Under the proposed change, students will sign a pledge to conduct themselves according to the guidelines and principles set forth in the Honor Code. In the pledge, students must also accept the updated adjudicatory process as the means by which anyone who breaks the Honor Code will be punished. This pledge will be signed once upon entering the College, and will not need to be reaffirmed at any time. The Honor Code will be re-examined every fourth year and any proposed changes must be accepted by a majority of the student body and then by the faculty.
We encourage students to read and fully understand the Honor Code before voting on Thursday. We hope that the Code is adopted, but we think the College Council should consider changes in future reviews. Instead of requiring students to sign the Honor Code only once, we should require that students sign it every semester they attend the College. Presently, students are not well-versed on the contents of the Statements, and we can't realistically expect students to take seriously a document they sign as an incoming first-year and then never see again over the next four years. A semesterly signature requires students to read and understand the Honor Code so that they are clear about their responsibilities, and can't use ignorance as an excuse for their infractions.
In its current form, the Code includes only "recommended" penalties, and leaves actual penalties to the discretion of the individual professor, a part of the code we support. A more rigid policy would only create a reason for professors to avoid using administrative disciplinary channels and keeping minor cheating incidents "in-house." Penalties should be given on a case-by-case basis with professors ultimately being able to decide the penalty in his or her class.
The proposed Honor Code is a good start towards addressing the widespread problems of cheating and plagiarism at the College. We believe, however, that in coming years, the College should consider mandating that student sign the code more than once.