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As a parent, you are in the best position to discuss the concepts of honorable conduct and integrity with your student. The best time to discuss integrity is prior to your child’s arrival to begin coursework at UNC. Many cases of conduct violations and academic dishonesty occur during the student’s first year of college as the student is adjusting to newfound freedom, a lack of structure, and time management challenges.
By taking the time to discuss what the student may expect during his or her first year, you are proactively encouraging ethical conduct and sound decision-making—skills which will benefit your child for life.
What to Discuss
College instructors at UNC expect much from students, and there is no “grace period” during which the student can claim lack of understanding. Often instructors will spend a great deal of class time in the first weeks of fall semester discussing issues such as plagiarism, the importance of documenting the source for ideas and text, and the value of scholarship in a community that values integrity.
As a parent, we recommend that you take time to familiarize yourself with the Honor Code (called the Instrument of Student Judicial Governance). After reviewing this information, encourage your student to review these sections as well. UNC strives to maintain an environment in which the words, thoughts, and ideas of others are properly attributed. This emphasis allows the student to build upon the prior bodies of knowledge in a given field; help the instructor evaluate the student’s ability to synthesize existing knowledge with their own thoughts and ideas; and substantiate that honesty is a value that UNC holds in highest esteem.
As you read the Honor Code, you will realize that it provides significant consequences for violations of academic dishonesty, including a one semester suspension as a “usual” sanction. A suspension serves to remove the student from the community for a period of time providing him or her with the opportunity to reflect on the impact his or her actions have on the intellectual climate on campus.
One of the most common Honor Code violations is plagiarism and parents can play a key role in preventing this violation. While some students may credibly claim that they did not understand how to cite a given passage or idea, few UNC students may claim that they did not understand the need to give credit to the words, thoughts, or ideas of others. With the advent of the Internet, the temptation to take “academic shortcuts” is great. At the college level, instructors find it unacceptable for students to “cut and paste” large verbatim sections into their papers. Thus, if a student’s paper contains content that does not represent the student’s own thoughts and ideas, the student is placing himself or herself in a position whereby he or she may be committing an academic integrity violation. You can assist your student by having him or her review the UNC Writing Center’s website section on plagiarism. Encourage him or her to seek help if he or she is confused about the instructor’s expectations regarding a given assignment.
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