Break the honor code and you could be expelled. In the last four years, The Citadel has averaged 11 or 12 reported cheating cases a year. About a handful are thrown out after the initial investigation, said Michael Barrett, a retired brigadier general who teaches history and serves a faculty adviser to the cadet-run Honor Committee. An average of seven cases a year make it before the Honor Committee, where cadets decide the fate of their peers in proceedings much like a court trial, Barrett said. Cheating ranks second to lying among the most common offenses that come before the Honor Committee.
Theft is third.
Students cheat because they are lazy or are unable to meet the demands put on them by peers or parents, according to several students in Katie Avent's communications class at the College of Charleston. The College of Charleston Honor Code Committee considers many things before deciding a plagiarism or cheating case, including intent to do harm, past offenses and harm to others. A student's academic status can also make a difference. A freshman might not. Cabot oversees the Honor Committee and reviews its recommendations for punishment.