HIGHLAND HEIGHTS — Northern Kentucky University joined a growing number of institutions nationwide Wednesday when the board of regents voted to institute a student honor code.

        A faculty-initiated idea to promote the highest standards in academic integrity, it is more than just a student code of conduct. It primarily addresses issues of ethical academic behavior and says students won't plagiarize, cheat or lie to gain an advantage.

        Faculty members not only will be encouraged to hand out the code at the beginning of each semester, but they'll be asked to put this statement on every test given at the university: “You are bound by the student honor code to neither give nor receive any unauthorized aid on this examination.”

        The resolution passed Wednesday sets clear consequences for students who break the code, ranging from an oral or written reprimand to expulsion from the university with the action included on the student's transcript.

        “I think it sets a precedent,” said Kathryn Herschede, the student representative on the board. “It says we're interested in academic honesty, the whole notion of honor in college.”

        According to the code, students may be asked to sign a pledge, though Mark Shanley, vice president for student affairs, said he doesn't think that will be practical for all 12,000 students. But everyone will be held to the honor code standard regardless of his or her signature when the fall semester starts Aug. 19.

        The resolution also creates a university honor council made up of at least 15 students and 12 faculty members to serve as a place where disciplinary decisions can be appealed.

        Ed Brewer, an associate professor in the Chase College of Law, helped draft the document after a small group of faculty members presented the idea a couple of years ago. It was not to address a pervasive problem of cheating on campus, he said, but to make sure those values were formally woven into the fabric of the university.

        “A culture of honor is something we want students to take with them,” he said. “I'm pretty proud of it (the code). It speaks to what the academic community wants and what the vast majority of NKU students want.”

        None of the professors perceived themselves as riding a trend, though national experts say more schools are moving in that direction. Locally, neither the University of Cincinnati nor Xavier University has an honor code. Each has a student code of conduct that addresses some of the same issues, however, and each has undergone some revision.

        The Center for Academic Integrity, which is housed on Duke University's campus, is a non-profit agency that aims to promote honesty in campus communities. With more corporate corruption coming to light such as the Enron debacle and others, college leaders are looking to honor codes to emphasize integrity, said Diane Waryold, executive director of the center.

        The University of Virginia has one of the most well-known and strict honor codes in the country. But others, such as the University of Maryland's, are more modified and less stringent.

        “There is more attention given to ethics in general,” Ms. Waryold said. “And one tangible way to do that is to create an honor code.”

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