Greeks get lesson in honor

At the beginning of this semester, a Penn fraternity brother received a letter from the Office of Student Conduct notifying him that he was being charged with academic dishonesty. The brother, a Wharton junior, admitted to borrowing a paper from a fellow fraternity brother, copying it and turning it in as his own work. And on Tuesday night, the brother -- whose name cannot be disclosed due to an agreement with the OSC -- shared his story with this year's new fraternity members in an event about the Honor Code sponsored by the InterFraternity Council. "It's certainly not something I'm proud of," the brother said. "But it's something I want to talk to you guys about." Tuesday marked the inauguration of the Honor Code assembly, an annual event designed to emphasize the importance of academic integrity among new Greek members. New members were required to attend the event both to listen to speakers discuss academic integrity as well as sign an honor code. The code signified their dedication to uphold the University's ideals as well as the ideals of their fraternities. "I think it's important that the community sees that we are trying to make a commitment to integrity and honor beyond our house walls," said College junior and IFC Secretary Trey Best, who helped organize the event. In addition to the personal experiences shared, Director of College Houses and Academic Services David Brownlee discussed the importance of honesty. "The pledge that you're about to take is just as important as the work that you and I do together," the art history professor said. "And the work that you and I do together is the most important work in the world." "You and I create ideas," he added. "You and I are intellectuals." He emphasized the role of academic integrity in preserving the important work of which he spoke. "This honorable use of ideas is the most important safeguard for the important work that we do," he said. Those in attendance said they felt the event was important to address an issue that is critical to both university and fraternity life. "I think it's important that the school maintains its sense of credibility," said College freshman Jonathan Budish, a new member of Phi Delta Theta. "That through the Greek system, a student part of the University, the University continues to uphold its strong reputation academically." And although speakers mentioned that cheating needs to be addressed within the Greek system because of the strong bonds developed between members, IFC President Mark Zimring stressed that the issue is a universal one. "This isn't a Greek problem, it's a University-wide problem," the College junior and Delta Kappa Epsilon brother said. "But as Greeks, we're leaders on campus and should hold ourselves to a higher standard than everyone else." And new members said that while academic dishonesty is universal, so is frustration with those who cheat. "It just really gets me mad when I know people in the school cheat sometimes when all the work I do is completely honest," said Wharton freshman Alex Ramirez, a new member of Phi Delta Theta.

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