Empty room of wooden student desks

Committee recommends changes to academic integrity system at Princeton

By
Emily Aronson, Office of Communications
on Feb. 13, 2019, 9:15 a.m.
Photo by
Amaris Hardy, Office of Communications

A faculty-student committee has recommended changes to strengthen Princeton’s Honor System, refine penalty options, and better educate faculty and students about academic integrity procedures.

In a Feb. 13 email to undergraduates and faculty, Dean of the College Jill Dolan, Vice President for Campus Life W. Rochelle Calhoun and Dean of the Faculty Sanjeev Kulkarni outlined recommendations made by the Academic Integrity Report Reconciliation Committee. They include: 

  • More collaboration to train members of the Honor Committee and the Faculty-Student Committee on Discipline to better align each committee’s procedures and penalty systems.
  • Changes to the penalty structure of both committees, including a “reprimand” option for minor first offenses and a one-semester penalty for certain infractions. 
  • Refinements to the Honor Committee’s investigative processes and procedures. 
  • Creating a “Guiding Principles” document that explains how the Honor System is a pact between undergraduates and faculty, and clarifies implications and procedures for modifying the system. 
  • Extensive student and faculty education about academic integrity, and research efforts into the outcomes of disciplinary measures.

Princeton’s Honor Code was established in 1893 as an agreement between faculty and undergraduates to uphold a high standard of academic integrity. Students take all in-class exams and quizzes without a faculty proctor, assuming full responsibility for honesty. Reported violations of the Honor Code are reviewed by the student-led Honor Committee. 

The Faculty-Student Committee on Discipline reviews all other academic violations, such as plagiarism on problem sets, papers or take-home exams completed outside of class.

The practices of the Honor Committee and the Committee on Discipline were each evaluated in recent years. The Academic Integrity Report Reconciliation Committee, chaired by Professor of East Asian Studies Anna Shields, was created last fall to review recommendations that emerged from the two reviews. 

The next step is for changes endorsed by the reconciliation committee to be adopted by the Honor Committee and implemented by the various offices that oversee undergraduate academic policies.

“We hope to complete the implementation work this semester, so that the new range of penalties, new forms of student and faculty education, and a streamlined, more transparent set of processes can begin in fall 2019,” Dolan, Calhoun and Kulkarni wrote in their memo. 

In issuing its report, the reconciliation committee expressed support for key aspects of the Honor Code: that in-class exams remain unproctored and that students continue to lead the Honor Committee. 

However, the reconciliation group recommended increasing elected student membership on the Honor Committee from four to six and adding more staff support resources for the student committee. 

In addition, the reconciliation committee suggested various efforts — including more online trainings and refresher programs — to better educate students and faculty about the academic integrity system and how reported violations are handled. 

Related Stories

New committee will consider recommendations to change academic integrity system at Princeton .

A new committee will consider long-term recommendations to modify the academic integrity system at Princeton University.

President, dean of faculty charge committee to review rules governing faculty sexual misconduct .

President Christopher L. Eisgruber and Dean of the Faculty Sanjeev Kulkarni have asked the Faculty Advisory Committee on Policy (FACP) to act upon a report from a faculty-student committee that recommends reforms to rules governing sexual misconduct by faculty members.

University releases Title IX reports and announces next steps to strengthen process .

Princeton University released two new reports and announced next steps to further strengthen its policies, resources and communications related to sexual misconduct on campus. In a letter to the campus community, Provost Deborah Prentice underscored the University’s commitment to supporting all members of the Princeton community. 

Questions about Title IX at Princeton? Find info on resources, policies, programs here .

Princeton University has engaged in ongoing and proactive efforts to enhance the effectiveness of our policies and procedures related to Title IX. We also have continued to expand the scope of our resources, as well as our educational and programming initiatives.

Joint Committee meets to reaffirm commitment to address student concerns and provide support .

Representatives from the Faculty-Student Committee on Sexual Misconduct and the University Student Life Committee heard on Monday from student activists who have raised concerns over Title IX and related issues. Earlier in the day, senior University officials sent a letter to all Princeton undergraduate and graduate students acknowledging the complexity of these issues and noted input from the community is critical to our efforts to maintain a safe, supportive and fair environment.  

Committee recommends freshman fraternity, sorority policies .

The University's Committee on Freshmen Rush Policy has issued recommendations for administering and enforcing the prohibition on Princeton freshmen from affiliating with a fraternity or sorority during their freshman year, and on students from soliciting the participation of freshmen in a fraternity or sorority. The recommendations have been presented to President Shirley M. Tilghman, who will make a final decision on the recommended policies and practices later this spring.

Letter from Provost Deborah Prentice in response to Title IX reports .

In an open letter to the campus community, Provost Deborah Prentice underscored the University’s commitment to supporting all members of the Princeton community: “Our shared goal is to ensure that Princeton remains a safe and welcoming place where all of our community members can thrive. Meeting that commitment requires us to make improvements when and where we can, and to learn from our past practices and the best practices of others.”