By Andrew Huang `15, Staff Writer

Without question, the Honor Code plays a vital role in the Newark Academy community. At the start of the year the importance of this set of words is drilled into all students, returning and new, through an assembly and special advisor group meeting to discuss the scenarios relating to the code. Constant reminders of its tenets, such as writing and signing the code on all major assessments, serve to drive home the points of honesty, trust, and integrity it entails. New freshman Abdul Nafea Syed ’17 remarked, “I feel like the honor code is something that should be expected in all schools, but I’m glad that Newark Academy has one written in stone.”

However, for such a central aspect of school life, the Honor Code’s terms can be surprisingly unclear in certain situations, leaving it open to misinterpretation and criticism from both teachers and students. In particular, one of the scenarios presented in advisor groups said students were wrong to bring in outside common knowledge (commonly defined as information found in more than three sources) to an essay without citing it properly, something many a Newark Academy student has done before. To make the issue worse, the example provided very little information on the definition of a proper citation, leaving many to think that a semi-formal citation with at least the specific name of the source was needed. This led to some worries that the code could stifle students’ curiosity. Many feared that they would have to take the time to fully cite outside information in a limited time situation, such as an in-class essay, which would discourage students from doing outside research. Zach Persing ’15 stated that in preparing for such a situation, “My intellectual curiosity would be discouraged for the sake of both keeping in time with and upholding the Honor Code. I might be forced to hand in an inferior product due to lack of time to properly cite research.”

Although the Honor Council does not have a uniform, strict policy regarding common knowledge, council members have some suggestions to help clarify this issue. Ms. Lopretto, one of the faculty members on the council, explained, “With common knowledge it’s kind of hard to draw the line. The problem is sometimes people define things with their own terms. Even if [the student] forgot where they got the source of the information, they should at least mention ‘some sources say.’” Honor council member Aditya Srivatsan `15 elaborated, “With citing common knowledge it’s really up to the teacher; you should ask them beforehand what they want.”

These guidelines indicate that fear of full citations should lead to minimal, if any, stifled intellectual curiosity. However, there are some who still see the Honor Code as potentially infringing on the acquisition of knowledge, perceiving the code as putting and labeling information into two specific domains: what is learned about a subject in a particular class and all other information on the topic. Humanities teacher Mr. Hawk agrees, explaining, “One of my problems with the exemplar is that it potentially says that information needs to remain in very tightly framed boxes and that information has very specific domains. I think that is fairly problematic if that is how we are to understand those scenarios. My belief is that while citations are critical and material always needs to be cited, the flexibility and liquidity with which information moves today defies our ability to put in boxes and I think we are foolish to try to contain information in that way.”

Based on these perspectives on the Honor Code and what it potentially entails, one point is certain: more clarity is needed. While the code already contains provisions regarding a wide array of subjects such as academic integrity and property, grey areas still need to be addressed. In the meantime, students should not be afraid to use outside information and sources as long as they are cited, even in a brief manner. As Mr. Hawk suggests, “I hope from those exemplars that we rule with a goal of encouraging collaborative work, free flow of information, and citations and attributions.” An Honor Code satisfying these goals would allow students to head towards enlightenment and truly live up to the motto of ad lumen.