It was good to see your Jan. 17 editorial entitled "Cheating on the Rise"--not good that cheating is on the rise, but good that The Chronicle fairly regularly prints editorials or articles on the subject of honor and integrity at Duke University.
In fact, I do not assume that cheating is on the rise. Since Duke participated in a national survey on this topic a few years ago, we have seen an intensified awareness of the need to address academic integrity issues more directly and boldly.
Duke faculty have become more inclined to make their attitudes toward cheating clearer, both on the syllabus and in class discussions, and to instruct students about what constitutes plagiarism or inappropriate collaboration. As you suggest, professors may well be bringing more cases forward.
Since cheating is prevalent in high schools and even on the elementary school level, we would be naive to think that we will ever eliminate cheating at Duke. But we can reduce it. The current Honor Code or the upcoming (in fall 2003) Duke Community Standard is only one piece of a program to highlight the importance of academic integrity and to build a community of honor and trust on this campus.
My guess is that most Duke students want to be part of such a community, whether to achieve a true learning environment or merely to "level the playing field" in the competition for grades. Duke students may not be more honorable than anyone else, as you have noted, but we hope that with the help of their peers and their instructors they will come to hold ever higher expectations for themselves and for their university.
I would encourage all Duke students, undergraduates and graduate/professional students alike, and all Duke faculty as well, to consult the Academic Integrity Council's new website at www.integrity.duke.edu for information and assistance.
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