In Tuesday’s Skiff, it was reported that the Student Government Association is awaiting Faculty Senate approval to institute an honor code system.Since its inception in Spring 2006, the SGA Honor Code Task Force has met regularly to work on the system.

Justin Brown, chair of Student Affairs, said the SGA Honor Code Task Force’s goal is to decrease cheating and increase integrity through the introduction of this system.

Those are high expectations to come from a simple system of rules drafted by a small group of students.

TCU already has a mission statement, which includes the stated goal “to educate individuals to think and act as ethical leaders …”

It’s doubtful many students can recite that statement from memory. So it’s presumptuous to think an additional, similar statement will ensure cheating students abandon their unethical ways for a life of studying for tests.

Students who cheat do so for many reasons and will continue to do so until they’re caught, whether now or later. An honor code won’t convince those cheaters what they do is wrong and dishonest.

Furthermore, if SGA exists to serve the interests of the students, then it should have polled students about what kind of honor code to institute. SGA should have consulted with students instead of decide amongst themselves how to decrease cheating and increase integrity.

As far as can be determined, the only people who have had any say on the potential honor code system have been members of that SGA task force.

An honor code isn’t a bad idea, but its effectiveness is questionable.

SGA should focus more of its efforts toward projects with a concrete result instead of abstract hopes.

Managing editor John-Laurent Tronche for the editorial board.