January 26, 2021
Story and photo by Joe Vinduska
This is part one of a six-part series on the importance of academic integrity at Barton. The college will feature six student stories throughout the spring semester that help showcase the six virtues of academic integrity. These virtues include trust, responsibility, honesty, courage, fairness, and respect.
Barton Community College holds itself to the highest standards when it comes to academic integrity. The college will feature several student stories on its social media accounts throughout the spring semester that help showcase the six virtues of academic integrity and why they are important to each student as well as the institution. Those virtues include trust, responsibility, honesty, courage, fairness, and respect.
“So much in life is about choices, and often we (as humans) can feel like we don’t have control of much. We do, however, have control of our actions and reactions,” said Coordinator of Community Education Karly Little. “The students featured in the campaign exhibit the choices they’ve made with integrity and how they hope it will impact their futures.”
Barton student and aspiring interior designer Ashanti Davis, 22, of Junction City said she was happy to participate in the campaign. She wanted to help spread the positive message about the virtue of building “trust,” to which she holds herself to a high standard not only in school, but also in her personal life.
“Trust is something that would be difficult for me to live without,” she said. “It applies to every aspect of my life. From the simplest things, such as expecting an email response, to the most complex, such as earnestly listening to another’s opinion on a personal matter. I know trust may not always be an easy thing to give out. There’s always a risk factor associated with it. I have the blind trust that my instructors will educate me to the best of their abilities. I apply the same standards to myself. I have that trust in myself that I will submit work that is of my best ability. I try to acknowledge that though we are all independent individuals, we should take into account that without trust, there’s no way to build healthy relationships which are so important for everyone’s success.”
Davis hopes to continue her education at a four-year school in Georgia, where she is originally from. She plans to study interior design, but hopes to find ways to incorporate her love of architecture and technology into her career as well.
Director of Student Academic Development Stephanie Joiner said putting the idea of academic integrity at the forefront of students’ minds was one key goal when designing this campaign.
“Like any awareness campaign, the idea is that the more the language of integrity is used on our campuses and in our ‘classrooms,’ the likelihood of its application and use by individuals students increases,” she said. “Another goal of the campaign was to make academic integrity relatable. By identifying integrity ambassadors and sharing their image with the larger campus community, students, faculty, staff, and even community members can see themselves as a part of the conversation and their role in upholding the values of integrity. Academic integrity is no longer a vague concept, it becomes tangible people and tangible choices that result in a community of integrity.”
For more information, contact Director of Innovation & Compliance Lee Miller at (620) 786-7453 or millerle@bartonccc.edu.