“Two Dozen Expelled in Naval Academy Cheating Scandal” Back in December 1992, 134 seniors of the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland were implicated in the biggest cheating scandal since the school’s establishment in 1845. After a 16-month investigation, Navy Secretary John H. Dalton ordered 24 U.S. Naval Academy midshipmen expelled, while 62 of the 134 midshipmen were found guilty of honor violations by a tribunal and given punishments such as loss of privileges and restriction to academy grounds. “This has been a very difficult decision to make, but in my judgment, it is both fair and just," said Dalton, an academy graduate. "We must strive to maintain a spirit of honor and integrity within the naval service.” The cheating …show more content…
If a nation’s fighters cannot demonstrate the simple integrity of completing their assignments by themselves, they are likely not fit for service either. Those who were implicated could not graduate from the honorable institution and had their academic records tainted, making it difficult for people like Brian Pirko, one of the expelled midshipmen, to continue their college education. However, the consequences of academic dishonesty have effects far beyond education, as demonstrated in the next and last case …show more content…
By cheating on an exam, I would not only discredit my own knowledge that I have worked hard on acquiring, but also insult my teachers and peers, who deserve equal respect for their collective influence on my scholastic achievements. Aside from obvious moral reasons, it has now come to me that cheating is not worth the inevitable consequences that follow; I do not want to risk my future prospects in education and job pursuits for an “easy A” on a physics exam. By choosing not to commit acts of scholastic dishonesty in the future, I am entrusting myself with the task to uphold moral ethics in both academic and non-educational aspects of my life and respecting myself as a scholar that earns grades and achievements and not chooses the easy way out. I am determined to continue my high school career with integrity, which I will also carry through to life in college. C. S. Lewis said, “Integrity is doing the right thing, even when no one is watching,” so I will always hold myself accountable for my actions, whether I am part of a group or on my