Honor Council releases results of 2009-2010 hearings

Wesley Hough-Cornwell

The Honor Council released information from the 2009-2010 academic year, listing Honor Code violations, actions taken by the Honor Council and the sanctions of these violations.
Ilsa Tone ’12, one of the two Honor Council chairs for the 2010-2011 academic year, explained that the biggest trends in violations were in plagiarizing ideas and content from Internet sources, failing to cite sources in papers and even verbatim copying from Internet articles.
Fewer Honor Code violations were made last year on tests than on papers, and this trend suggests that independently written papers are easier and more tempting to cheat on.
Tone advised students to use the resources that Lawrence makes available – the Honor Council encourages those who need help to seek it. The Center for Teaching and Learning offers writing tutors and content tutors who are assigned to the majority of lower-level classes.
Moreover, if a student is on the fence about the proper usage of citations or specific sources, Tone adamantly stated that it is always best to just ask fellow classmates, tutors or a professor.
“Getting a zero on your paper is far better than failing the class or being put on academic probation,” claimed Tone. She described the Honor Council’s difficulty in hearing such cases. “I always feel so disappointed when we have another case,” she said.
The worst part about the sanctioning conferences and hearings, Tone explained, is the fact that many of these students are in stressful situations when they turn to cheating.
However, Tone asserted, “Making the decision to not cheat will serve you higher in the long run. you won’t remember 15 years from now if you got a C on a test or paper.”
Tone assured that students who are in stressful situations or are dealing with illness or family problems should contact their professors or the Dean of Student Services.
“College is stressful,” Tone admitted, “but if you need help or time, ask your professor for an extension or for the name of a tutor.