Talking integrity

W hat is the point of Integrity Week? What do students get from listening to CNN's Wolf Blitzer discuss fairness and honesty in the media?

Those who attend events sponsored by the University Honor Council this week will get the message that important people think that being fair and honest is important.

What they do not often get, though, is direction as to how questions of integrity affect their lives and their studies. This should be the real focus of Integrity Week.

A prestigious university such as this is not immune to allegations of cheating, plagiarism and other disingenuous academic behavior. Just this fall, the Sociology Department wrestled with these issues among its faculty.

Why then does Penn not more thoroughly integrate the messages of Integrity Week into the classroom? It is a topic that has broad and specific implications across every area of study, but is often left merely to the inside cover of examination books.

Professors would do a service to their students to take a few minutes some time this week and foster discussion about the issues of integrity in their field.

From the sciences to business to history and far beyond, it is important to consider the ethical issues facing our areas of study. Now is the time to think about those things.

Now would also be a good time to revisit the University's honor code. Many students sign the honor pledge as freshman and never give it a second thought. Rarely does it resurface, and it is almost never discussed among students. Integrity Week provides an opportunity to remind everyone that the honor code exists and the high standards it sets for the institution.

Questions of integrity surround us every day. Taking just one day to discuss these issues is not asking too much.

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