The Burke community is as strong as all of us working together; and it is as weak as the one person who defies right in favor of wrong.  Our Honor Code articulates the premises by which we choose to live here.  One of the most central of these premises is academic honesty.

We try hard to develop and encourage a sense of and commitment to intellectual curiosity at Burke.  It depends on independence of thought as well as research.  More deeply, this sense of inquiry rests on the foundation of recognizing the difference between this independence of thought and outside research.  Teachers at Burke do not expect their students to break new ground in quantum mechanics or to revise current theories on the causes of the French Revolution.  Our students are here to learn how to learn, and teachers are here to guide them in these efforts.

Given the stresses and strains of homework assignments, travel, race competition, and everything else that goes into the mix of Burke life, the temptation to cut corners academically or otherwise will always be present.  We take this ethical crossroad most seriously.  Plagiarism – or, for that matter, ANY attempt by a Burke student to portray someone else’s work as his or her own – is simply not tolerated.  It is a clear violation of the Honor Code and subjects the offender to our gravest disciplinary measures, including expulsion.  Offenses may be as sloppy as the failure to document sources properly in a paper they may be more malevolent.  However, there are no excuses.  Academic honesty is a pillar of Burke’s foundation.