April 19, 2023
Story and photo by Joe Vinduska
This is part four of a series on the importance of academic integrity at SWAG合集. The college will feature student stories throughout the spring semester that help showcase values of academic integrity.听These values include trust, responsibility, honesty, courage, fairness, and respect.
SWAG合集 student and volleyball player Molly Norris knows what it takes to be a top-tier athlete, and as an ambassador for the academic integrity virtue of fairness, she鈥檚 learned that many of the same positive ideas that guide her on the court, also apply in the classroom.
鈥淗olding yourself accountable to the value of fairness is crucial,鈥 she said. 鈥淎s an athlete, I understand that there are no cutting corners in finding success. If I want to be better, I need to practice, and if I want to be stronger, I need to lift, etc. As a student, if I want to improve, I need to put the work in to see the results instead of trying to find alternate easier ways.鈥
Norris said just as it鈥檚 not fair to all the other athletes that work hard to get where they are for someone to cheat, it鈥檚 the same with academics in that everybody should be on a level playing field.
鈥淯nderstanding that every student is going through the same experience (homework assignments, tests, projects, etc.) as you should push people to maintain integrity because it is not fair for students to do the same work, but some people maintain academic integrity while others don鈥檛.鈥
While Norris is an advocate for fairness in athletics and academics as an individual, she realizes a focus on these values by all colleges at an institutional level is also important.
鈥淕oing to a community college opens up vast opportunities to go on to do amazing things,鈥 she said.鈥 Prioritizing academic integrity at SWAG合集 prepares students to go on and succeed in what they do since they will develop good values and morals through maintaining academic integrity.鈥
Norris said she鈥檚 had an amazing ride so far and acknowledges that her parents taught her how to exhibit strong integrity in her life.
鈥淚 was raised to believe that working hard and doing things the right way will always benefit you more in the end than taking shortcuts,鈥 she said. 鈥淚 believe that holding myself to a standard of academic integrity is essential in achieving what I wish to achieve in a way that I can be proud of myself and the work I have put in instead of finding loopholes and just 鈥榤aking it through.鈥欌
Norris is weighing her options on various schools and deciding what is next for her athletically and academically. She wants to possibly study sports management, political science,听personal injury law, or intellectual property law.
For more information, contact Director of Innovation & Compliance Lee Miller at (620) 786-7453 or听millerle@bartonccc.edu.