I admit it: I'm a member of the Honor Committee. Every school seems to have an Honor Code and a committee that hears violations of it. Though this is college, I am amazed with how many cases we hear every semester. Though I can't talk about the actual cases, I thought that I would at least summarize some information that students might find useful.
- Don't cheat or plagiarize. Believe it or not, professors are smart. They probably even know more tricks that you do.
- Read the syllabus. Not knowing that you couldn't do x because you hadn't bothered to read it is not a defense.
- If you miss a class, find out what you missed from the professor since a student may have attended class, but may not have paid attention. Again, not knowing you couldn't do x because you weren't at class that day is not a defense.
- Learn when and how to cite references. This is apparently not taught in high school any more so it is generally covered in freshman English. If not, most schools have writing centers that are free so go visit if you are having trouble.
- If you get caught, just fess up. There is nothing more annoying that a student who is caught and tries to say that they didn't do it. When it is obvious (i.e., we have video of it), it aggrivates your case and can lead to a harsher sentence.
- At least at GMU, we can't force a professor to do something. We can make suggestions, but we can't (and usually don't want to) force the professor to allow you to redo a lab, paper, test on which you cheated or plagiarized.
- Before you submit something, make sure it is the correct version as you are responsible for what you submit. I really hate having to hear a case where a student obviously sent in a rough draft of a paper where information wasn't properly cited. Just in case, this will not work as a defense.
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