A motion was recently proposed to the Students’ Association to create a “student honor code” that would be signed by incoming students.

The act would be very similar to the academic honesty portion of every syllabus. Academic honesty pertains to actions such as cheating, plagiarism, and attending class.

Students’ Association Senator Brady Duxbury is one of the senators proposing the new honor code and is also a member of the Academic Appeals Committee that helps decide how to best deal with struggling students. The committee is a combination of faculty and students. The idea originally came from the professors on the committee.

“Professors have expressed to us that there is growing disrespect in the classroom, cheating and plagiarism,” said Duxbury.

When trying to decide how to best improve student performance, especially at the freshman level, the one issue agreed on is that a student-led initiative would be best.

“I feel that student-led initiatives are more widely accepted by students, rather than being pushed on by professors,” said Duxbury.

Some students are not sure that such a code could be effective.

“I don’t think it’s going to make a difference, seeing as we read it in every syllabus,” said Zach Merrick, a senior chemistry major.

If passed, the honor code will be presented to freshmen during orientation, encouraging them to commit to academic success and honesty from the beginning of their college career. The main goal is to prevent students’ names from ending up on the Academic Appeals Committee’s desk.

An academic honesty week may also be created to help promote values. An outline of the plan will be presented at the next Students’ Association meeting. It’s SA’s hope to have the program implemented in the fall.

One point that Duxbury conveyed was that the initiative could be a point of pride for SDSU students.

“It would be cool for us to be able to put our stamp on this – have it become part of tradition,” Duxbury said.

He said he encourages anyone interested in helping or providing feedback to get in touch with him or contact the Students’ Association’s office.

If you would like to contact Brady Duxbury you can email him at [email protected].