"It's human nature, people want to get ahead," said Centennial Professor of Philosophy John Lachs over a cup of coffee at Panera.
Lachs, who specializes in human nature and teaches a class on ethics, has much to say on the topic of cheating. He sees it as a violation of the trust system that society and local communities rely so heavily on. The philosopher, who has spent much of his career stressing philosophy's relevance to everyday life, sees an important parallel to the ethical construct set up by the Honor Code and the requirements of the larger society.
He motioned to his cup of coffee. "The problem is betraying trust. I trust that no one has put poison in this coffee. All human interactions are based on faith, and when you break that faith, the community disintegrates," Lachs said.
And in the high stress world of the modern student, too often a person will choose to take the easy way out.
"Some people are just lazy - and that's a fact. There's also a problem of cutting corners, so you can just get on with it," he said.
Though "cutting corners," which may include an incorrect citing of a source or copying an answer off a friend's homework, may seem innocuous, under the Honor Code both are considered flagrant violations. "It's a matter of individual choice," Lachs said.
Lachs said that he welcomed the Honor Code because it leveled the playing field for all students. But is it the only reason that students don't cheat?
Fear
Some students choose not to cheat because of the high standards they set for themselves, Lachs explained. Many others, however, follow the rules to avoid unsavory consequences.
"There's pride in oneself," Lachs said. "I don't need to do that. But there's also fear, I want to sleep well."
According to Lachs, students fear not only the repercussions of the Honor Code's intervention, but also the public shame that comes along with being discovered cheating.
"People don't want to expose themselves," he said.
Grades
Many Honor Code violations can lead to failure in a course - so why is it worth the risk for students hoping to raise their grade without doing the work required of them?
"Grades are essentially the evaluation of students, and they send a message to the student," Lachs said. "They also serve an external function for potential employers."
Students, therefore, often see grades as much more than markers of their progress in a particular subject. They can also be an indication of future success in a career.
Lachs said he felt grades were "radically misguided" and were an example of educational institutions cutting corners themselves.
"The problem with grades is that sometimes evaluation gets in the way of education. The mutual trust necessary for learning evaporates," he said.
Still, Lachs said he hoped students were planning to get more out of an education than a transcript worthy of a job application.
"I feel sorry for people who only go to college to get a degree, because they are missing so much," he said.
Cheating in an Ethics Class
Lachs tells students in his Introduction to Ethics classes that if they cheat in that particular subject, "they're really in trouble." But in reality, Lachs has seen few incidents of cheating over the years.
Part of that is due to careful planning. "I try to formulate questions for which the fraternity and sorority systems have no preexisting answers," he said.
If he does suspect a violation, and it usually involves improper citation, Lachs said he calls the student in for a meeting. "It's not a big deal, but usually it's enough of a traumatic experience," he said.
Lachs said he has been wrong on a few occasions when he suspected that a student had purchased a custom-made paper online. "You can be too good," Lachs said, smiling. He finished his coffee.
In those few cases, the students in question had been that good.
