Ethics_and_the_College_Student

Ethics and the College Student Today’s College students face many ethical dilemmas, dealing with the much talked about plagiarism and the not so talked about prescription drugs, as well as the very common decision to go to the party or to stay in and study for the midterm. These dilemmas though mainly plaque the students residing on campus and who attend their classes in the traditional classroom, they also are becoming a problem with the nontraditional online students as well. The biggest seems to be Plagiarism (using someone else’s work as your own), which seems a simple thing to avoid, but can get tricky when you get down to the nitty gritty of what one person considers plagiarism and what someone else things it is…For some people who commit plagiarism they do it by accident, and it’s a simple as forgetting to cite someone else’s idea or citing incorrectly. While others it seems that rather than being entirely ignorant of the principles of citation, students are often aware of them but do not entirely accept them. (Blum, 2009) Many colleges have been cracking down on this by having honor codes that every student must read, sign and adhere to and they also now have programs where they can submit the students papers and it checks to see if is their own words or if they copied off someone else. Student academic misconduct, such as cheating and plagiarism, has increased in recent decades and is an important concern in higher education. Meanwhile, it has been reported that faculty members often do little to prevent misconduct or to challenge students who engage in it. (Conway, Hard, & Moran, 2006) Another big thing that is making students question their ethics is prescription drug use, not necessarily their own prescription, but those of other students that they intentionally buy from. Though some people are now calling them “study aides”, using prescription drugs such as Adderall and Ritalin which can increase a student’s focus and alertness; these drugs can help a student stay awake so they can cram for a midterm, or just help them be super focused when they have several projects that need to be done around the same time. Many students feel like this is not cheating due to it does not give them any answers to the tests, but just helps them focus and stay on task. The drugs can be very dangerous and some colleges have even started to put it in their Code of Conduct. If students are using study aids -- prescription drugs such as Adderall and Ritalin that can increase students’ focus and alertness -- for studying rather than exams or homework, is that a violation of the honor code' Can study aids, which are used the same way that millions of people use coffee or energy drinks, really be called cheating mechanisms' (Grasgreen, 2010) Students who engage in nonmedical use of prescription stimulants could be using these drugs in a compensatory fashion to “catch-up” with their studying because of the classes they missed as a result of drinking more or socializing more during the week. Rather than a group preoccupied with achieving academically, the general picture that emerges is that these students, because of the greater time they spend socializing, are seeking a way to make their few study hours more efficient through the use of prescription stimulants. For these students, prescription stimulants may be perceived as instrumental in helping them stay afloat academically while sustaining their partying lifestyle. (Arria, O'Grady, Caldeira, Vincent, & Wish, 2008) Which brings us to the all-time favorite…To Party or not to Party, as this does seem to focus more on the traditional life of campus students, it does affect those who are trying to do online classes as well, the parties just might not be over at the Frat house and instead the birthday party you son/daughter got invited to and they have been waiting all week to go….take them and lose two hours’ worth of homework time or keep them home with you and listen to them whine and complain that they are bored and want to go to the neighbor’s house. Either way you have to decide which direction to take and deal with the consequences of your decisions…mad friends, bratty kids or failing grades… There are many ethical issues within college life, the right and wrong way to do your assignments or to take exams. It is up to you to decide where you stand and if you are willing to compromise your ethical beliefs to pop that pill to get thru the next four hours for a cram session or if you are only going to” look” at your classmates paper for ideas. References Arria, A. M., O'Grady, K. E., Caldeira, K. M., Vincent, K. B., & Wish, E. D. (2008). Nonmedical use of prescription stimulants and analesics:Associations with social and academic behaviors among college students. Journal of Drug Issues, 38(4), 1045-1060. Blum, S. (2009). My word! : Plagiarism and college culture. Ithica, ny: Cornell University Press. Conway, J., Hard, S., & Moran, A. (2006). Faculty and college student beliefs about the frequency of student academic misconduct. The Journal of Higher Education, 1058-1080. Grasgreen, A. (2010, October 13). Inside Higher Ed. Retrieved 2013, from Are prescription drugs 'cheating'': http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2010/10/13/wesleyan