Democracy, globalization and the new role of higher education institutions
In just a few years, our country has undergone important changes in its political institutions: We have perfected our electoral system, strengthening democracy and the party system, opening the way for political plurality in the Houses of Congress, in local governments, and more recently., to the alternation in the Presidency of the Republic.
Democracy not only represents the conquest of a set of citizen rights, but the adoption of new responsibilities that must be recognized. In order to exercise our rights and duties and support the consolidation of the transition process, it is important to build a civic culture in which we make our democratic values of adherence to the law and integrity our own. Few things are more difficult to forge than a democratic system; Generations of Mexicans committed their efforts to build the democracy that we have and now it is up to us to accept the responsibility of maintaining and strengthening it.
Universities and institutions of higher education are excellent instances to transmit the learning of values of legality and integrity. In academic institutions, students share with teachers and peers experiences with which they form and exercise values such as responsibility, teamwork, tolerance, honesty, dialogue, integrity and good repute.
The promotion of values in universities not only contributes to the consolidation of a democratic culture. It is also very useful in training professionals who will have to work in an increasingly integrated and competitive world. In a globalized market we cannot keep ourselves isolated from international competition standards. It is urgent that we seek mechanisms to improve the quality of higher education in Mexico and train world-class professionals with strong ethical values and integrity.
Promoting and respecting values of integrity also helps universities improve their results and achieve their goals. The adherence to values of integrity is essential to maintain and elevate the prestige and name of an academic institution. A university in which its members (students, professors, administrative authorities) adequately fulfill what is expected of them, inevitably earns the appreciation of their community and builds a prestige that is impossible to obtain otherwise.
In the results of the National Corruption and Good Governance Survey carried out in 2001 by the organization Transparencia Mexicana, it was found that in the opinion of the respondents, the family and teachers are those who have the greatest credibility and social impact to promote the fight against the corruption. It was also identified that young and more educated heads of household are the most likely to give “bites” to obtain or facilitate a public service. These data show, on the one hand, that the influence of teachers in the training of individuals is fundamental and, on the other, that it is precisely with young people who have higher education that greater emphasis must be placed on promoting values. of legality and transparency.
According to data from the National Population Council (CONAPO), more than 25 million young people between the ages of 12 and 24 live in Mexico. Every year about 2 million young people join the electoral roll as new voters when they turn 18 and 11.2 million young people in Mexico are already part of the economically active population, so this demographic sector is of enormous importance to the country.. The power of action and the capacity to change the country that young people in Mexico currently have is of such magnitude that it is urgent that we become aware of it and that we cultivate the potential of young people for the benefit of our society. We need to offer future Mexican leaders the human and academic training that will allow them to face the demands of an increasingly integrated and competitive world.
At SECODAM we are interested in young university students in our country having academic, civic and human training in line with the changes in our society and in the world. This document is intended to serve as a guide for those students, professors and universities who have an interest in promoting democratic values, respect for the law and integrity, while improving their performance.
We know that promoting and adopting values is a difficult task and that we may not see the results in the short term. But we are also convinced that this is the best time to start building new rules of social coexistence that allow us to become a more successful society, within a global context that presents demands and challenges for all.
II. The role of educational institutions
Universities and institutions of higher education are not only places where knowledge is produced and transmitted. The coexistence between students, the example of the professors and the way in which the institution is administratively organized, as well as the way in which its evaluation and compliance mechanisms are designed are very important parts of the social and human formation of the student and those who collaborate in the institution.
Fundamentally, students go to universities to obtain a series of knowledge and intellectual tools and practical techniques that will help them develop in the professional field. The daily coexistence with other students and teachers, as well as the interaction with a series of academic and administrative rules and with the institution's own values, make the learning process include, in addition to academic knowledge, principles of social coexistence, in relation to authority and participation in decisions that contribute to forming the personality of the students.
Learning in universities is in this sense an intellectual and professional experience but also a personal, social and ethical one.
The daily practice of ethical values and integrity is essential for universities to fulfill their educational and human training function. Integrity in an organization can be defined as the adoption by all its members of ethical principles and honesty, under the key element of consistency, so that these principles are maintained day by day in all decisions of the institution. Integrity in universities has to do with values but also with specific actions. Ethics is both a value and a daily practice. It is not just about knowing and understanding what the values consist of; It is mainly about applying them in all the processes of the educational experience of university life and professional development.
During the time that a student spends in college, the values and rules of the institution influence to a greater or lesser extent his personality. The student is exposed to a social environment and a series of written and unwritten rules (the “culture” of the institution), under which he will interact with other students and teachers. Those rules, that culture and values are going to contribute to the student constructing a scheme of priorities in which notions are established about what is important and what is not; between what seems beneficial and desirable and what is harmful and inconvenient; whether it is better to be selfish or to empathize with others.
The university has a determining influence on the formation of this scheme of priorities. It is essential that in the academic institutions, in their organization and values and in the example given by the administrative authorities and the professors, conduct criteria are practiced aimed at establishing what is important for the university and what exactly is expected of its students, teachers and authorities.
Universities that maintain rules and values guided by criteria of integrity and ethics, generally obtain better academic results and create an environment in which students and professors are satisfied to belong to them, which also allows them to retain and recruit the best professors and students, raising their prestige in front of society.
Conversely, institutions that do not have their priorities well defined and that do not promote behavioral criteria based on ethical values, do not achieve their objectives efficiently and fail to fulfill their social function of creating and transmitting knowledge.
When principles of honesty, respect and integrity are not followed in a university, an environment is created in which the rules are not respected and a feeling of shame and disappointment over their membership in the institution. Apathy also grows, which affects the relationship with others, since no one feels committed to their duty, which is eroding the trust that must exist in any professional and personal relationship.
Universities are social spaces for personal, professional, intellectual and ethical training for those who comprise them. In order for them to adequately fulfill their mission, students, professors, managers and all those who make up a university must assume their individual responsibility as part of a project for the integral formation of people.
III. Integrity in higher education institutions
Universities and higher education institutions acquire value for a society to the extent that they contribute to its improvement and growth. This can only be achieved if each member of the university concentrates her efforts on achieving the objectives pursued by the institution.
In an increasingly competitive global environment, we cannot settle for mediocre performance. If the students and teachers operate in an environment where it is perceived that it is not necessary to make an effort to obtain better results and in which the rules can be broken as appropriate, the institution and those who integrate it will lose their prestige vis-à-vis the society and they will not be able to meet their goals effectively.
An academic institution that does not care for its reputation and does not insist on maintaining high standards of academic and ethical performance, generates immense social losses. When the image of a university deteriorates, the message is transmitted to society that it is not fulfilling its mission, so all the work done by professors and students is lost. An academic institution that does not make a conscious effort to eliminate the behaviors that affect it, will end up doing more harm than the social benefit that it could generate.
Academic dishonesty has serious consequences on educational institutions and on the individuals that comprise them. In the job market, where there is strong competition, the value of an academic degree depends largely on the reputation of the university. Dishonesty is quickly reflected in the impoverishment of the image of an institution and the value of the academic degree of its students is irreparably devalued.
Most people who break the rules are fully aware that they are doing something wrong, but they are deceiving themselves in evaluating the risks and consequences of their actions. Phrases like "Everyone does it" or "I don't hurt anyone" are just easy excuses to escape the responsibility that clearly identifying the effects and consequences of our actions implies.
We must avoid deceiving ourselves. It is essential to look beyond our actions and evaluate the consequences of the decisions we make. We have to clearly distinguish what the repercussions of breaking the laws and violating the rules have on the university.
We must subject all our actions to an honesty test. A test of honesty could be imagining that our behaviors were made public, that they were known by our classmates, teachers, friends and family, and before that we ask ourselves if we would be proud or ashamed of each action. We ourselves can be the best judges of the honesty of our acts, if we only make a brief reflection.
It is important that we bear in mind that we are solely responsible for our actions, even when our decisions are made under pressure from our colleagues. Many times we act under the influence of others, driven by our desire to join the group or to be accepted. When we do that, we are the only ones responsible, not the others. Making ethical decisions is the best way to avoid problems in the future. We have to learn to recognize the risks our actions generate, otherwise we will not be able to make responsible decisions.
ETHICAL DECISIONS
- Know the rules Evaluate the risks Decide for yourself
It is also essential to know the rules to which we are subject. For example, a student who did not know that copying was prohibited cannot claim ignorance to avoid responsibility. Laws, regulations and rules apply to everyone without exception, including those who do not know them.
Each of the members of an academic institution, professors, students, administrative authorities and employees have specific responsibilities vis-à-vis the institution and vis-à-vis the others. It is important that everyone clearly knows what is expected of them.
Students
The students share a set of very clear responsibilities vis-à-vis the university, towards themselves and in their treatment of the professors, the administrative authorities of the institution and other students.
One of the primary responsibilities of students is to prevent and combat all possible types of academic fraud. When we talk about academic fraud, we refer to copying in the exams, the use of "accordions", the presentation of the school work of others as if they were our own, that someone impersonates us in an exam, and every action where we intend to receive a qualification or recognition that does not correspond to our knowledge or our individual work. It would also be a form of academic fraud to bribe or extort someone to obtain a better grade or admission advantages.
Many times we think that if others copy, use accordions or buy grades, it is their business and it is not for us to avoid it because it does not affect us. In fact, when someone commits fraud at the university, it damages the institution and each one of its members enormously. If we tolerate fraud or do nothing to prevent it, our entire effort as students to gain knowledge and academic degrees will lose much of its value.
A student who copies directly hurts others. If someone copies and buys grades, even if we do not, it will remain in society's perception that the academic degrees at our university are for sale and that they have nothing to do with our work and abilities.
A university in which it is known that grades can be bought or that those who copy are not penalized is a university that is not worth more than the cost of a grade. By putting a price on the rating, we put a price on our word, our judgment and our honesty.
Many times, due to a misunderstood sense of solidarity, we do not denounce those who copy, without realizing that the most affected in the end will be us. We have to take into account that everything that affects the institution affects its students in the first place.
Students have certain minimum responsibilities that are important to keep in mind at all times. Far from being an imposition, fulfilling those responsibilities frees the student, and allows her to live her way through college better. The stereotype of the bad student who has fun all the time is frequent; this is a false archetype. A student who complies in an orderly manner with what is expected of him preserves the tranquility and time that allows him to have much more fun than the one who carries the anguish of a poor performance.
We have compiled a list of student responsibilities that is necessarily incomplete, which should be enriched with the individual experience of each university, but which offers an essential idea of what is expected of the behavior of each one of them.
Student responsibilities
- Attend classes on time and arrive appropriately prepared. Treat teachers, administrative authorities and other students with respect and tolerance. Do not waste time in class or make others waste their time. Respect the right of others to participate in class. Respect the points of view of others, admitting their right to have different opinions. Study properly for exams. Do not copy, use "accordions" or carry out any other type of academic fraud. · Report and report to the professor or authorities all attempts at academic fraud by any member of the institution. Properly cite the sources used for a job. Do not “reuse” work from previous courses or that have been prepared by someone else.Do not try to bribe teachers and administrative authorities to obtain a better qualification or another benefit that has not been obtained in an honest way. Never be satisfied with the work done unless it is the result of our best effort.
Teachers
The professors are figures of enormous importance for the university and for the students. They are the ones who have direct and daily contact with the students and those who carry out the same process of transmission and dissemination of knowledge. Their influence and position involve responsibilities that are very important to care for and that often go beyond the purely academic.
As already mentioned in the first chapter, the Corruption and Good Governance Survey carried out by the organization Transparencia Mexicana in 2001, indicated that in the opinion of the respondents, the family and teachers have the greatest credibility and social impact to promote combat to corruption. This is a sign of the social respect and moral authority that teachers have in our country.
The teacher's work is not limited to facilitating learning and transmitting knowledge to his students. Students are receptive to the teacher's behavior and often take their behavior as a reference to define a scale of values. The teacher's actions establish examples and standards of behavior. A teacher who fulfills her responsibilities sets role models for her students in the professional field and even on the staff.
On the contrary, a teacher who does not take his work seriously and who does not adopt criteria of honesty, responsibility and integrity in all his behaviors, spreads a bad example, which in many cases will end up reproducing himself in the behavior of his students.
As with students who turn to student fraud to improve their grades, one of the most damaging behaviors for college occurs when a teacher sells a grade in exchange for an economic, sexual, or other kind of favor.
There is a minimum list of responsibilities that professors must attend to and observe that, like the one we offered in the case of students, must be enriched by the particular situations that each professor faces in each institution.
Teachers' responsibilities
- Attend classes and meet course objectives. Help students develop and express concepts, knowledge and skills. Promote creative and critical thinking, responsibility and work in the student. Give each class a high educational value. Serve as an example for your students in a professional way. Listen and feed back your knowledge with the comments and doubts of the students. Respect the opinion and points of view of the students. Evaluate and keep a history of the progress of the students. Permanently update their Knowledge. Prevent academic fraud. Respect the dignity of students and do not establish differences in treatment for reasons unrelated to academic performance. Do not accept or request benefits of any kind in exchange for modifying a grade.Do not seek personal advantages or benefits thanks to your position within the university.
Administrative authorities
Every university has an administrative organization that is in charge of applying and managing the financial, material and human resources of the university. Although they do not participate directly in the educational process, the offices and administrative areas of a university carry out work that directly affects the performance of the institution.
Like teachers, those in charge of the administration of an academic institution have an enormous responsibility in the ethical training of students. They are in charge of applying the rules under which the university operates in fundamental processes such as admissions, safeguarding of files, processing of scholarships and incentives, maintenance of facilities, provision of the material elements necessary for learning, payment of salaries to professors. and other employees, as well as many other processes that are indispensable for the running of the institution.
In many cases, students, like the professors, take the example of the university authorities as a role model. A university where there is corruption and dishonest conduct by the authorities, creates in the student the perception that it is worth breaking the rules.
Some of the processes most exposed to dishonest behavior occurring in them are in the hands of the institution's administrative authorities. Every day they make decisions in which the opportunity to generate an economic or other profit can be presented.
One of the main responsibilities of the administrative authorities of a university is not to seek a private benefit derived from the position it occupies within the organization.
Responsibilities of administrative authorities
- Do not use your position within the university to obtain a private benefit. Make a responsible handling of the personal information of the students. Do not apply personal criteria to unduly benefit or harm any of the members of the institution. Make the appropriate decisions for the improvement of the processes and academic performance of the institution. Do not accept favors of any kind to change an administrative decision improperly.
Students, professors and academic authorities are three of the main groups that can make up a university, although each institution is made up of different groups or audiences (unions, student organizations, researchers, service concessionaires, etc.) that have specific responsibilities towards the institution.. In many universities, unions and student organizations have a significant presence and in some cases participate in their governing bodies, so it is important to consider what your commitments and responsibilities are to them.
As we will see in the next chapter, each university has different problems and characteristics that require attention. The time and effort invested in improving the academic and ethical performance of an academic institution will be amply rewarded.
A university in which this type of behavior is not tolerated and in which all its members, mainly students, professors and administrative authorities do what is expected of each one, receive the respect and recognition of society. There is no better reward for your members.
IV. Integrity programs and honor codes
What are integrity programs and honor codes?
Integrity programs are a set of practices that an organization implements to improve its performance, make its processes more efficient and guide the behavior of its members to ethical and integrity criteria. Integrity programs have been used by many governments, companies, and other organizations to improve their results and to keep their members' individual behaviors focused on achieving the group's collective objectives.
The promotion of behaviors and ethical values and integrity in organizations is an issue that has, for some time now, captured the attention of governments, companies, social organizations and universities around the world.
This is because integrity programs have been proven to help governments retain the trust of their citizens; that allow companies to have better economic results, and in short, that help organizations earn a better reputation with society and more easily achieve their objectives.
At SECODAM we prepared a document entitled “Building an Integrity Program: The Role of Codes of Conduct 1 ”, in which we brought together the experience of various organizations in the elaboration of an integrity program and offered some suggestions to implement it. In the process of preparing this document, we explore the subject of Honor Codes in universities and study how they can become instruments that help to significantly improve the academic level and functioning of a teaching institution.
Honor Codes at universities
The Honor Codes are documents that clearly establish the values of the institution, as well as the behavior expected of each of its members. Many universities, especially in the United States but also in Mexico and other countries, have adopted codes of ethics, codes of conduct or codes of honor to define what is expected of each of its members. All types of organizations need to have clear rules that help improve their performance and prevent problems.
College Honor Codes have been used, especially in the United States, to set standards of conduct. Most Honor Codes at American universities primarily address issues related to academic fraud (copying, plagiarism, impersonation on exams, etc.), although behavioral guides are sometimes included for other matters.
Some of these Codes were developed more than a century ago, while others are relatively recent. The older ones incorporate a kind of oath of honor, while the newer ones are usually a set of rules to follow, written in the manner of a legal code. Regardless of the way in which each Code is written, they all aim to create an ethical and fair environment for the students, teachers and other members of the institution, in which the educational process can be conducted in a better way.
Examples of Honor Codes
In the case of Stanford University, an Honor Code was formally adopted in the spring of 1921, after student groups campaigned for seven years to promote ethical standards of conduct across the institution.
This Code has three sections in which it is established:
1. The commitment of the students not to carry out academic fraud and to watch that the others do not.
2. The teachers' agreement to express their confidence in the honor commitment of the students, not imposing too strict controls.
3. A mutual commitment of professors and students to discuss and establish the optimal conditions for academic work, while continuing to recognize the authority and freedom of professorships.
This Code specifically emphasizes the prevention of student fraud and collaboration between students and teachers. The sanctions that Stanford University has contemplated for violations of its Honor Code include the suspension of the student for one or more semesters, the failing grade in the matter in which the absence was presented and a certain number of hours of community work in benefit of the university.
Princeton University adopted an Honor Code in 1893, which was slightly amended a hundred years later, and which they also call
"Constitution". It has eight chapters each divided into several sections that include, among other things:
- The creation of a committee with 11 members, all of them students, who will be responsible for reviewing cases of violations of the Honor Code. This committee has the power to investigate cases of violations of the Code and to establish sanctions. Each student, before taking On an exam, you must write and sign an oath that says “I give my word that I have not violated the Honor Code during this exam 2. ” All students are required to report to the Honor Committee any violations of the Code that they have detected.
The Honor Committee is in charge of defining the sanctions according to the seriousness of the case. These penalties generally consist of one, two, or three years of suspension from college, and in the event of a repeat offense, the final expulsion of Princeton. Penalties are applied after a student is found guilty in an investigation. In the event that a student is found innocent, all files related to the investigation are destroyed, so as not to leave a mark on their history.
The latter is very important since an accusation does not necessarily imply guilt. At Princeton, a procedure has been established that seeks to clearly establish the responsibility of the accused and, in case of innocence, ensure that his record is intact.
Cornell University developed a Code of Academic Integrity in 1976 which outlines general responsibilities of students. This Code contains chapters related to the principles that the students must observe and to the procedures with which the “Academic Integrity Hearings 3 ” will work in dealing with violations of the Code. These hearings are made up of a professor appointed by the dean or rector (dean), three professors elected by the members of the faculties and three students elected by the same students.
Like the previous Codes, the Cornell Code mainly identifies behaviors related to academic fraud, although it also includes misconduct in class as well as all behaviors that may be considered non-integral. In one of its sections, the Cornell Code mentions that "students are responsible for their actions, whether or not there are written rules about it… 4 "
The honor codes of the universities of the United States, as a general rule, focus on academic fraud. This is due to the enormous concern that exists to maintain the prestige and good name of academic institutions, since the universities of that country are in a highly competitive environment for having the best students and professors. However, the absence of other topics than academic fraud is due to the fact that in that country there are very clear institutional mechanisms - and to a certain extent reasonably efficient - to report and channel complaints about illegal conduct.
In Mexico, unfortunately, sometimes these institutional mechanisms do not work properly or there is not enough trust in them. Many irregular behaviors are tolerated or not reported because it is considered that there is no point in filing a complaint.
In some universities in Mexico where surveys have been carried out to identify the most frequent dishonest behaviors, it has been proven that the purchase of grades and admissions, along with the sexual harassment of students by teachers are some of the faults that present more frequently 5.
Faced with different realities, the solutions have to be different. The codes of conduct of Mexican universities must recognize that each case is unique. It is not enough to take the example of the codes of conduct of the universities of other countries; Mexican universities must carry out a process to identify their specific conflicts and translate them into actions that help solve the problems of each institution.
V. The drafting of an Honor Code for higher education institutions
An Honor Code must start from the expectations, needs, objectives and values of an academic institution. It is about creating a mechanism that helps the university to better meet its objectives, according to its own characteristics and problems.
Codes must be seen as mechanisms to solve and prevent specific problems that do not allow universities to fully play their role. Codes are means to achieve a goal, not the goal itself, because having a code is not enough; it must be ensured that concrete actions are derived from it for the benefit of the teaching process. Before developing an Honor Code, it is important to take into account certain basic criteria that will help us give this document the desired value and effectiveness.
- The need to elaborate must be shared by all the members of the university.
The elaboration of a Code must respond to a need that is perceived by all the members of the university. It should not be seen as an imposition or as something alien.
Although the initiative to elaborate a Code may come from the students, the professors or the university authorities, everyone must assume that it is a mechanism that will help to solve the problems and improve the performance of the institution.
- The greatest number of members of the university must participate in its preparation and validation.
It is very important that all the members of the institution feel that they had the opportunity to participate in the elaboration of the Code. It is a document in which the aspirations and concerns of those who make up the university must be reflected.
- A program of awareness and commitment to the Code must be developed.
The Code does not work on its own to solve university problems. All members of the institution must know the
Code as well as the responsibilities that its application implies. This is achieved with a permanent communication and awareness campaign so that everyone internalizes and endorses the Code.
We must take into account that integrity is not a quality with which we are born; it needs to be taught, promoted and practiced; A person of integrity can only stay that way if he practices ethical behavior every day.
- Compliance with the Code is not an arrival point, but the beginning of a process of growth and improvement.
The goal of an integrity program does not end with the writing of a Code. That is rather the starting point from which permanent actions and commitments must be undertaken to comply with what the Code says and achieve the objectives that the institution has set itself.
- The Code has value because it clarifies, guides and commits.
The Code should not only be a written document. The members of the university should see a behavioral guide in it. A well-written Code must resolve ethical dilemmas that we face day by day. A Code should answer the question "what should I do?" the moment we face a dilemma that could compromise our integrity.
The Honor Code of an academic institution must be a document containing the objectives, goals and wishes of students, teachers, authorities and the rest of its members. Therefore, the Code of each university must be different from the others and each one must prepare their own according to the procedure that suits them best.
There is no university that is identical to another. Each one is different from the others in terms of size, study plans, number of students, budget it manages, geographic location, etc. Universities also differ in their organization, in that some are public and others private, and in the way students organize and participate in the affairs of the institution. However, there are objectives and responsibilities of the members of the university that are common to all institutions, however different they may be.
Duke University's Center for Academic Integrity 6 sets out some recommendations for universities interested in promoting an integrity program. Firstly, it highlights five fundamental values that help universities fulfill their educational function.
Honesty · Trust · Justice · Respect · Responsibility
It also makes some recommendations about the requirements that an integrity program must have for universities 7:
1. Have procedures and integrity criteria clearly established and applied.
2.Inform and educate the university community about integrity policies.
3. Promulgate and rigorously practice integrity policies, leading by example.
4. Have a clear, accessible, fair and equitable system of evaluation and rating of the conduct of the members of the university.
5.Develop programs that promote academic integrity in all segments of the university community.
6. Be alert to changes in technology and procedures that may affect university integrity.
7. Regularly evaluate the effectiveness of integrity policies and propose continuous improvements.
All academic institutions must establish actions and policies that promote and clarify the values of the university and the criteria of conduct expected of its members. It is essential that the members of the university perceive that the integrity policies and actions are directly related to the values of the institution. There can be no contradiction in that.
For this, it is important that there are mechanisms for dialogue between the university community so that all of them decide what is the best way to create the mechanisms and policies of academic integrity and what will be the contents of their Honor Code.
Based on the experience of various organizations that implemented an integrity program, we can suggest five basic steps to write an Honor Code:
- Define the values and objectives of the university. Identify those behaviors that you want to avoid and those that you want to promote. Write the Code with the participation of the members of the organization. Make a sincere commitment to respect the Code. Communicate and promote the adoption of the Code in the life of the university.
- Define the values and objectives of the university.
Each academic institution has objectives and values that must be defined before reviewing the behaviors that will help achieve its goals. These values can be stated in a sentence or in a series of commitments that the members of the organization assume as their own. The important thing is that each member of the university knows perfectly why the university exists and what is the purpose that the actions of all its members must seek.
- Identify those behaviors that you want to avoid and those that you want to promote.
In all academic institutions, behaviors are presented that are better to avoid because they affect the relationship between its members and reduce the university's ability to achieve its objectives. The Honor Code must make clear what are the behaviors to be promoted and also what are the acts with which the university community does not agree. In this way, the performance of each person (student, teacher, academic authority) is focused on the goals of the group; everyone knows what to do and what to avoid. It is recommended that discussion mechanisms be established to review and evaluate in detail the problems that have arisen in the university and make an inventory of what should and should not be done to convert that inventory into a Code of Honor.
- Write the Code with the participation of the members of the organization.
It is important that all the members of the university participate in the elaboration and revision of the Honor Code, that the values and aspirations of all are represented in the Code and that all feel that document as their own. He
Code belongs to everyone and it is essential that everyone express their aspiration for the institution to be successful.
- Make a sincere commitment to abide by the Code.
Once drafted, the most important thing for a Honor Code to be successful is the commitment and example given by teachers, administrative authorities and leaders of student organizations. If the leader of a group does not comply with the rules, it will be impossible for others to do so. When teachers or administrative authorities do not respect the rules, it is as if the rules do not exist. We can preach a thousand years, but if we do not lead by example, it will be useless. The argument convinces, but the example drags. Authority figures within a university, like students, must establish a commitment to respect equally, regardless of hierarchies, everything that the Code of Honor dictates.
- Communicate and promote the adoption of the Code in the life of the university.
For an Honor Code to become part of the life of an academic institution, it is necessary that everyone knows it and internalizes it. A Code that is not lived day by day is nothing more than a dead document.
A well-communicated Code, known and applied by all the members of the university is a Code that fulfills its function.
They must be very clear about the consequences of the infractions and how to present doubts, complaints or denunciations, for which a permanent communication campaign must be launched and new students and employees must be warned about the implications of the Code.
SAW. conclusion
In the context of global integration, in which universities are required to perform better, integrity becomes an essential requirement to successfully insert themselves in a new environment of greater competition. The suggestions and strategies that we have presented are intended to offer Mexican universities an additional tool to improve the behavior and values of their members and with it, their own objectives. There is no more effective way to end inefficiency and strengthen the integrity of an academic institution that improving the individual conduct of its members. A university that clearly establishes its values and desires encourages its members to endorse those values and to work in a better environment of cooperation and team spirit.
The federal government, with the coordination of SECODAM, has established an unwavering commitment to fighting corruption and promoting a culture of transparency and legality. We share with society the responsibility of sowing for the future, the seed of a better country, more transparent and with less corruption.
In this task, the universities play an indispensable role, since in them the young people of Mexico are trained in the professional, social and ethical aspects. We need the future leaders of this country to assume the new responsibilities of living in an open, free and democratic country; We need them to have strong values of integrity and ethics that enable them to successfully meet the challenges of global competition; Finally, we need the active participation of the universities in the search for the goals to which we all aspire: a more transparent and fair society, in which legality and integrity prevail.
1 This brochure is freely available on the SECODAM website, www.secodam.gob.mx
2 “I pledge my honor that I have not violated the honor code during this examination”
3 “College Academic Integrity Hearing Board”
4. “In any event, students are responsible for their actions whether or not rules are built in…”, Code of Academic Integrity, Cornell University
5. "Sexual harassment, bites and purchase of qualifications, revealed by the CIET survey in 1999", La Jornada, March 6, 2002.
6 The Center for Academic Integrity, Box 90434, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, 27708
7 The Fundamental Values of Academic Integrity, The Center for Academic Integrity, October 1999
