Mississippi State University’s Student Honor Code Office is establishing a new student-proctoring program. While the program was originally created in 2009, the Honor Code Office took the time to fully develop the program as it anticipated a large amount of requests would be received. 
During the 2009-10 academic year, the proctoring program assisted with 20 exams. By the 2012-13 academic year, the numbers increased to 60 proctored exams. This semester the office is recruiting students, and next fall the service will be available for all faculty and teaching assistants on campus. The program is evolving to become an integral part of the work the MSU Honor Code Office does to promote honesty and integrity.
James Orr, director of the Honor Code Office, said a successful honor code is developed when students and faculty partner to promote honesty and integrity.
“The purpose of the Student Honor Code Office is to promote academic integrity, but also be a support for faculty and students. The proctoring program is one way to engage students in the promotion of academic integrity but also provide support for faculty in the classroom,” Orr said.
“Further, students also have an opportunity to provide support for faculty as they seek to cultivate a culture of honesty and integrity in the classroom. I believe that institutions of higher learning have an obligation to train future leaders to be men and women of integrity,” Orr said.
Lauren Colby Lindley, assistant program coordinator for the Student Honor Code Office, said the proctoring program serves as a reminder of the long-term importance of the honor code.
“I think that it is vital for students to abide by the student honor code because it will impose honor and integrity during their student career. If honor is practiced as a student, it will be more likely to be carried on throughout the other stages of life,” Lindley said. “There are many students who aren’t educated on the severity and consequences of what cheating and plagiarism can do. I would advise all students to consider cheating and plagiarism a crime. Academic misconduct violates the integrity and credibility of your education.” 
Blaire Wilson, coordinator of the Student Honor Code Office, said understanding the significance of the honor code is key to being a solid member of the MSU student body.
“Keeping the honor code at the forefront of discussion will promote a culture of integrity at MSU, which will resonate with the different businesses and companies who seek our graduates for employment,” she said. “The posting of the honor code in each classroom is a symbol of the university’s dedication to integrity and a reminder to students of their responsibility to uphold the values of what it means to be a student at Mississippi State University.”
The proctoring program has proved to be so helpful that other universities have contacted the Student Honor Code Office in order to learn how to implement the program. The office will present on the topic of “Creating a Student Examination Proctoring Program” at the International Center for Academic Integrity Conference that will be hosted in Jacksonville, Fla., Feb. 27- March 2.