The UOSA Honor Council is an initiative shared by the University of Oklahoma Student Association (UOSA) and the Office of the Provost. The Honor Council's mission is to promote academic integrity among students.

We do this by serving as a body and resource to educate students about academic integrity policies, developing programs that stress the importance of academic integrity, reviewing the effectiveness of current academic misconduct policies and procedures, and serving on and weighing in on misconduct hearings.

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Academic integrity is essential for a university to succeed and be credible in its mission of educating students and contributing to academic fields through research. Professors must be able to trust that their student's work is legitimate and done honestly.

Conversely, cheating, falsification, fraud, any form of plagiarism, or assisting others in these acts are some examples of academic misconduct.

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If I see someone cheating in my class, what am I supposed to do?
Any cheating you see should be reported to your instructor.

What if my instructor doesn't care about cheating or doesn't do anything about the cheating?
Contact the Honor Council to seek what possible actions can be taken in addition to speaking with your advisor about the issue.

Do I need to submit the Integrity Pledge at the top/bottom of every assignment I turn it?
No. If your professor requires, the Integrity Pledge must be affixed to the top of all assignments worth 10% of more of your total grade for the class. It should also be affixed to the top of every exam.

I understand all these rules, but I still don't quite understand what cheating really is.
In short, cheating is taking credit for something that you didn't do; it's the academic equivalent of stealing.

But surely everyone cheats. I don't see what the big deal is.
As prevalent as you might think cheating is, less than 10% of OU students admitted to cheating on an exam or paper. If you cheat during school, not only are you robbing yourself of the education you are paying for, but you are also setting yourself up for future failures in life, when you are unable to recall things you should have learned during college.
Think about it for a moment: would you really want to have your taxes prepared by an accountant who cheated his way through college?

What happens if I don't sign the Integrity Pledge?
It depends on the instructor. Perhaps nothing, but an instructor can refuse to accept an assignment without a signed pledge.
The pledge's main purpose is to serve as a reminder of the high standards of academic integrity at the University of Oklahoma.

If I don't sign the Integrity Pledge, will I be accused of cheating?
No. Whether or not you've signed the Integrity Pledge should NOT be used as evidence if you're accused of academic misconduct.
If you are accused of academic misconduct simply for not signing the Integrity Pledge, contact either the Honor Council,
or Dr. Gregory Heiser in the Provost's Office.

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