Evolution of the Honor and Integrity System and Kansas State University
The current Honor & Integrity System and its procedures evolved from a task force established by Provost James Coffman in late Fall, 1994. The Provost's Task Force for Academic Honesty's primary mission was to develop draft policies for consideration by the greater academic community at K-State. After much research and consideration of key questions and issues, the Task Force reached a consensus that they would focus on developing new policies which would establish the foundation of a new "honor system" for K-State. The Task Force desired to ultimately foster a culture of personal responsibility and honor at K-State, which would lead to a decrease in academic dishonesty.
In 1996 Dr. Mitchell D. Strauss and Student Body Vice President Brad Finkeldei prepared a Proposed Honor Code Document for the Task Force. It consisted of an annotated version of the draft honor system for Kansas State University. Within this document explanations were given of the various sections of the Honor System. The first related to the essence of the proposed K-State Honor System and explained why the Task Force felt the implementation of an honor system would enhance the climate of academic honesty at K-State. The second section defined the Honor System by stating the Honor Pledge would comprise the following:
- That, as K-State students, they will not give or receive aid in examinations; that they will not give or receive non permitted aid in class work, in the preparation of reports or in any other work that is to be used by the instructor as the basis of grading.
- That, as K-State students, they will do their share and take an active part in seeing to it that others as well as themselves uphold the spirit and letter of the Honor System. This includes reporting an observed dishonesty.
- That, the faculty, on its part, manifests its confidence in the honor of its students by refraining from taking unusual and unreasonable precautions to prevent the forms of dishonesty mentioned above. The faculty will attempt to avoid academic procedures that create temptations to violate the Honor Pledge.
On all course work, assignments, or examinations done by students at Kansas State University, the following Honor Pledge is either required or implied:
"On my honor as a student, I have neither given nor received unauthorized aid on this academic work."
This statement means that the student understands and has complied with the requirements of the assignments as set forth by the instructor.
The proposed Honor System was approved by Student Senate on December 4, 1997 and Faculty Senate on April 14, 1998. Appointees to the Honor Council wrote and approved the Kansas State University Undergraduate Honor System Constitution and By-Laws in the 1998/1999 school term. Strategies and procedures for awareness and marketing of the Honor System were also written at this time.
In February 2004, K-State's graduate students also were brought in under the umbrella of the Honor System.