Choose Integrity
Over 75 percent of college students on many campuses have admitted to some sort of cheating found the Center for Academic Integrity (CAI) (Hutton 171). Academic integrity has become a larger issue today than ever before. A significant portion of these students aren’t even aware that some of the things that they are doing are even considered cheating.
Academic cheating can take on many different faces. Some of the things it can include are exchanging test questions and answers, plagiarizing, purchasing a paper, copying on an exam, and working with others when instructed against it, among other things. This is not fair to the students who are trying to fairly get an education with intelligence and hard work. The Center for Academic Integrity’s found that 55% of students do not consider taking questions and answers for a test from a peer as an act of serious cheating (Hulsart 2). All of the new technologies that have become available have added an entirely new way for students to cheat and be dishonest with their academic work. They now use cell phones to text each other answers and look up information on the internet. Students have access to unlimited resources on the internet. When a best-selling textbook is being used it’s easy for students to find the answers online (Young, par. 4).
Most colleges and universities do have some sort of academic integrity policy. It is then put in the hands of the professors to look out for, and, in a, way enforce. More often than not, these professors are the ones who have to initially make these types of accusations against a student. Doing something of that nature is not always the most comfortable thing to confront. Lansing Community College has a current academic dishonesty policy; anyone can find it on their website. However, it doesn’t describe the types of disciplinary actions that would be taken if you were to be caught “cheating”. All it says in the policy is “Failure to follow this policy may result in disciplinary action up to and including termination” (“Policies”); how is this statement supposed to deter students from doing something that most of them don’t believe is wrong? In a situation where any person doesn’t believe they are doing something wrong, without knowing of a strict enforced consequence there is just no reason to stop doing it, especially in a situation where it is benefiting them. Students believe that they face too much pressure and some feel that this justifies cheating in some way (Hulsart 52). When did the morals we should employ just disappear? Students are under a significant amount of pressure, especially compared to the past. However, there are more students who are putting in the effort and the time to succeed. As one of those students, I don’t believe that the people who cheat to get their degree deserve to have that degree. We are all entering the same job pool and we will compete against each other. How is it even remotely fair for these cheaters to be compared against the students who honestly put in the work? It’s not. Many college students see cheating as being profitable and don’t feel the need to take responsibility for their integrity. For those students who have been taught honesty and integrity this is something that is quite disturbing. Students cheat because of the feeling that some of the curriculum is irrelevant in the real world, as well as, the academic pressures that are constantly felt (Hulsart 52). These academic pressures and lack of interest in the curriculum are issues that we all, as students, have to face. However, learning honesty and integrity are important as well. By not deterring students from doing this, it allows them to freely get away with lying and cheating. We don’t want our future leaders being unethical. We have to stop assuming that it is the norm for well-educated individuals to choose the ethical course of action, this is just adding