by Michael Hicks

Created on: January 24, 2007   Last Updated: July 20, 2010

In the world of architecture, Integrity is the strength of a structure. In nautical construction, a ship's structural integrity is its ability to hold together while at sea. The similarities of these two definitions are that they both imply that buildings and ships undergo stress, sometimes to the extreme, and that they possess strength to resist this stress and maintain themselves. The academic community is a different world to the outsider, full of formalities, peculiarities, and procedures which may appear strange, but it is a commonly held notion by society in general that the procuring of goods or services for which one did not work or pay for is morally objectionable.

In the academic community, Integrity is considered a universally held ideal, one which, if broken, would bring about the downfall of everything the intellectual holds dear. The sanctity of one's own mind is something which no man may ever take away, but the purity of ideas is constantly in danger of corruption. Therefore, it is very important to instill the values of integrity, honesty, and frankness into those entering the academic community, so as to facilitate the passage of the freshman college student into a state of being which is conducive to both his enlightenment, and the enrichment of his community, society, and humankind.

The theft of ideas is a very serious offence. It is also a manifestation of several factors which may or may not be present in the mind of a burgeoning academic. It can be brought on by laziness, procrastination, or preoccupation; it can be done with malicious intent; or it can be accidental. The bottom line, however, is that, like heresy within a religious body, plagiarism undermines the entire body of academia, and must be rooted out at all costs. It is ultimately the responsibility of every student and professor to safeguard his work against any who would steal it, and to safeguard his mind from the temptation of an easy way out.

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