How much do students know about the honor code?

Q1: The Board of Visitors recently required students to sign an honor code pledge card before registering for classes, but how many times have you read the code? Q2: What are the three main categories listed in the VCU honor code?

Q5 How effective is signing the VCU honor code in the enforcement of its rules?

Farrukh Raza, 18, sophomore, pre-medicine:

Q1: I believe once. I didn’t really read it I just kinda skipped over it. I signed it though.

Q2: Plagiarism, cheating and lying. Stealing.

Q3: None whatsoever.

Q4: I lost count after 200.

Q5: Not at all.

Tiffany Johnson, 19, sophomore, interdisciplinary studies:

Q1: Twice, maybe once.

Q2: I have no idea, I don’t remember. Something about… how you’re not supposed to have any aid whatsoever when you’re doing your assignments. Be honest, and if you get caught, you’re supposed to know you can be expelled.

Q3: Expulsion or suspension.

Q4: A lot of people.

Q5: No, because I mean, I have friends who signed it and they still cheat and get away with it, so I don’t know what they can do to reinforce (it).

Marlon McCalla, 25, junior, criminal justice:

Q1: I’ve read it about twice.

Q2: I couldn’t quote those for you to be honest with you.

Q3: Not really.

Q4: I think I’ve known about two people who I can say that I’ve heard or seen doing it.

Q5: I think it depends on the person and what kind of person they are.

Kim Sykes, 24, junior, dance:

Q1: A couple of times I guess. I’d say three.

Q2: I don’t know, I just wanna say something like integrity, dignity and honesty.

Q3: I know that you will fail the class, basically.

Q4: No, not personally.

Q5: I think we’re all aware of it basically. I think all the little cards we had to sign last semester, I don’t know if they’re well worth the paper spent. So I think it’s just a matter of someone’s own personal perception of themselves. You know, cheat, there’s no reason to.

Sheena Brew, 19, sophomore, social work:

Q1: Maybe once.

Q2: Don’t know.

Q3: Getting an F in the course if you’re caught cheating. One of my teachers said something about it going permanently on your record, maybe getting kicked out. Suspension, I think.

Q4: I don’t know generally, but I’ve seen people cheating.

Q5: Not very effective, I don’t think.

Venessa Lopez, 21, senior, music education:

Q1: I would say probably around two times.

Q2: I don’t know.

Q3: I don’t know. Do they just kick you out? I know you go in front of a student board, and that is basically all I know. Because here in the music department we don’t really focus on cheating and stuff like that because none of us really do that. Music is more practical and you are playing or you’re in front of children with education.

Q4: I don’t know many people who really know the specifics of the honor code. I understand plagiarism and big stuff like that, but I don’t really know people who go and distinctly say, “I am cheating and I’m not going by the VCU honor code.” I think every person around VCU has some sort conflict like, “Do I do this correctly, or do I take the easy way out?” Do it another way.

Q5: I think it is effective if the teacher enforces it, or the professor enforces it.