BFC reviews student code

The Bloomington Faculty Council held its first read-through of the updated Student Rights, Responsibilities and Conduct Code Tuesday.\nThe 96-page code, first approved in 1990, has not been updated since 1997.\n"Since 1997, technology and computers are being used much more at the University, so we added an emphasis on technology," said Mary Popp, co-chair of the University Faculty Committee's Student Affairs Committee.\nMost of the changes regarding technology refer to how students use electronic resources and access to University computers. A section at the beginning also states students are expected to keep up-to-date with their IU Webmail.\nThe area drawing the most discussion from faculty was the updated section explicitly allowing professors to bring legal counsel with them when meeting with a student about a failing grade or similar classroom incident.\n"We're seeing an increasing trend of students either talking about or bringing lawyers into precedings," Associate University Counsel Beth Cate said. "But no lawyer is going to be as helpful as simply stating what the basis of an action is."\nThe rewritten student code also calls for a student to not allow others access to his or her resources in order to cheat on an assignment. Currently, it only states a student is to not intentionally help another student to cheat.\nMany faculty members felt even this update was not enough to curb cheating and called for an honor code which would require students to report any knowledge they had of another student cheating. Such a code is currently in place in the Kelley School of Business.\nDean of Student Ethics Pam Freeman said the committee that drafted the code had discussed an honor code with the Kelley school, and were strongly advised not to add one to the student code. She also said the faculty needs to do a better job of reporting cheating.\n"Another point is that we received comments that there is a bigger problem of not reporting on the part of the faculty," Freeman said. "If we can't get the faculty to report academic misconduct, how can we get the students to do so?"\nBusiness Professor Eric Rasmusen pointed out there are currently no consequences for a faculty member who doesn't reporting cheating.\nPopp said more changes are expected to the proposed student code as the other IU campuses are surveyed for input.\nThe BFC is expected to vote on the student code at the next meeting March 2.\n-- Contact senior writer Chris Freiberg at wfreiber@indiana.edu.