LETTERS: Monday, January 31, 2000

Encouraging integrity Encouraging integrityTo the Editor: I'd like to take this chance to comment on a number of very good points Mr. Exum made in his column, but first I'll just explain where we are and where we're headed. The Honor Council is conducting an anonymous Web-based student survey over the next few weeks to gauge the situation we have at Penn. This will lead to discussion about the feasibility of, and desire for, an honor code here. Right now, Penn has a Code of Academic Integrity, which says that one is subject to disciplinary action if caught violating the code. Honor codes hold students accountable for their actions by their peers and maintain that a certain level of conduct is expected. But it is the spirit of an honor code that breeds an atmosphere of trust and integrity. As a result, honor code schools have less cheating and more overall honesty. I agree -- it'd be nice to see more academic honesty around here. But, as Mr. Exum notes, a switch to an honor code has to be driven by students. It can't be imposed by administrators as a marketing gimmick. Honor codes don't arise from apathy. So until there's some sort of uprising for an honor code, the Honor Council and other administrative bodies are going to do what they can to promote academic honesty. Mr. Exum thinks the Honor Council should be given some teeth, honor code or not. Sure, I agree. He says students should answer to their peers at disciplinary hearings, not primarily to faculty. Sure, I agree. He says the Honor Council should carry out investigations, which the Office of Student Conduct does. At a school this size, we'd spend all our time being amateur sleuths. But I agree with the sentiment. In short, I think that Mr. Exum and I agree that the Honor Council, one day, should be considered a judicial arm of student government, on par with the UA. For the meantime though, Deputy Provost Peter Conn's Academic Integrity Task Force is the biggest step toward promoting academic integrity that there's been in a while. -- Rikki Tanenbaum College '01 The writer is chairwoman of the University Honor Council. To the Editor: While I applaud the trip of the four Penn students up to New Hampshire over break ("Four Penn students hit the campaign trail," DP, 1/19/00), there is a larger movement going. While these students toured New Hampshire attending speeches and debates, there were many other students at work deep in the trenches for various campaigns. There were at least seven or eight Penn students working on the Bill Bradley campaign, dedicating their time and energy to support his campaign. Being in New Hampshire and seeing the level of involvement among campaign volunteers -- virtually all of whom were under the age of 25 -- renewed my faith in the political power and commitment of young people. This weekend, more than 40 students from the Penn community converged in Manchester in a show of support for Bradley. This devotion is inspiring and refutes the myth that Penn students are apathetic. While the efforts of those four students who traveled around New Hampshire show a commitment to education, the actions of these campaigners show a dedication to something larger than themselves. Alison O'Donnell College '02 The writer is co-chairwoman of Bill Bradley for President at Penn.