One year after the largest cheating incident in the history of the Fuqua School of Business, several student-led Honor Code initiatives have been implemented to promote an academic culture of integrity.
Fuqua students have been at the forefront of policies intended to promote an understanding of the Honor Code and its possible violations that will in turn foster an "Honor Culture," said Michael Hemmerich, associate dean for strategy and institutional research at Fuqua. The school also plans to foster understanding of honor policies beginning with orientation.
"Students realized they wanted and needed to be part of the solution," said Chris Privett, Fuqua's public relations specialist.
Last Spring, the University Judicial Board began investigating 22 separate cases involving 38 Masters of Business Administration program students for allegedly collaborating on a take-home test in a required first-year course.
Four students were found not guilty, and of the 34 convicted students, nine were expelled and 15 received a one-year suspension and a failing grade in the course. Penalties for the offenses went into effect that June.
Many of the suspended students were international and had been in the U.S. for less than a year. Bob Ekstrand, a Durham attorney representing 16 convicted students and a Duke lecturing fellow, told BusinessWeek that cultural differences may have contributed to the Honor Code violations.
There is no specific program for international students, but the Honor Code is discussed at length during orientation, Hemmerich said.
"Every orientation week we talk about how we expect all students who come from different cultures to agree to become part of a Fuqua culture," he said. "All applicants, upon acceptance, have to acknowledge that they have read and agreed to the Honor Code, whether they are international or domestic."
One initiative slated for Fall is the addition of student Honor Code representatives to the six sections of Fuqua.
"Classmates are assigned as representatives, and this allows students to have a visible reminder of the Honor Code policies," Hemmerich said. "Also, it allows students who have questions about what might be a violation, or if they have seen something that might be a violation, to have a student they can talk to."
First- and second-year classes will also publicly sign the Honor Code, an idea that originated from first-year students in the Integrative Leadership Experience program.
Admin istrators said they think the student-led initiatives are promising, but some students involved in the scandal are still deciding whether to return to Fuqua in the Fall.
Kevin, a suspended international student who declined to give his last name, said he was not aware that Fuqua had adopted new initiatives, but added that the programs did not change his opinion of the school. He described the Honor Code as "legalistic" and "hypocritical," and said he will not return to Fuqua in the Fall.
"Most international students believe that the U.S. has the most advanced systems in every field," he wrote in an e-mail. "I am sorry to say [that] my opinion about Fuqua's system is that I don't believe in the system. From my experience, I doubt its rightness and effectiveness."
Another suspended international student, who declined to give his name, said he and others are busy renewing their visas, which expired during their suspension from the University as several also awaited appeal decisions. The student said he is excited to be rejoining the Fuqua community in the Fall.
"I still love the school very much and hope that I can return to it without any trouble," the student wrote in an e-mail. "We have gone through a lot of things."
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