Honor Advisory Council promotes academic honor

While most Tech students are familiar with the consequences of an Honor Code violation, fewer are aware of the initiatives that exist to protect, promote and to inform students about the Institute's academic integrity.

The Honor Advisory Council is an independent student-run organization that promotes awareness of the Institute's Honor Code and Academic Integrity throughout the Tech community.

This perception, however, is changing due to innovative campus-wide initiatives the council has been implementing in an attempt to publicize its importance as an information resource to students about the Honor Code, academic integrity, and the process in general.

"By our nature we are a proactive group, so we are going to try and go out and tell people about the Honor Code and about Academic Integrity," said HAC Chair Eli Riddle.

One of the council's most important educational programs is their annual presentation at FASET.

"It's a big chance for us to talk with the freshmen right when they're getting here and tell them what the expectations are of a Tech student concerning the Honor Code," Riddle said. In addition to FASET, the council also speaks at Freshman Convocation, GT1000 classes, and TA Orientation.

"We are really trying to put the idea of the Honor Code and HAC in the public eye and help people realize that the Code is a daily thing in the life of a Tech student," said Sam Vojdani, a second-year undergraduate member who is heading up the new PR campaign.

The council is currently revamping many of its presentations, enhancing their website, creating new mediums such as movies and skits, planning engaging events and advertising more. HAC members also hold weekly office hours, which are available to all students for general advising purposes.

Honor Awareness Week is another big event the council hosts every fall semester.

Last year HAC had an open panel discussion on ethics and integrity with guest speakers such as Tech Athletic Director Dan Radakovich and associate professor of Public Policy Richard Barke.

A relatively small organization, the council is comprised of thirteen members: an advisor from the Office of Student Integrity, two graduate students ten undergraduate students. Spanning only ten years, the council has seen tremendous improvement since its inception.

"Every year that I have been on the council I think we have been moving forward," said Stephen Thompson, HAC Vice Chair.

"Since the Honor Code is getting older, it is getting more established and I think that is one of the most important roles that HAC has... to help get the Honor Code more established in the campus community," Thompson said.

"The Honor Code is so much about community and people sometimes see it as being punitive or just a bunch of rules when really we want people to think about it as community," said Mitch Keller, one of the graduate student HAC members.

Keller has certainly contributed to spreading awareness in his five years on the council by reaching out to graduate and international students.

"We started a program to work with the Office of International Education on international student orientations in providing an optional session there to talk about cultural differences in academic integrity," Keller said.

Keller also commented on the strategies the HAC uses to reach students in the most effective manner.

"We try to keep it interactive and case-study based so they can talk about [various issues]," Keller said.

In addition to proactively educating students about the Honor Code, HAC also provides a seminar on ethics as a supplementary requirement for people who are found responsible of an academic violation.

Students from HAC will lead a group of other students in discussion about what honor and integrity are and what they mean to both the Tech community and life after college.

Formerly called the Academic Integrity Seminar, the scope of the program has expanded and is now called the Ethics Seminar.

"We have some neat activities in the discussions that are brought up in the seminar because our process here is an educational process, so we know that people are going to make mistakes. We feel that college is the time for people to learn from those mistakes," Riddle said.

Riddle also noted that the seminar is an important way to identify behavior in violation of the Honor Code and to take the appropriate measures to correct it.

"This seminar is a chance for students who might have messed up and cheated to learn to take something away from that...hopefully that carries on into the community," Riddle said.

It is important to note, however, that there exists a clear dichotomy among the Honor Advisory Council and the Honor Committee regarding judicial hearings for academic violations.

While the Honor Committee conducts the hearings and makes decisions concerning sanctions, HAC serves to mainly advise students on the overall judicial process and to educate them on the Code.

Every year, members from the council also attend at least one national conference on ethics and academic integrity.

"This is a great opportunity for the council members to discuss with other schools issues related to academic integrity and find out how other schools are educating their student body about honor and integrity," said HAC Advisor David Dial. Also a Judicial Coordinator in the Office of Student Integrity, Dial plays an important role with the Honor Advisory Council.

"My role as an advisor is to help students on the council understand the policies regarding academic integrity at Tech so I can better help inform them about the policies and statistics surrounding academic integrity so that they can then turn around and better serve the Tech community," Dial said.

The story of Tech alumnus Bobby Jones calling a double-stroke penalty on himself in the 1925 U.S. Open might have cost him the Championship by just one shot, but his decision not only embodies the true meaning of integrity, but it also illustrates that honor and integrity apply to much more than just the classroom.

For more information concerning the Honor Advisory Council, please send an e-mail to honor@gatech.edu or contact any member on HAC. Also visit the web site for more information: http://www.honor.gatech.edu.