By Katelyn Schwab
In a time when artificial intelligence (AI) technology can generate essays, discussion
posts and even exam answers in seconds, the line between academic honesty and misconduct among students is becoming increasingly blurred. Adelphi’s Undergraduate Honor Council is working to take on that challenge by advocating for the student body, ensuring that every student can have a voice in shaping the academic policies that affect them.
“The mission is to help build a culture of academic integrity at Adelphi,” said Michael LaCombe, associate professor of history and the university’s integrity officer. “Students deserve a voice in this, and this [the Undergraduate Honor Council] is where they have it.”
The Council was established last summer by LaCombe as a student-centered extension of the Provost’s Committee on Academic Integrity, which is responsible for spreading awareness of the University’s Code of Academic Integrity. Members of the Council are selected through a nomination process started by their respective school’s dean. This recognition is generally granted to students who have demonstrated academic integrity and leadership in their respective fields of study.
Although Gabrielle Stafford, a sophomore accounting major in the Honors College program, said she was honored to be nominated, it was the mission of the council that ultimately convinced her to get involved. “It’s about preventing the need to lack integrity in the first place,” she said. “If we understand why students struggle, we can work on fixing those issues before they turn into something bigger.”
Emily Ledesma, a senior psychology major in the STEP program, said she joined the Council because she wanted to help clarify the expectations between students and faculty. “I realized how important it was that students have a say in syllabi,” Ledesma said. “There’s a lot of confusion about AI right now, and we discussed putting a new policy in place for professors to clearly state when AI is acceptable and when it isn’t.”
The ongoing impact of AI on the classroom is one of the biggest issues facing students today. Mary O’Connor, a senior majoring in psychology, said she finds that students have changed how they approach their work. “AI is taking away students’ confidence in themselves,” she said. “The ability to create and express something of themselves is being lost.”
O’Connor emphasized that academic misconduct is not always intentional. “It’s not necessarily about trying to cheat,” she said. “It’s about students feeling overwhelmed, thinking they can’t do it on their own, and AI is just sitting there, an easy option. A lot of students don’t even realize when they’ve crossed the line.”
LaCombe witnessed that shift firsthand. “I’ve talked to students who use AI as a study tool and I think that’s great. But I’ve also seen it strip away the process of thinking. When a student submits something AI-generated, they’re not giving me their own ideas.”
When asked about the university’s current guidelines, Lacombe said, “I wrote them and the CAI (Committee on Academic Integrity) approved them last year. There is a separate committee of the Senate that’s overlapping a bit. Their subject is how to use GenAI ethically, mostly in faculty research, though they sometimes comment on the work of the CAI as well.”
The policy offers four approaches for incorporating generative AI into coursework, ranging from strict prohibition to unrestricted use, depending on the instructor’s preference.
Ledesma pointed out that some professors provide exact policies about AI usage in their classes. “At other times, the rules appear more flexible or uncertain regarding its usage and the first step to fixing the problem is getting everyone on the same page,” she said.
Beyond concerns related to AI, the Council hopes to reshape how academic integrity is viewed on campus. “People think of academic integrity as something that only the faculty care about, and that students either don’t care or are trying to cheat,” LaCombe said. “We need to change that assumption.”
That perspective is exactly what council members hope to promote to the student body. “I hope we create more of a presence on campus,” Stafford said. “A lot of students don’t want to talk about integrity because they don’t want to ‘rat someone out.’ But if we don’t understand why and how misconduct happens, we can’t come up with real solutions.”
O’Connor agreed, saying that academic integrity policies shouldn’t feel like they exist solely to punish students. “It’s not about catching people doing something wrong,” she said. “It’s about creating an environment where students don’t feel like they need to rely on things like AI to succeed.”
LaCombe envisions a future where the council operates more democratically, with students taking a leading role in discussions and even holding roundtable events with faculty. “Building a culture of integrity happens through conversation,” he said. “That’s what we’re trying to do.”
Part of that conversation includes ensuring faculty are involved as well. “I’d like to do some sort of roundtable discussions at Integrity Awareness Week,” LaCombe said. “We could have conversations where faculty listen to students, ask for their thoughts and hear directly from them. It’s one thing to create a policy and another to understand how students actually feel about it.”
Through such discussions and feedback, Ledesma believes that the Council will bridge the gap between students and faculty when it comes to academic policies.
“I think students and faculty should continue to strive to work together on finding common views when it comes to academic success,” she said. “I see policies as guidelines meant to support students, instead of set rules. Having real conversations about academic integrity could change that.”
As the council moves forward, its members hope to expand their presence on campus and encourage more students to get involved. “We could use more members,” LaCombe said. “If students are interested, they can always reach out to me. The more voices we have, the stronger our work will be.”
For now, members are focused on making sure that academic integrity isn’t just a rule students follow but a conversation they are actively part of.
“We’re not just looking to get rid of cheating,” Stafford said. “We want to figure out why students feel like they need to cheat in the first place and find ways to help them feel successful without it.”
Editor’s note: The author, Katelyn Schwab, is a member of the Undergraduate Honor Council.
What to know
The Undergraduate Honor Council gives students a voice in shaping academic integrity policies at Adelphi.
Members are nominated by their deans based on academic integrity and leadership.
The council is working toward clearer AI guidelines in course syllabi.
Faculty and students continue to debate the role of AI in academics, with concerns about both its benefits and its impact on independent thinking.
Students interested in joining the Honor Council can contact Prof. Michael LaCombe at lacombe@adelphi.edu
Comments