Letter to the editor: On the Honor Code

We were pleased to read Victoria Neely’s (9/12/2013) editorial “Hofstra Honors Integrity Over Other Affairs” in which she expresses general support for the Honor Code but questions whether it will “actually make a difference.” Research suggests it will. An article review by McCabe, Trevino, and Butterfield in 2001 cites findings that students at universities with honor codes “were less likely to cheat, were less likely to rationalize or justify any cheating behavior that they did admit to, and were more likely to talk about the importance of integrity and about how a moral community can minimize cheating.” Every individual who commits publicly to the Hofstra Code reassures those who might be tempted to cheat that the vast majority of us choose honesty. And while the Code won’t lower your tuition bill, showing the world that we take honesty seriously will protect and enhance the value of a Hofstra education. Honor Board Co-Chairs Warren Frisina, Dean Hofstra University Ari Richman, Student Daniel Seabold, Associate Professor of Mathematics