The University of Colorado at Boulder on Nov. 1-2 will host a presentation exploring the merit and value of student honor codes and the differences they make in academic integrity on campuses.
The presentation will take place on Wednesday, Nov. 1, from 3 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. in Aspen Room 215 at the University Memorial Center, and again on Thursday, Nov. 2, from 9 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. in Regent Administrative Center room 302.
Donald McCabe, professor of organization management at Rutgers University, will be the featured speaker. McCabe has conducted extensive research on college cheating and was the chair of a university-wide committee that developed a new code of student conduct at Rutgers in 1994. He also has worked with many colleges in reviewing and revising their student judicial policies.
The lecture is meant to inform both students and faculty of the value of a student honor code on the CU-Boulder campus, said Ron Stump, vice chancellor for student affairs.
McCabe will discuss the research he has done, which shows the marked difference in academic integrity on campuses with student honor codes, Stump said.
"An honor code began to be considered about a year and a half ago, because of student concern with the cheating that they saw going on," he said. "Â鶹ÒùÔº also have an interest in upholding high standards for personal behavior."
Â鶹ÒùÔº are the driving force behind the implementation of the honor code, said student Eric Lentell, co-chair of the honor committee. "The initiative is a student initiative for a student-run honor code.
"Without student approval a student-run honor code is not feasible," Lentell said.
Â鶹ÒùÔº will be given the opportunity to vote on the code, which will be held Nov. 14-16, said Trey Lyons, co-chair of the committee with Lentell. The honor code, if approved, would take effect in fall semester 2001.
"More than a mechanism for dealing with cheating and stealing, I hope the Honor Code develops into a real feeling of investment and belonging, where students consider themselves a part of a community of high standards," Lyons said.
"This process is a wonderful opportunity to change the climate on campus and in the city – I hope that students take advantage of its development to help make Boulder a place where an extraordinary sense of integrity is an ordinary thing," Lyons said.
So far, the responses from students presented with the idea have been positive, Lentell said. "As to be expected, students feel it is vital for them to be an integral part in working out the logistics of the code and this will take place after an affirmative vote."
Many of the student organizations on campus have been presented with the idea of an honor code in order to gain feedback and to create a code that will meet the needs of the academic community, Lentell said.
In the coming month, informational materials will be placed throughout the campus to advise students of the initiative, he explained. Meetings with student groups also are being conducted.
Â鶹ÒùÔº and faculty who are interested in learning more about the honor code can visit the Honor System Web site at .