The Associated Students of Michigan State University will launch a new “Spartan Code of Honor” academic pledge campaign this fall to promote student responsibility over rules of academic integrity.
The pledge reads as follows:
“As a Spartan, I will strive to uphold values of the highest ethical standard. I will practice honesty in my work, foster honesty in my peers and take pride in knowing that honor is worth more than grades. I will carry these values beyond my time as a student at Michigan State University, continuing the endeavor to build personal integrity in all that I do.”
In addition to seeing this as an opportunity for students to take personal ownership over many of the values that already exist in the Spartan Life Handbook, Lorenzo Santavicca, 2016-17 ASMSU and undergraduate student body president, said there was a need to bridge the gap between honor codes for different colleges within the university.
“The new academic pledge is a collaboration between MSU colleges and student groups on campus that already had an honor code in place,” Santavicca said. “We were bringing everyone together to talk about what this could be for the university and what it means for a responsible academic work ethic to be in place for all of Michigan State.”
ASMSU began planning for the project more than a year ago. According to Santavicca, the process started on the student level and then passed through multiple levels within the university, all the way up to the MSU Board of Trustees for formal recognition.
University administrators have voiced avid support for the campaign, including Provost June Pierce Youatt.
“I hope it becomes a signal, or a prompt for students, to really think about what it means to be a Spartan, that they actually stop and think: What does it mean to be at MSU? How does this place differ?” Youatt said.
Spartans can expect to see the new academic pledge in syllabi and posted in heavily trafficked buildings on campus, in addition to being codified in the student handbook. In addition, the website offers something more accessible than the student handbook — a ready reference accessible across all digital platforms.
“There needs to be a way for students to read through the resources that are already available to them,” Santavicca said. “We want to make something more interactive and dynamic to the experience here at Michigan State, where students can go to read updated materials or just sign the pledge and feel like they can be part of this campaign for themselves.
The Spartan Code of Honor website provides resources for students to review frequently asked questions about academic integrity and learn about reporting and appealing cases of academic misconduct. In addition, it will feature a call to action for students to sign the pledge and share it online.