The Academic Blacklist

The problem of cheating on university campuses is a real issue, and one that few realize. On the micro level, cheating rewards the intellectually lazy, and punishes those who have a firm grasp on classroom material. On the macro level, it creates a generation of college graduates that are much less informed than they should be, and who see less value in hard work, inquiry, and self-reliance. The question for society to answer is, of course, how do we address this problem?

A recent proposal at North Dakota State University calls for the creation of a permanent record of cheating and academic dishonesty. This 'database' of incidents of cheating would create a standing file for every student in the university system, detailing every transgression. Of course, this is still a proposal, and no one knows what a final policy would look like, but the idea itself is futile, and ultimately dangerous.

Cheating's place on a 'moral-immoral' sliding scale will differ depending on who you ask, with arguments on all sides. What this proposal seeks to do however, is create in students a 'code of ethics' as one university administrator said. On paper this is an admirable goal, in practice however, it is laughable. Laws or rules that are meant to shape or change moral views fail consistently. You cannot force someone to 'not cheat', it will happen regardless of regulation. One only needs to look at past attempts by institutions to 'regulate' or 'improve' social behavior. Prohibition? The War on Drugs? It never works, you cannot legislate morality.

So...would this be just another useless attempt to mold morality? No, in fact it would be much worse. Permanent lists would only harm good students. No one is perfect. Say an otherwise good student has a lapse in judgement, and glances at a neighbor's test answers. Of course he/she should be punished, but a list would ensure that any other time he/she was accused of cheating, the 'list' would ominously sway an educator's judgment. This of course, without even considering all of the unlucky & innocent students who would end up on the list due to false accusations or misunderstandings. Of course, I am sure steps would be taken to guard against this, but tragic events like this would still occur.

I've dealt with academic dishonesty in the classroom before, as a teaching assistant. I've had students in the same lecture hall turn in identical final papers. That type of dishonesty borders on arrogance and stupidity, and was swiftly punished. But that is how is should be dealt with. Individual instructors should detail their policies regarding academic honesty at the beginning of the semester, and enforce them on a case by case basis. This will punish the dishonest, and allow serious students a framework to work within.

An 'Academic Blacklist' would be an ineffective and corrosive solution. Anyone who thinks it would create a culture of honesty, is being dishonest with themselves.