The honor code has been a lasting tradition in many high schools, colleges, and universities. The honor code focuses on the integrity of every student, and encourages each student to work to the best of their individual abilities. My school should maintain the honor code because it brings out honesty and a sense of security in students, and it serves as the eliminating factor of cheating, stealing, and plagiarizing. Integrity is a crucial attribute in a successful student. Integrity is often times formed by the honor code, which instills moral values in a student. In a school with the honor code, many students uphold strong moral principles. In schools with enforced honor codes, “Students who enter a college of mostly “honest” types will …show more content…
The honor code serves as an eliminating factor for these problems. According to research, there are significantly lower levels of cheating reported at honor code schools because of how socially unacceptable cheating is among the majority of students (Source F). Those who violate the honor code put themselves at a social risk. When the majority of students act with honesty and sincerity, the one who cheats is often embarrassed and ostracized. According to a survey, 88% of students at a school believe that failure on an assignment is a reasonable punishment for the violation of the honor code (Source E). Even students believe that violations of the honor code are so bad that they should result in failure. Threatening to fail students on an assignment holds back the urge to cheat. Students have a great fear of being caught because of the strict consequences that come with violating the honor code (Source F). With the fear of punishment suppressing any urge to cheat, commitment to the honor code becomes more and more prevalent. This allows cheating to be erased from the student body. If my school continues to maintain the honor code, the fear of punishment will wipe out cheating across the entire student