1. The Aggie Code of Honor and the Aggie Honor System Office
Timothy C. Powers
Director, Aggie Honor System Office
Howdy! My name is Tim Powers and I currently serve as the Director for the Aggie Honor System Office. It is a pleasure to be here with you this morning.

2. An Aggie does not lie, cheat or steal, or tolerate those who do.
© Timothy C. Powers – Texas A&M University

3. Governor Coke’s Charge
“…To the Students: Let your watchword be duty, and know no other talisman of success than labor. Let honor be your guiding star in your dealings with your superiors, your fellows, with all…”
- Governor Richard Coke
Address to Texas A&M College on October 4, 1876
This rich history goes back as far as Governor Coke’s charge to the university. As part of a speech he gave on October 4, 1876, he said “To the Students: Let your watchword be duty, and know no other talisman of success than labor. Let honor be your guiding star in your dealings with your superiors, your fellows, with all…”
The significance of October 4, 1876 is that it was the first day that this great university opened its doors to forty students and six faculty members. Even at this early stage in the university’s existence, leadership understood how important honor and labor – the type which requires both mental and physical exertion –were going to be in the life of the university. I will challenge you today to focus on those two things. I challenge you because during the day-to-day of my work for Texas A&M University, I see students who lose sight of one or both of these. They either do not put in the mental and physical labor to excel academically – or to the best of their abilities – or they sacrifice their honor by committing some type of academic misconduct.
© Timothy C. Powers – Texas A&M University

4. Academic Misconduct Cheating Fabrication Falsification
Multiple Submissions
Plagiarism
Complicity
Abuse and Misuse of Access and Unauthorized Access
Violation of Departmental or College Rules
Violation of University Rules on Research
In the Aggie Honor System Office, we work with students who have been accused of some type of academic misconduct. We also assist faculty members in understanding their rights and abilities to address academic misconduct that occurs in their classroom. On the screen you see the nine different broad categories of academic misconduct as defined by the Aggie Honor System Office.
As graduate students – particularly if you carry some type of teaching assistantship – you may be familiar with each of these. We will cover cheating, plagiarism, and fabrication/falsification more in a few minutes, but it is important that you understand each of these even though we will not cover them extensively during our time today. Again, as graduate students, the burden to produce highly researched and scholarly information may tempt you to not put in the labor or maintain your honor. Multiple submissions and complicity are easy to understand. You either submit a similar paper or the same paper without your instructor’s permission or submitting work performed as part of a group (or research team) and submitting it as your own work. Complicity is simply you knew someone was committing acadademic misconduct and did nothing, or even assisted.
The three in the right hand column relate to access, rules at your department and college level (i.e. access to laboratory areas that are off-limits without supervision), and the university rules on research. Specifically Rule # which related to responsible conduct in research and scholarship.
© Timothy C. Powers – Texas A&M University

5. Common Violations
Over the past three years, the most common types of violations include:
Cheating: 37%
Plagiarism: 31%
Complicity: 12%
Fabrication: 5%
I want to take a few minutest to discuss the three most common violations that graduate students commit. They are plagiarism, cheating, and falsification/fabrication of data.
The numbers on the screen indicate the percentage of cases which came through our office over the past twelve months. You can see that plagiarism and cheating are our two most commonly occurring violations. The rest of the nine categories represent between 3 and 5% of the overall total.
© Timothy C. Powers – Texas A&M University

6. Cheating
Intentionally using or attempting to use unauthorized materials, information, notes, study aids or other devices or materials in any academic exercise. Unauthorized materials may include anything or anyone that gives a student assistance and has not been specifically approved in advance by the instructor.
Cheating is also easily defined. Using unauthorized materials, including your neighbor’s paper!, without prior approval by the instructor. This could be the wrong calculator, a “spare” blue book that was brought in, or unauthorized crib notes.
© Timothy C. Powers – Texas A&M University

7. Plagiarism
The appropriation of another person's ideas, processes, results, or words without giving appropriate credit.
Plagiarism is easy to understand, right? I would encourage you to carefully review every syllabus to ensure that you understand professorial expectations for documenting and providing appropriate credit for your work. As easy as plagiarism is to understand, faculty members and different areas of study define plagiarism differently. As odd as it sounds, plagiarism in one discipline may be common or best practice in another. I would encourage you to be on the safe side and document everything as your writing style – APA, MLA, Chicago – dictates.
© Timothy C. Powers – Texas A&M University

8. Complicity
Intentionally or knowingly helping, or attempting to help, another to commit an act of academic dishonesty.
Cheating is also easily defined. Using unauthorized materials, including your neighbor’s paper!, without prior approval by the instructor. This could be the wrong calculator, a “spare” blue book that was brought in, or unauthorized crib notes.
© Timothy C. Powers – Texas A&M University

9. Falsifying or Fabricating Data
Manipulating research materials, equipment, or processes, or changing or omitting data or results such that the research is not accurately represented in the research record.
Making up data or results, and recording or reporting them; submitting fabricated documents.
Falsifying and fabricating data are also temptations for graduate students. You are going to know the theories and the expected results of a particular experiment. Document what you find, not what you expect to find.
Advance Slide
Another way that students violate this expectation of the Aggie Honor Code is to falsify lab hours, doctor’s excuses, or class attendance records. I strongly encourage you to hold yourself to the highest of expectations and maintain your honor.
© Timothy C. Powers – Texas A&M University

10. Sanctions A zero on an assignment A course grade reduction
Required to participate in extra requirements for a course
Educational Sanctions
An "F*" in the course and "Honor Code Violation Probation“ on the transcript
Separation from the University
Here is a list of sanctions that can be applied for academic misconduct. As you can see they range from a zero on the assignment to separation from the university. I will say that in my experience, graduate students tend to see the more severe sanctions. You have been in academy longer. You should know the expectations of a researcher and your professors. Most of these make sense, but I want to expand on the F* for a moment.
© Timothy C. Powers – Texas A&M University

11. THE “F*” GRADE DESIGNATION
F* on the transcript, which includes notation: “Failure due to academic dishonesty”
The “*” may be removed by completing the Academic Integrity Development Program
The “F” may not be removed for a class retaken or dropped
© Timothy C. Powers – Texas A&M University

12. Honor Violation Probation
A student who is on “Honor Violation Probation” is subject to, among other things:
Ineligibility to receive a university-administered scholarship or fellowship if it is in place for more than one semester
Ineligibility to receive an Aggie Ring, pre-register for classes, or receive a degree
Ineligibility to represent the university to anyone outside of the university community
Here are the impacts of a student who is on honor violation probation. Notice that students who are on honor violation probation for more than one semester are inelible to receive university administered scholarships or fellowships.
For those of us who know and the rest of you who will soon learn, the Aggie Ring is a sacred thing. Students who are on HVP cannot order their Aggie Ring, preregister for classes, or receive a degree.
Ineligibility to represent the university to anyone outside of the university community would include the loss of the ability to present a paper at a conference or invited presentation to a group of colleagues. Don’t lose out on these opportunities by not citing a source. It can happen.
© Timothy C. Powers – Texas A&M University

13. For Teaching Assistants
Texas A&M provides two processes that the instructor of record can utilize to report an allegation of academic misconduct
INSTRUCTOR PROCESS: Disposition of case (responsibility and sanction) decided by instructor of record
HONOR COUNCIL PROCESS: Disposition of case (responsibility and sanction) decided by Honor Council
Under either process a report needs to be filed with the Aggie Honor System Office
If you carry teaching assistant responsibilities, know that our process allows you to address academic misconduct autonomously. It just needs to be submitted through our system. We will also take over this process if you want and allow the honor council, made up of faculty and students (grad and undergrad) to investigate and adjudicate the situation. All you will need to do is report it and provide a brief presentation to the honor council on the day of the hearing.
Also, note that if a student is involved in a second violation, instructors may NOT handle it autonomously. At this point, separation from the university is being strongly considered and only the Honor Council can enforce separation sanctions.
© Timothy C. Powers – Texas A&M University

14. Resources
The Aggie Honor System Office is available to give guest lectures on academic integrity and the Aggie Honor System to classes or organizations Visit to request a lecture or
We are available for guest lectures about both ethics and academic integrity. Please visit our website for details about how to coordinate a presentation to your class or group of colleagues.
Thank you.
© Timothy C. Powers – Texas A&M University