Bothell's Honor Code Analysis

An honor code “provides students a clear explanation of the importance of behaving with the integrity and the expectation that our resulting actions will increase trust and respect” (B). The strength of an honor code is too often decided by the severity of its punishments instead of by the caliber of its success. When judged by the standard of severity, Bothell’s honor code could be considered a raging success, but when judged by the caliber of success, to say that the code falls short would be an understatement. Although Bothell’s honor code emphasizes the consequences of violation, it is in need of a strong revision, as enforcement is inconsistent and students lack a cultural incentive to hold themselves to the standards of the code. A …show more content…
For example, students at the University of Virginia are extremely well informed of the possible consequences of a code violation, but the school still uncovered a major plagiarism scandal (D). Similarly, Bothell spends time going over the honor code in detail, both in a contract for all students, and an assembly for freshmen and sophomores who are new to the school. The plagiarism problem nevertheless persists. The culture of a school is what is considered acceptable as determined and reinforced by the students, and this is the missing piece of Bothell’s honor code, just as it was for the University of Virginia (D). If students are courageous, and hold their peers to a higher standard, the plagiarism problem will have a dramatic decrease (C). High school is a time of formation, and it is of utmost importance that students are equipped for their future, and that there is “a culture that makes most forms of serious cheating socially unacceptable” (F). High school is a one of the places where the idea of “herd mentality” applies, meaning that individuals act the same way as the group does as a whole, causing them to make decisions that they may or may not have made on their own. This is especially applicable to the issue of plagiarism, as the culture of a school can make a large impact on the actions of individual …show more content…
The code has good aspects, such as the harsh punishments for offenders, but that is only part of the equation. If we want the presence of plagiarism to change, the culture of Bothell needs to change. Incorporating a student group to handle the punishments of peers would change the culture of our school, causing cheating to be considered unacceptable. Without an active voice from the students, the honor code will remain an ignored page in the school planner, only called into question on the occasion that a student is