Comments on: Governing Honor

By: Sophomore Feb

Sophomore Feb — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 21:05:20 +0000

I think in general people don’t cheat, but at the same time, why not proctor exams? It couldn’t hurt.

By: Sophomore

Sophomore — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 04:08:02 +0000

I agree with the poster above– I don’t believe that cheating on exams (at least not the in-class variety) is prevalent, and therefore I believe that proctoring exams would do more harm than good, causing students to lose faith in the honor code system. In my experience, cheating/not quite following the honor code much more often takes the form of getting more help than is allowed on papers and other assignments, not properly citing sources, etc. Granted, I’m a Soc/Anthro major, so like ‘Geography Major’ above, perhaps the type of exams I have experience with are harder to cheat on? In any case, I’m definitely opposed to proctoring exams, as it would do little to solve these problems. The honor code works because it forces us to stop and think, and because it gives us a specific standard to live up to. Certainly, some people may choose to ignore this, but some serious consideration is needed before we start dismantling the system.

By: Geography Major ('08)

Geography Major ('08) — Tue, 22 Apr 2008 03:02:26 +0000

I’ve never seen or known of cheating at Middlebury. On most examinations, students cannot benefit from cheating; instead they must rely on developing a logical, coherent argument drawing from a wide range of material. Of course quantitative tests open this door, but I’ve never seen it in the dozen or so math, stats, and science courses I’ve taken. More importantly than the Honor Code, though, is Middlebury’s cultural norm of accepting a lower grade over taking a shortcut. Through disdain for cheaters, we self-police. While I don’t doubt that there are a few Middlebury students who cheat from time to time, I doubt it’s a crisis.

You’re right in discussing social governance issues too. What ever happened to the social honor code that was being developed? Next year’s housing changes may present new challenges, or perhaps improve inappropriate student behavior.