For the first time, a universal academic conduct code awaits Boston University students as they return to classes this fall, according to an Aug. 15 email sent out by Provost Jean Morrison.
The code, which will go into effect Sept. 1, is “designed to assist in the ongoing cultivation of a supportive and productive learning environment for undergraduate students,” Morrison said in her email.
In an effort to create a more uniform academic code, Morrison worked alongside Dean of Students Kenneth Elmore, the members of the University Council Committee on Student Life and Policies, the Undergraduate Council and Associate Provost of Undergraduate Education, Victor Coelho, in finalizing an academic conduct code that will apply to all schools and colleges within BU.
“What is great about this new universal code is that it is in force across the university,” Morrison said in an interview. “The same code of academic conduct applies to all undergraduates regardless of what school or college they are in.”
In her email, Morrison said the purpose of a universal code is to ensure that every undergraduate student, as well as every member of the faculty, is aware that they are “responsible for upholding the academic integrity of Boston University and must uniformly support high standards of behavior.”
To ensure academic integrity is maintained on a university wide scale, Morrison said the code not only makes academic rules and guidelines explicit, but also provides procedures for students and faculty to follow if they feel the code is being violated.
“While the code makes clear what the rules and guidelines surrounding plagiarism are, it also articulates what protocol a faculty member or student should follow when they believe someone has plagiarized,” Morrison said.
Though the new universal academic conduct code may be unfamiliar to students coming back to the university in the fall, nonetheless “it is the responsibility of every student at Boston University to be aware of the contents of the academic conduct code and to abide by its provisions,” Morrison said in her email.
Morrison said she hopes that once familiarized with the new code, BU students will feel more at ease in the classroom, knowing what is expected of them in terms of academic ethics.
“I hope it will give students some peace of mind that not only rules and guidelines, but also procedures, are so clearly articulated,” Morrison said. “I think that it is so clear and specific it will be a great benefit to students. There are no grey areas.”
The goal of requiring each member of the BU community, both student and faculty, to familiarize themselves with a universal academic conduct code is “to maintain an environment of intellectual honesty in which learning can effectively take place,” Morrison said in her email.
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