The Importamce of Academic Indegrity

There are five fundamental values of academic integrity. The first is honesty, which means being truthful about which thoughts are your own and which come from others, and about the procedures and outcomes of your study. Next is trust, which is formed in a structure where all partners are doing their best work, where rules are fair and everyone will be treated equally. Fairness goes right along with trust. Every person should believe that they will be treated justly and evaluated by the same standard as all others in society. For instance, you can trust that professors will grade all work objectively and not favor one person over another. People do their best work in a fair environment. Fourth, respect lets different points of view and ideas to be heard. Students display respect by considering multiple viewpoints, being organized and ready for class, completing assignments on time, and doing the best they can. Professors demonstrate respect by hearing what a student has to say without prejudice and giving complete and direct feedback. Finally, responsibility means recognizing what you are accountable for in everyday activities and in your schoolwork. Everyone must perform their work with honesty which inspires others to be responsible people too. Academic integrity begins with people and positively effects the whole population.

The Honor Code of The University of Texas at Austin was written together by students, faculty and staff representatives. It is as follows: “The core values of the University of Texas at Austin are learning, discovery, freedom, leadership, individual opportunity, and responsibility. Each member of the University is expected to uphold these values through integrity, honesty, trust, fairness, and respect toward peers and community.” As a student, the Student Conduct office has determined that I have violated the fundamental values of honesty, trust and responsibility. The goal of the academic honesty policy is not just to monitor academic violations, but also to build positive values and environment at the school that highlights academic honesty. Having academic integrity is significant for many reasons. First, possessing academic honesty signifies that others can trust you. The people you encounter everyday know that they can depend on you to act honorably and to do the things you said you would. When people know that you strive to do what is right, and that your actions coincide with that belief, they trust you. Moreover, trust is one of the main qualities of an effective leader.

Everyone can make an impact on society, be it positive or negative. By doing good deeds and acting responsibly others can see or feel that positive energy and in turn act in the same manner. Conversely, if I were to act irresponsibly by being dishonest or betraying someone’s trust, it would affect the morality of the community negatively. Others, in turn, would do the same and the integrity of the community would slowly deteriorate as a result. In order to be a responsible person in the community you can’t keep making excuses. Becoming a responsible person means being able to willfully make decisions, perform behaviors that work toward improving yourself and helping others. Above all, a responsible person acknowledges the consequences of their own actions and choices.

Having a successful life and future all hinges on your responsibilities. Accountability not only proves to yourself, but to others that you are resolved to be an exceptional, reliable person. Individuals try to run away from obligations while others try to increase their trustworthiness by showing society how responsible they are. Liability to me means having moral commitments, discipline, and a positive persona. Having those virtues makes society know that you are a dependable person and that they can count on you when it comes to any problem or aid them with whatever is needed. If individuals know or have confidence that they can rest easy when it comes to work, school, or social life, I think that it will help you make every effort to be successful. The more people recognize you are a faithful and dependable person, the more society will open up to you and ultimately lead you to greater achievements. Though, evidently I have not met my responsibilities in this matter, I have come to learn that individuals may mistake responsibility with college success but one does not equivalent to the other. College success aids you in selecting and obtaining a job and provides a great education for yourself, and accountability helps you make others see you are responsible for your actions. Moral obligations for instance is something you acquire from responsibility, which assistances you in managing and arranging life circumstances and organize work, school, and any other interests. College success will help you become mature but that does not mean you will be more accountable. I think that one does not equate to the other. Individuals will always have choices and will always pick what they want, not exactly what is best for them. Therefore, one must be reliable in order to be prosperous in all parts of life. College success is more like a guide to help you develop into a trustworthy and responsible person.

From this incident I have learned to be more open and transparent with my actions so as not to cause any misunderstanding among my peers or professors. Not allowing stress to play a role in your performance is something every student needs to continually work on, including myself. From this unfortunate experience, I will work toward improving the way I conduct myself during exams and overall in the classroom. I will not disrespect myself, my peers, the professors, or the University of Texas by allowing such a situation to occur a second time. I am committed to being an upstanding student and future career professional.