"Honor Codes" on College Campuses

While they will not have the desired effect on every individual who attends college, I do think that "honor codes" are a good reminder for those who may be tempted to take shortcuts or try to pass someone else's work off as their own. I do, however, feel that these are effective only to a certain degree. Even before society's evolvement into the current "it's all about me and what I want" type of attitude, there were always people who took what didn't belong to them or used things that didn't belong to them without permission - and there always will be. For those who might be teetering on the edge, trying to decide if they will or won't cheat, these "honor codes" may have a deterrent effect, if the individual fears the consequences of their actions. But, as with any law or policy, there will be some who have no fear of consequences and proceed to do exactly what they want to do. I think that this mentality is becoming more prevalent in today's society, in part because values and parental teaching of those values, respect for authority and boundaries have changed over the past few decades.