Aproposed change to the honor code allowing students to erase an “XF” grade — which denotes failure of a course due to academic dishonesty — from their transcripts provides an effective punitive middle ground.
As the faculty council continues to discuss the details of the reform, the emphasis should be on maintaining a system that doesn’t just punish students that commit transgressions, but also serves an educative purpose.
The proposal would allow students to eliminate “XF”s if they pass a full academic semester and take a class that teaches academic integrity.
The previous system, in which students found guilty of academic dishonesty were often handed semester-long suspensions, was largely viewed as too harsh, and thus many professors opted to take punishment into their own hands, forgoing the honor court.
This new “XF” system is more forgiving with regards to academic standing, as students given an “XF” are put on academic probation — however, an irremovable mark on a transcript is akin to branding these students for life, which is overkill.
As of now, determining whether the guilty students simply receive a zero on the assignment in question or an “XF” in the course is left up to the professors.
Leaving such a serious and potentially lasting consequence up to the whims of a professor that is often personally invested in the academic dishonesty without any chance of expunging the “XF” would be an inconsistent and subjective way to levy sanctions.
Combining retributive justice with restorative justice by not only giving the student a failing grade in the course, but also giving them an opportunity to learn from their mistakes in this academic integrity course, is the most effective form of punishment.
While academic dishonesty should by no means be taken lightly, a single occurrence in college shouldn’t be sufficient to mark someone as a ‘cheater’ for future employers.
