Trust, Honesty, and the Honor System

Trust is an important expectation in American education. The "honor system," imposed by the teacher and the school, demands that the student be honest in all areas of schoolwork. Violation of the honor system can result in failing a course, having a permanent record of the violation in the student's files, and even being suspended or expelled from the university. Many students are also aware that they can jeopardize their rapport with fellow students if they are dishonest. Students who cheat may lose the respect of other students, particularly those who study for exams and work independently. Some instructors leave their classrooms when students are taking an exam. They may or may not say, "I expect you all to abide by the honor system" (which means, "Don't cheat!"). Even if the words are not stated, the student is expected to work alone and not share answers.

In one midwestern university handbook, the following behaviors are listed as examples of academic dishonesty:

• Plagiarism – Using other people's work and submitting it as your own without citing the source.

• Cheating – This includes tests, take-home exams, and papers submitted for credit.

• Fabrication – Reporting false or inaccurate data.

• Aiding . . . dishonesty – Knowingly providing information to another student that would be used dishonestly.

• Falsification of records and official documents – This includes forging signatures or falsifying information on academic documents.

College officials take these rules seriously and punish accordingly. (Although some American students do try to cheat, they know what the consequences are.) Plagiarism, or presenting another's ideas (either in written or oral form) as one's own, is a concept tied to cultural beliefs. Americans believe in respect for other people's property, and this includes their ideas as well as their research. The words and ideas of academicians, scholars, and researchers are considered private property. If others' research and ideas are to be used in someone else's work, they must be acknowledged by a citation (a written reference indicating the source of the material). Sometimes, it is necessary to obtain written permission to use an extended piece of information (or ideas) in a book or article to be published. When international students are accused of plagiarism, it may be that they omitted the citation out of ignorance and not because of dishonesty. In the academic world, Americans consider the lack of citation as tantamount to a "stolen" idea. Many students from other countries do not share similar ideas about private property, especially private property in the form of ideas or research. Still, they have to adapt to the rides of their college or university.

Students from countries where "beating the system" is a survival technique have to adjust to the fact that in the United States any kind of falsification of official school documents is considered dishonest and is punishable. In an attempt to "beat the system," several Eastern European students were expelled from their college after it was discovered that they had given false information about their prior schooling on their applications for admission. Their attempt to take advantage of the system in order to better themselves may have been a natural response to having struggled in a society with many bureaucratic barriers. Nevertheless, the American university administrators could not excuse this kind of dishonest behavior, despite the students' cultural background.

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