SEAS Honor Code

Columbia Engineering has an honor code. The honor code aims to set down and solidify the culture of academic integrity and professional responsibility expected of all members of SEAS. It is fully compatible with the Columbia College and School of General Studies Honor Codes.

Written by undergraduate and graduate students, SEAS faculty, and SEAS administrators, the SEAS Honor Code was approved by the Engineering Student Council (ESC), Engineering Graduate Student Council (EGSC), and the SEAS Committee on Instruction in the Spring of 2014.

History of the Code of Honor

The idea of an undergraduate honor code had been discussed by for Columbia since the 1930s. In response to cheating scandals at peer institutions, ESC, the Columbia College Student Council (CCSC), and the General Studies Student Council (GSSC) resumed discussions regarding the institution of a Columbia Honor Code in 2012. In the Spring of 2013, CCSC and GSSC approved an honor code for their respective student bodies. Due to the different student body population requirements of the Engineering School and the lack of faculty and administrative involvement, ESC chose against adopting the code at this time.

During the 2013-2014 academic school year, ESC VP Policy Tanya Shah worked alongside Academic Affairs Representative Robert Ying, Class of 2017 Representative Harry Munroe, and the CCSC Liaison Vishnu Kalugotla to collaborate with counterparts in EGSC, members of the SEAS faculty, and members of the SEAS administration to draft a Code of Honor that fit the specific needs of the Engineering population. The resulting Code was adopted for Columbia Engineering in March 2014.

Code of Honor

Statement of Academic Integrity

Intellectual honesty and mutual respect are core values of a university. They are the foundations upon which students and faculty alike participate in the pursuit of knowledge. It is therefore essential for members of the University to uphold these values.

Students are expected to be cognizant of academic honesty policies and their specific application in order to ensure that the principles of honor are sustained. In turn, the faculty and administration will foster an atmosphere that actively encourages honesty and ethical behavior.

The Code of Honor is a collective agreement between the members of The Fu Foundation School of Engineering and Applied Science to express our commitment to the principles of academic integrity, accountability, and honor.

Violations

Violations of academic integrity will not be tolerated and include but are not limited to:

• Cheating by acquiring or distributing any academic material or information not permitted for use by course staff
• Plagiarism by directly using, paraphrasing, or submitting another’s work or ideas without acknowledgement, due credit, or proper citations
• Self-Plagiarism by resubmitting one’s own work to satisfy requirements of more than one course without proper citations and approval from course staff
• Falsification and misrepresentation of results or credentials in any projects, lab experiments, research papers, reports or any other academic assignments, documents, or statements. This includes any attempt to falsify an evaluation in any of the aforementioned items
• Facilitation in any form of cheating, plagiarism, or falsification
• Collaboration on assignments when it has not been permitted by course staff

Discipline

Students who are alleged to have violated academic integrity are subject to the Dean’s Discipline process as described in the Bulletin of the School of Engineering and Applied Science {1}. Possible consequences include, but are not limited to, notation on the academic record, suspension, or expulsion from the University. Professional Conduct

Ethical conduct governs the actions of all members within the Columbia University community. Students are expected to uphold the integrity, honor, and educational mission of the University as they embark on their professional careers. They are obligated to treat all persons fairly and will not engage in acts of discrimination or harassment.

Administrators and course staff are bound to report any transgressions to relevant parties.

Contract of Academic Integrity

I affirm that I will not plagiarize, use unauthorized materials, or give or receive illegitimate help on assignments, papers, or examinations. I will also uphold equity and honesty in the evaluation of my work and the work of others. I do so to sustain a community built around this Code of Honor.

{1} This is intended to be fully compatible with the Honor Codes for Columbia College and the School of General Studies [2]

Honor Pledge

Undergraduate:

“We, the undergraduate students of Columbia University, hereby pledge to value the integrity of our ideas and the ideas of others through honestly presenting our work, respecting authorship, and striving not simply for answers but understanding in the pursuit of our common scholastic goals. In this way, we seek to foster an academic community governed by our collective efforts, diligence, and Code of Honor.”

Graduate:

“We, the engineering graduate students of Columbia University, pledge to uphold the values of integrity, honesty, and dignity in the pursuit of common scholastic goals, both at Columbia and beyond.”

Contributors

Proposed and approved by the Engineering Student Council and the Engineering Graduate Student Council.

Endorsed by the Committee on Instruction of The Fu Foundation School of Engineering and Applied Science.

References

1. [1] Columbia Engineering Bulletin, 2013.
2. [2] Columbia College Honor Code, 2013.
3. [3] Barnard Honor Code, 2013.