Getting a grade or an accolade that you did not earn is never worth it. You are not a failure if your best effort results in grade less than an "A". Perfection in any domain is an unrealistic expectation. If you ever find yourself in a situation where you feel like you have to take a short cut, stop and email me. It is always better to email me than to commit an act of academic dishonesty. Committing an act of academic dishonesty may get you kicked out of school and will result in an "F" grade in my course. Emailing me will not result in either of these. If you are at this University, then you have the ability to succeed honestly in my class so long as you work hard and do the work.

Would you want your Doctor to be the person who cheated their way through Medical School? Would you want the architect of the bridge you drive over every day to be the person who cheated on their structural engineering exams? Would you want to invest your money with a CEO who cheated their way through their prestigious MBA program?

How do you act when you are scared of a test? How do you act when given hard problems to solve? How do you act when nobody is watching? Do not be the person who answers these questions by saying "I take short cuts."

If one of your friends asks you to help them take a short cut in my class, say "no" and have them contact me. You, your friend, and the University community will benefit more from that response than from helping them take a short cut. The long-term strength of our University's brand is counting on you to act with integrity now and as alums in the future.