According to a recent study conducted by the University, students at the University cheat a lot in little ways rather than in big ways. Students and educators should work together to promote awareness of plagiarism, outline and enforce punishments regarding cheating across all colleges and create learning environments where students won’t feel the need to cheat.

The survey shows University students are more likely to share assignments or work with others on assignments that were to be individually done than to cheat on exams. This version of “Minnesota nice” might seem really cute compared with the rest of the nation’s universities the survey looked at, but cheating is cheating. The University can help change the cheating habits of students.

Educators need to be putting emphasis on cheating throughout the entire term, not just on the first day of class by skipping through the cheating section in the syllabus and assuming students know cheating and plagiarizing is wrong.

Though college students should be aware of the different types of plagiarism, many don’t understand paraphrasing is still plagiarism or that one little sentence gone without proper citation is plagiarism. Faculty members should make sure their students are aware of even the smallest acts of plagiarism, as well as the consequences of cheating by plagiarizing.

Another problem at the University is that different colleges have different concerns about cheating. Everyone knows cheating isn’t accepted, but colleges enforcing cheating punishments at different levels do not help students refrain from doing it. Students know where and how they can get away with cheating, such as on assignments and homework.

If some colleges are paying attention to these types of cheating and others aren’t, students will be more susceptible to finding and using what they know will probably go unnoticed. No one wants cheaters, so colleges should work to find more equal ways to control cheating and enforce punishments.

Through educating students about cheating and creating a university that deters cheating across all colleges, students will be less likely to cheat in the little ways they do.