Honor is a way of life at Lyon College and can be traced to the establishment of an honor system nearly one hundred years ago. Honor is an ideal and obligation evident in the lives of admirable individuals and in the customs and practices of distinguished communities. It is also an indispensable part of an academic community, such as Lyon College and the schools within.
An academic community is a community of scholars and learners all in a common pursuit of expertise and competent execution of skills. A specific academic community is best when its life is seamless. Members–faculty, students, administration, and staff alike–extend trust and respect to one another in their communal life. By the same token, they demand of themselves adherence to the communal ethic that makes possible their common serious enterprise. Thus, individual responsibility to self and to the whole facilitates trust, and trust becomes the cornerstone of the community.
Dentists are guided by ethics codes that acknowledge the additional care that must be taken when it comes to patients and patient care. Thus, the LCSDM Honor Code includes expectations for professionalism and ethical behavior based on the American Dental Association’s “Principles of Ethics and Code of Professional Conduct” and the American College of Dentists' “Ethics Handbook for Dentistry.”
The American Dental Association ADA code of ethics includes five principles (Patient Autonomy, Nonmaleficence, Beneficence, Justice, and Veracity) which all fit under the Honor Code that has been part of Lyon College for over a century. Similarly, the American College of Dentists’ ethics handbook is structured around four pillars (Ethics, Professionalism, Leadership, and Excellence) which influence not only the work students and faculty complete in the classroom and lab but extend beyond into one’s dental career after graduation.
For a detailed discussion on how these Honor and Professionalism Codes operate at the Lyon College School of Dental Medicine, consult the LCSDM Student Handbook.
Pledging to Honor and Professionalism
Upon matriculation, every member of the Lyon College and LCSDM community commits to abide by the Honor Code. Students and anyone teaching graded classes signify this commitment to uphold the Honor Code in all matters related to academic work by signing the Roll of Honor. Students sign each examination, quiz, paper, or other graded assignments with the written word “pledged” and their signature. The instructor in the course will provide instructions for pledging graded work that cannot be signed in this manner (such as a project or an assignment submitted electronically). Choosing to report any cheating or plagiarism violations serves to uphold the integrity of the degrees granted by Lyon College. Details on procedures for the composition and function of the LCSDM The Honor Council are found in the LCSDM student handbook.
When work is pledged, one is attesting to the fact that one has pledged to:
I will abstain from all fraud in academic work. I will neither give nor receive aid on any
form of test or assigned work where such aid is prohibited, nor tolerate this conduct in
any member of the community. I will deal responsibly with such acts when I observe them. By my conduct and influence, I will endeavor to build a high standard of honesty and truthfulness in all academic work.
Because of the additional responsibilities to society placed upon dental professionals, LCSDM also expects all community members to pledge to the LCSDM Honor and Professionalism Statement:
I act with honor, guided by truth, respect, and responsibility.
I uphold trust in all I do—academic, clinical, and professional.
I hold myself and others to the highest standards of ethics, for the sake of my community, my profession, and my future patients.
During orientation, new students will publicly pledge to uphold both the LC Honor Pledge and the LCSDM Honor and Professionalism Statement. Pledging to these ideals means affirming that community members will consistently behave in a manner that upholds the principles of the ADA and the pillars of the CDA. Abstaining from all forms of cheating and plagiarism is only the beginning of honorable behavior for students, faculty, and staff of LCSDM.