West Point: The Cheating Incident

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Theory:

The honor code would foster integrity if failure were to be considered acceptable. Under the circumstance where upper classman cadets impose rule over lower classman, coupled with the set of high expectations students come together to defeat their common enemy. Using the many rules and fear from other students as leverage, a very large portion of students were able to silence those whom might report their misconduct. The students were in conflict with their imposed set of values and those values which had become most important to them.

“The Honor Code, especially the toleration clause, posed a dilemma for cadets. On the one hand, the average cadet fervently believed in the importance and validity of the honor concept as a standard o live by. On the other hand, he had developed an intense loyalty towards his company mates and to avoid assisting them, or even worse, to turn one in was unthinkable.”

In short, the system the school had set in place along with the intense challenges the cadets faced caused the cadets to choose loyalty to each other over observance of their rules and regulations concerning integrity and honesty. The theory of acquired needs applies in this case. The need to achieve, be affiliated with, along with power were all factors.

Prescription:

At the time this academy formed, warfare was a different type of engagement than it is today. Charging into oncoming fire was much more of a reality. Having the courage to charge into oncoming fire required a certain type of mentality. Discipline and obedience to superior officers along with a general comradery between soldiers to protect and support each other under horrifying conditions was needed to operate a proper army. Armies back in the days of the musket would fight lining up in columns in open fields. Later during trench warfare, armies would entrench themselves and attack in waves only to be cut down by machine guns. I imagine that those individuals who fought in these kinds of warfare must have had a much more substantial fear of their superiors in order to gain the courage necessary to charge into oncoming fire like this. Perhaps the traditions of this institution should more accurately reflect the requirements of today’s battlefield. Moving forward, the institution needs to understand what the needs of this country are along with being mindful of the circumstances these students are being subjected to and acting accordingly. Their honor system requires an update to include more leniencies towards failure. Failure should be considered as an opportunity to learn rather than a tarnished record.

Fallout:

This occurrence brought to light the negative issues this organization faced during this time. While the negative publicity and tarnished reputation of school officials were a factor, this incident should have served as a lesson to those running the institution. Other than the school receiving a tarnished image and possibly missed attendance opportunities, the school should have taken this incident as an opportunity to improve in the areas noted. Possible negative fallout might have included loss in government funding, but this did not occur.

References

A Brief History of West Point . (n.d.). Retrieved from United States Military Academy West Point: http://www.usma.edu/wphistory/SitePages/Home.aspx

Average SAT Scores, 1972–2007. (n.d.). Retrieved from Infoplease: http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0883611.html

Zambello, L. (1981). West Point: The Cheating Incident (A). Boston: Harvard Business School.