The Three Strikes Policy As various studies report, cheating in college, even at its highest levels, is increasingly becoming a greater issue by the years. Donald L. McCabe, a management professor at Rutgers University, conducted a research which showed that in 1964, fifty-eight percent of engineering students admitted to cheating at least once. By 1996, that percentage rose to eighty-two percent [3]. McCabe at the time was quoted as saying “Students now look at cheating differently”. “Students are no longer embarrassed by it”. Aside from this common attitude among students, many professors also list the enhancements of technology such as text messaging and the internet as major contributing factors to aid students in cheating. In September, 2004, The Washington Post released an article about academic dishonesty. They acknowledged there is a problem with students cheating in college and that technology has worsened what was already an area of growing concern. However, rather than focus their energy on stiff punishment and court trials they present prevention over consequences as the way to fight the cheating.
“Our first and most important line of defense against academic dishonesty is simply good teaching. Cheating and plagiarism often arise in a vacuum created by routine, lack of interest and overwork” [2].
“The second remedy is to encourage the development of integrity in our students. A sense of responsibility about one's intellectual development would preclude cheating and plagiarizing as inconsistent with one's identity. It is precisely this sense of individual integrity that schools with honor codes seek to promote” [2].
My recommendations for academic dishonesty come from these ideas but take them yet a step further. I believe a program must be put in place. At the beginning of every registration period, every incoming student whether freshmen or