Erin Brockovich will headline Penn's second annual Academic Integrity Week, which begins Monday and runs through Friday.
Brockovich, portrayed last year by Academy Award-winning actress Julia Roberts in Erin Brockovich, a film about the real-life Brockovich's battle to expose water pollution and its effects on a local community, will speak at Irvine Auditorium on Oct. 3.
The week-long series of events will also feature two panel discussions on ethics, a community service coffeehouse and a regional conference on academic integrity.
The events are sponsored by the University Honor Council, a student-run organization that promotes awareness of academic integrity issues.
Council Co-Chairman Alan Bell, a Wharton and College senior, said that the week is designed to appeal to the entire undergraduate community.
"What we're trying to do is to get people thinking about different issues," Bell said. "It's getting the issue out there before midterms."
On Monday, Legal Studies Professor and Wharton Vice Dean Thomas Dunfee will lead a panel discussion entitled "Is Ethics Dead?" And various faculty members will conduct Tuesday's discussion, "Ethics in the Workplace."
Thursday's coffeehouse will feature various performing arts groups, and Friday's integrity conference will bring to Penn 120 representatives from 50 different East Coast schools.
Council Co-Chairwoman Lauren Davidson, a College senior, said that the council's goal is to raise awareness through events that will interest a wide variety of students.
"We've chosen a diverse group of activities over the course of the week in order to attract the most people that we can from the undergraduate community," Davidson said.
Last year, Mayor John Street declared a city-wide academic integrity week to build on Penn's initiative. Tobacco industry whistleblower Jeffrey Wigand, whose story was dramatized in the movie The Insider, was the headline speaker for the inaugural week of events.
Like Wigand, Brockovich demonstrated integrity outside the academia. But according to Davidson, Brockovich's achievements send a message that applies to students.
"It shows students that integrity goes beyond the university level," Davidson said. "You need academic integrity to lead the rest of your lives. Ethics carry over."
Due to overwhelming demand, free tickets for Brockovich's speech were only available through an online lottery.
Bell said he hopes Brockovich's broad appeal brings attention to a subject that goes beyond the classroom.
"One of the best ways to focus on academic integrity without people zoning out is to focus on integrity in general," Bell said. "When you get someone with a big name, you're going to get people there and hopefully get them talking about it."
