Trust vs. Obligation

An honor code is an improvement to any campus, including Ursinus, in that it promotes trust and morality amongst students and faculty alike. The question though, is whether the honor code takes a disciplinary or open-trust form.

In the example of Haverford College, every test is taken without the supervision of a professor. In my opinion, no matter how long the honor code has been in place, you cannot trust everyone to follow the code. There will always be people who thwart the agreement for personal gain. In effect, this totally undermines the trust necessary for an honor code to remain effective. It also diminishes a student’s rightfully earned A in comparison with the cheated A. So not only are those who ignore the code cheating the school for ignoring policies, but more specifically the students who worked honestly for their grade.

I do not advocate the honor code that doesn’t require students to have supervision during tests. However, the more disciplinary version is more likely to be effective. Though not everyone will ever obey the code, establishing one at Ursinus College increases the probability that a student won’t cheat had there not been an honor code. It was mentioned in class that Ursinus has attempted to establish an honor code in the past. The proposal was vehemently rejected, but not without its implications. The anger of the students towards the proposition suggests though that they would obey the honor code once signed, and then be forced to turn in friends when cheating. So, in the event that an honor is established, a majority of Ursinus students may be capable of respecting its requirements.