There is not an official university honor code at Loyola. However, after viewing the work done around campus by a student public relations team, the Faculty Senate passed a motion for the provost to discuss the implementation of a code with the college deans.
This week the Bateman Team, which includes communications seniors Jacqueline Bodet, Kirby Scelfo and Jessica Venezia; Andrea Ganier, communications junior; and Kristen Haro, communications sophomore, presented a campaign titled “Check Out My Ethics.” The programming was designed to spark discussion among students and faculty on the importance of academic honesty and the possible establishment of a university honor code.
The campaign focused on aspects of student cheating on the high school and the university level. The team presented many workshops and forums, including workshops teaching students how to properly cite information and faculty discussions on the different policies they follow in the classroom and the successes and failures of each.
The team held the events as part of the Public Relations Society of America competition. Each year, PRSA gives its collegiate organizations a topic to research, market and present on campuses nationwide. Usually the product or topic is something commercial, but this year PRSA unexpectedly decided to assign the students a topic on academics.
PRSA also required that each organization competing in the Bateman Challenge must work with a local high school on the same issue. Loyola’s Bateman team members began to research their topic in December. They took surveys, read research studies and worked with De La Salle high school students.
Cathy Rogers, associate professor of communications and the team’s adviser, said that the purpose of the campaign was to advance a student’s ethical behavior by making a connection between academic honesty and future job performance. By making this connection, the team hopes that it will increase the level of academic integrity at Loyola.
Throughout the week, the team held different activities that were designed to examine aspects of academic honesty. On Monday, the team presented a faculty workshop that discussed the faculty’s role in preventing academic dishonesty. During the workshop, faculty members discussed the best ways to continue academic honesty in the classroom.
The team sponsored a student workshop Tuesday that was designed to help students understand the meaning of plagiarism and how to properly cite sources so that students can prevent themselves from plagiarizing.
On Wednesday, students and faculty were able to discuss the possibility of establishing a university honor code that would be designed to create appropriate ethical behavior and academic honesty. The team also visited De La Salle High School to present a discussion on cheating during students’ academic careers.
Finally, Thursday night the team presented a career panel that showed students the importance of ethical behavior and its effects on their futures.
The results and responses of the campaign have been positive. According to Ganier, students have been open about their feelings on academic honesty. She said that through Thefacebook.com, a Web site that college students usually browse to discuss different topics, Loyola students actively discuss ethical behavior and academic honesty.
According to Kirby Scelfo, communications senior, the faculty has also been responsive and supportive.
“We have the support of Father Wildes, Dr. (Walter) Harris, the Provost, and Dean (Thomas) Smith of Arts and Sciences. They have all applauded our efforts,” she said.
Ganier, too, has said that the faculty has been “enormously responsive and generous” with the team and its campaign.
Rogers said that she has been satisfied with the results of the campaign. She said she has also been pleased with the student’s diligence in researching and presenting the campaign.
Krystle Robinson can be reached at [email protected].
