Editor Note: The Voice has chosen to use pseudonyms to protect the identity of Mason students and staff.
Like any American educational institution, courses available at George Mason University Korea have an obligation to include an Academic Integrity statement in their syllabi. The required statement reads, “it is expected that students adhere to the Honor Code.” The first page of the Mason Korea Honor Code declares a “commitment to higher academic standard.”
The fact of the matter is: students cheat. To assume that academic integrity will be upheld based on morality is both subjective and impractical. That being said, the intent of the George Mason University Korea administration and the current reality that Mason Korea students face today are at odds.
The Voice recently conducted a survey regarding academic dishonesty at Mason Korea in order to gain an understanding of such reality. Out of the 135 participants, 47 percent of students relayed that they had never violated the Honor Code, while 38 percent of students relayed that they had never been caught cheating, 5 percent of students met with the Academic Integrity Committee, and 4 percent were given zeros on their assignments by their respective professors. Out of the 62 students who noted the consequences of the violation in The Voice survey, only 6 students stated that they had met with the Academic Integrity Committee.
An anonymous Mason professor relayed that professors will opt to deal with cheating cases in-class rather than through the AIC, saying “there have been many cases” of cheating that professors are often aware of, but which they choose to deal with by emailing the student(s) privately. He also explained that professors typically “don’t think it’s a good idea to bring all the cases to the Committee, especially if they are not serious.” This private confrontation is their own way of protecting students from bigger consequences that they would face if appealing to the AIC.
Mason Korea student Mark Lee expressed doubts about how both the AIC and the Mason Korea staff handles student academic dishonesty, saying, “I don’t think that the school fully understands the extent or the kind of cheating that happens. From my experience, most professors and faculty members seem to play it off as the moral responsibility of each student… it’s sort of understandable, but nothing can be changed with this kind of mindset. There are measures that can be taken but aren’t.”
When asked whether students believe that the school is doing enough to combat academic dishonesty, 36 percent stated yes, 47 percent stated somewhat, and 15 percent said no. In many ways, lowering the rates of academic dishonesty is a matter of institutional management and creating a culture of academic integrity in the classroom that percolates into student life. Maintaining a common practice between Mason faculty and enforcing it to its full capacity through entities is a task that the administration needs to prioritize more, for the sake of both the student body and Mason Korea’s legacy.
Written by Yihyun Kwon|Managing Editor
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