Dean and the faculty member will strategize about next steps.

This new policy has been endorsed by DSG's Academic Affairs Committee, the Academic Integrity Council, the Undergraduate Judicial Board, and the Honor Council. We hope that it will be a major step forward for our community.