Mays Business Online

Students expected to uphold integrity inside classroom and out

BY LARA ZUEHLKE

A History of Honor?

Since its founding in 1876, Texas A&M University has prided itself on educating students of high moral character and ethical value. While the campus climate might have been centered on honor, it's not certain whether the university had an official honor code.

Curious about the origins of the Aggie Honor Code, Professor of Accounting Marty Loudder scoured the university, including the Corps of Cadets and Cushing Library archives, to determine the code's history.

"Everyone thinks the honor code goes back to the very beginning of the university," she says. "But we cannot find anything before the 1950s that mentions the Aggie Honor Code."

And at that time, the code had morphed from West Point's, stating, "A cadet does not lie, cheat or steal, or tolerate those who do." Then, Loudder says, the university changed it to, "Aggies don't lie, cheat or steal, nor tolerate those who do."

After much debate, particularly whether to use "nor" or "or," the code was officially changed one more time. However, this go-round, Loudder says, the intent is to make it more personal.

"We thought we would place the responsibility on the individual," she explains, "so it now says, 'An Aggie does not lie, cheat or steal, or tolerate those who do.'"

Even though the code's exact history is uncertain, the gist is still the same — do your part to uphold Aggie values.

Want More Information?

Visit the Aggie Honor System Office for specific information about upholding the Aggie Honor Code.

Although many take the Aggie Honor Code to heart, Texas A&M students aren't immune from academic dishonesty. Catch a peak of a classmate's test. Share answers on essay questions. Forget to cite another's work.

On most U.S. campuses, more than 75 percent of students admit to some form of cheating, asserts The Center for Academic Integrity, housed at Duke University's Kenan Institute for Ethics. And Texas A&M students are fairly consistent with that, based on surveys conducted during 2002 by the Department of Student Life Studies.

While some students' actions are intentional, many students are confused about what constitutes cheating, says Mays Associate Dean Clair Nixon. Students and faculty often encounter a lot of "gray area," he says, especially with collaboration on team projects.

Starting this fall, the Aggie Honor System will help Texas A&M faculty and students define the parameters surrounding cheating. The new system was created as a result of the 2002 survey. The majority of 1,000 respondents indicated they had taken part in specific behaviors some might consider cheating — from sharing information on exams and getting test questions beforehand to copying a few sentences without citing the work.

President Robert Gates and former Vice President for Student Affairs Bill Kibbler interpreted the data seriously and assembled an initial task force to research the issue further. The group's recommendations were later handed off and put into motion by the Academic Integrity Task Force, spearheaded by former Faculty Senate Speaker and Professor of Accounting Marty Loudder.

"We want to build a culture of integrity at Texas A&M," says Loudder. "I think we used to have one but somehow it's gotten away from us."

All cases of misconduct will filter through a newly created unit, the Aggie Honor System Office, and will be investigated and judged by faculty and student members of the Aggie Honor Council. Each Texas A&M college is represented on the council, including Mays Associate Professor of Finance Paige Fields and Professor of Marketing Charles Futrell.

The system clearly outlines academic misconduct as 9 actions — including cheating, fabrication, plagiarism and complicity — which could be reprimanded by sanctions ranging in severity from suspension or expulsion to academic probation.

Although, the goal isn't to police students, says Aggie Honor System Office Director Nicole Bradford. Rather, she hopes the system will create a more open dialogue between faculty and students about what is appropriate behavior in the classroom.

"We're here to prevent violations of the code as much as possible, so our main focus is educating the campus on the requirements and expectations we have at A&M," says Bradford. "Apart from the classroom knowledge, we want to add something very important to our campus, and that's knowing and upholding the honor code. We want to make sure students leave here with the morals and values that go with it."

From classroom to the workplace

Whether students are taking Accounting 101 or eventually become a chief executive officer, integrity is universal. And some might contend — based on recent news headlines — a trait that is lacking in today's business world.

That's why Mays faculty and administrators are particularly encouraged by the university's commitment to graduating students of higher ethical standard. Because for faculty like Loudder, students prone to cut corners now are likely to develop a habit that could hurt them down the line.

"I don't think students understand, particularly accounting students, how innocently some of these big scandals have started," she says. "There's no difference really between that type of corporate fraud and cheating on an exam. It starts small. You justify it by saying everyone is doing it, so I have to."

Mays formed an Ethics Council last year with representatives from each academic department to assess the extent to which ethics was addressed at the undergraduate level. While the council discovered many faculty were teaching ethics, more could be done, says Associate Dean Nixon, a professor of accounting and chair of the council.

"We have taken a three-step approach so students would have exposure early, in the midst and at the end of the program," Nixon explains.

Starting this fall, Mays students will be exposed to discussions about ethics and integrity in the core curriculum classes taken by all business students. For example, the introduction to business course, Management 105, has been revamped. Now about one-third of the course will center on ethics. In other core undergraduate classes, faculty will devote at least a week to the subject.

Additionally, the school has proposed a mandatory, one-credit senior seminar, Social Responsibility in Business, which Nixon hopes will be offered starting spring or fall 2005. Specific departments are also adding ethics courses, including accounting, which will teach a three-hour ethics course for all Professional Program students.

Now, with the Aggie Honor Code taking on a new meaning, and the implementation of ethics education across the board, Nixon believes Mays students will be even better prepared to do the right thing in the workplace.

"What we're doing with the code is being more visible and keeping it in the forefront of students' thoughts. We all have a conscience and know what's right and wrong," he says. "I expect our kids to be ethical, and I have a lot of faith in our young people that they will uphold the code."