Introduction:

Academic Integrity is generally a moral code to be followed by every student in an educational

institution (Kirk Alison,1996). Academic Integrity is a matter of no cheating, no plagiarism. This
paper gives a brief idea of how academic integrity plays a key role in students career in GMU.
This paper also gives a brief idea of consequences faced by students when they violate the
honor code(GMU Honor Code,2017) with a case study. In case study, a student will be violating
the honor code by stealing the work of others, this paper gives a brief idea about alternative
solution other than stealing the work as per the honor code. It explains about consequences
faced for stealing the work and the punishment imposed on him/her for violating the honor
code(GMU Honor Code,2017).

Body:

1. In the given case, Natalie might have violated standards of academic integrity. As for the aspects
of the GMU Honor Code (2017), cheating and plagiarism should be considered. Natalie can be
suspected of cheating for the use of Matthews work without his authorization, and also
duplication and submission of his work for the visual storytelling project. She can also be
suspected of plagiarism because she may have used Matthews ideas without giving him credit
for it. This can be supported by the fact that she failed to cite the sources for her work she
submit.
2.
a. The simplest alternative solution to complete the assignment while satisfying the
standards of academic integrity would have been for the GMU Honor Code violator to
have done their work independently without resorting to cheating and plagiarism,
resulting in the submission of original work.
b. Learning center of GMU can be very useful to help the students in this situation, they
provide a variety of experience-based learning oppurtunities through which students
explore a wide range of academic problems(GMU Learning Services,2017). Various
services in the Learning center like Academic coaching, workshops, writing center can
help the students in developing their academic skills, in managing academic
assignments, and also in exam preparation strategies. Students who are experiencing
stress or become overwhelmed by emotions can also attend Psychological workshops
which can help in teaching ways to cope with stress and emotion.

3. As soon as violation of GMU Honor Code(2017) is suspected, the violation should be reported to
the Office of Academic Integrity within a reasonable period of time so that further steps can be
taken. The Office of Academic Integrity will the student of the referral and he/she will then be
given seven days to schedule a pre-hearing meeting where the referred student is given an
opportunity to take responsibility for their actions. If the referred student pleads innocence or
 fails to show up for the prehearing meeting, the case will be forwarded to the Honor
Committee. The Honor Committee will then review the case giving both parties an opportunity
to take responsibility. If the referring party chooses to recommend a sanction of program
dismissal, suspension, or permanent dismissal, an in-person hearing will be held before the
Honor Committee which will be audio recorded by the Office of Academic Integrity. During the
hearing, either party will be given a chance to defend themselves after which they will be
questioned by the other party. The referred party will be, in addition to the referring party,
questioned by the Honor Committee as well. The students will also be allowed to bring with
them, a single advisor who may advise the student throughout the hearing. In case the students
and the professor do not appear before the Honor Committee, the referred student may submit
documentation and statements that support their case within 7 days of their pre-hearing
meeting so that an Expedited Review will take place. If the referred student take responsibility
for their actions, he/she can request for an amended sanction but the amendments of grade
related sanction can only take place if the professor agrees to amend the grade and the referred
student is able to prove that his/her reasons or circumstances behind the actions justify the
amendment of the sanction(GMU Honor Code,2017) .
For this case, if this is Natalies first violation and she takes responsibility for her actions, I think
she should be given sanction of redoing the assignment and a grade reduction on the
assignment. If she does not take responsibility but is found guilty, I think she should be given a
grade reduction for the course. If this is not her first violation, she should be suspended, or
given permanent dismissal If her previous violations are many and also severe.

Conclusion:
Plagiarism is a serious issue in many educational institutions across USA. The focus of this paper
was to be provide an advice to the students of GMU to not violate the honor code. The key
points I learnt from this case study would be not violating the GMU honor code (2017). Rather,
there are many alternative ways to achieve our targets like taking help from the Learning center
which provides free writing, academic and psychological support to Mason students(GMU
Learning Services,2017) or taking help from professors in case of facing difficulty in fulfilling the
academic requirements.

References:

Kirk, A. (1996). Learning and the marketplace: a philosophical, cross-cultural (and occasionally
irreverent) guide for business and academe. SIU Press.

GMU Honor Code. (2017). Academic Integrity, Core values, Plagiarism, Cheating. Retrieved
from https://oai.gmu.edu/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/George-Mason-University-Honor-
Code-2017-2018-Final-2.pdf
GMU Learning Services. (2017). Provides a variety of experience-based learning opportunities through
which students explore a wide range of academic concerns. Retrieved from
http://learningservices.gmu.edu