The Mississippi State Honor Code is plastered all over campus – in residence halls, classrooms, even on handouts and admissions applications. While many might know the literal words of the code, there are various implications and specific details that some students may not be aware of.
For example, under the Honor Code, any student, faculty or staff member who commits or witnesses an act of lying, cheating or stealing is required to report it to the Honor Council. The incident should not be handled outside the Honor Council, even if it is a first offense. Students have the option of reporting a fellow student or going to the teacher with the issue, and the teacher can choose to handle the matter or turn it over to the Honor Council, but the incident must be reported.
Associate dean of students Thomas Bourgeois said students accused of violating the Honor Code have several options: They can accept the accusation and either keep the penalty or appeal it, or they can deny the accusation. Either way, the Honor Council presents the student with paperwork, which guarantees the student knows the outcome of a case, Bourgeois said.
“Any process that involves due process is going to have paperwork,” he said. “Students need to know what they are charged with.”
On a first offense, the greatest penalty a teacher can enforce is an XF course grade, Bourgeois said. Some teachers choose to give a student an F on an assignment or an F course grade instead of the XF course grade, but they may still require the program on academic integrity.
“The student always knows they can accept [the XF grade] or appeal it [and get the XF grade removed],” Bourgeois said.
On first offenses, the teacher or the Honor Council can hear the matter, but paperwork must be filed with the Honor Council, Bourgeois said. The Honor Council automatically handles second offenses, which result in suspension.
Students who receive an XF grade have the option of removing it from their transcript. First, students must take the Academic Integrity/XF seminar, a two-hour program offered several times throughout the semester. Deborah Lee, professor and coordinator of Library Instructional Services, teaches the seminar using Charles Lipson’s book, “Doing Honest Work in College.”
Lee said the book helps guide students toward ethical collegiate work.
“[The book is] to give you a resource, regardless of what class you’re taking, to help you,” Lee said.
Students are required to read 53 pages of the book prior to the seminar and Lee makes the seminar interactive by asking questions related to the MSU Honor Code and the reading.
After students complete the seminar, they move on to an online academic integrity course, a program started by three non-MSU teachers, Bourgeois said. Students register for the $150 course and are assigned to an online tutor who gives them reading assignments and follow-up questions.
“The online education is basically at the student’s pace,” Bourgeois said. “It’s very flexible, very hands-on.”
The course is through the Center for Academic Integrity, which vice president for student affairs Bill Kibler helped found in 1993.
Kibler said the intervention program is one of the strongest points of the Honor Code.
“The purpose of the intervention program is to equip a student to make more responsible decisions in the future regarding honesty in academic work,” he said. “The primary focus is helping the student understand the academic integrity expectations, to help them understand plagiarism . and to help them focus on ethical decision-making.”
Upon completion of both components, the X is removed from a student’s transcript. The F remains and the course is not eligible for retake under MSU’s Academic Forgiveness Policy, Bourgeois said.
“If you receive an XF or F for cheating, that class is not eligible to be replaced,” he said.
Before the Honor Code was implemented in 2007, the process of reporting incidents was complicated and difficult, Bourgeois said.
“The old policy was 100 times worse; it could drag on all semester,” he said. “It’s [the new Honor Code] extremely fair and less cumbersome.”
Bourgeois said he thinks the biggest change in the Honor Code is its proactive nature, citing the Honor Code video shown at orientation, signs posted around classrooms and teachers specifically reminding students about policies.
Unlike the previous system, which did not enable students to report violations, the Honor Code makes ethical standards the responsibility of the students, Bourgeois said.
“It’s empowering students. Students are responsible for academic integrity,” he said. “It’s kind of a culture change at the university.”
Kibler said he thinks it is also the university’s responsibility to hold students accountable and prevent future dishonesty.
“Our hope is that these interventions will assure that the next time a student is tempted to cheat . they will make the decision for honesty,” he said.
Dale Holt, professor of religion and philosophy, said the visibility of the Honor Code helps create a different atmosphere.
“Since the institution of the Honor Code, I haven’t detected as many violations and I think that’s due to the atmosphere I can create in my classes,” he said. “If it’s posted in the classroom, it gives me the opportunity to point to it and talk it out.”