0910AW 同主题写作第三期 ARGUMENT242 by Xjerry

xjerryUID：158049

TOPIC: ARGUMENT242 - The following appeared as an editorial in the student newspaper of Groveton College.
"To combat the recently reported dramatic rise in cheating among college and university students, these institutions should adopt honor codes similar to Groveton's, which calls for students to agree not to cheat in their academic endeavors and to notify a faculty member if they suspect that others have cheated. Groveton's honor code replaced an old-fashioned system in which students were closely monitored by teachers and an average of thirty cases of cheating per year were reported. The honor code has proven far more successful: in the first year it was in place, students reported twenty-one cases of cheating; five years later, this figure had dropped to fourteen. Moreover, in a recent survey conducted by the Groveton honor council, a majority of students said that they would be less likely to cheat with an honor code in place than without."


In the editorial of the student newspaper, the arguer suggests that those institutions where there are reported dramatic rise in cheating should adopt honor codes similar to Groveton’s, which calls for students to agree not to cheat in their academic endeavors and notify a faculty member if they suspect that others have cheated. The arguer’s suggestion is based on the decreased reported cases of cheating in Groveton College comparing the newly adopted honor codes with the old-fashioned system in which students were closed monitored by teachers, and the recent survey conducted by the Groveton honor council in which a majority of students said that they would be less likely to cheat with an honor code in place that without. While this suggestion is critically unwarranted
due to the several fallacies.

To begin with, for the honor code, the arguer assumes that students will keep their promises not to cheat in the academic endeavors. As we know most students cheat in the academic endeavors in order to get better scores and results or pass a certain form of test. It is not whether they want to or don’t want to cheat and possibly speaking, no one is likely to agree that they will cheat, probably it is the special feelings, drives and circumstances in their heart that makes them cheat. The arguer also assumes that they are as capable as teachers of detecting cheating and they are likely to inform the faculty members of the cheating whenever they observer it. Few students are likely to spare attention to the cheating of others and towards cheating, the students’ attitude is connected to many factors and notifying the faculty members is only one option and possibility, and some people may stay quiescent.

Furthermore, the arguer perceives the honor code more successful by indicating the figure drop of reported cheating in the first year it was in place and five year later. Firstly, we have no evidence
how the cases of cheating would have been if the Groveton did not adopt honor code, and it is also possible that the figure would have dropped more than without. Secondly, the figure drop of the reported cheating could also be caused by other factors, such as fewer admissions, much easier academic assignments, etc. Thirdly, the figure of cheating that was not reported is not known by us and there may be numerous cheating cases that were not reported due to unknown reasons. Finally, the figure is only of the first year and the fifth year and we have no information of the cases of cheating in the other years.

Moreover, the arguer tries to strengthen the position via the recent survey by the Groveton honor council in which most students expressed their unlikelihood to cheat with an honor code compared to without, but the key problem is that whether the student has been forthright and frank under the circumstances in which the survey is set is suspicious and what’s more, the majority of students that expressed the unlikelihood are only the students that attends the survey, and it is possible that the number of students attending the survey is only a very small portion of all the students.

In addition, as we all know, every coin has two sides, the arguer only states the positive effects of the honor codes, what are the negative effects? And did any other measures have been taken to combat cheating during the period? Even the honor code is effective in Grovetown, it may not be still the same effective at other colleges and universities.

To sum up, the suggestion by the arguer is unfounded due to the above analysis and the arguer should do a further and detailed investigation for those institutions before adopting the honor codes similar to Groveton's to combat the recently reported dramatic rise in cheating.