Call for Integrity

- perspectives on the integrity crisis among today's students

By Luke Zhang

The flood tide of "integrity deficiency"

For some time the phenomenon of college students cheating during exams has become a focus of social concern, along with that of "peasants and workers seeking compensation". Colleges have long regarded the establishment of integrity and virtue as an educational priority, but now the growth in cheating has been revealed as so prevalent as to have become a flood tide.

More and more cheaters have no feelings of guilt about their actions. Their methods of deception are being constantly fine-tuned, and the level of sophistication rises almost daily. "Professional cheating" has become a new business, even advertised in newspapers with set prices. Business is booming; from "taking exams on your behalf" to "writing your thesis for you", the scope is comprehensive indeed.

Classroom culture is reflected in the popular saying, "it's not how well you study, but how well you cheat; not how much you understand, but how much you peek", which is heard often on campuses.

Shocked by these reports, our Chinese compatriots are casting looks of suspicion at the ivory towers where students are supposedly being educated and developing virtuous values. How many of those graduating from college campuses are 'the real thing'?

In an effort to suppress increasingly prevalent exam cheating practices, education authorities are putting a great deal of thought into methods of prevention. For example, Northeast University has developed a mobile communication interfering device to interrupt the cell phone signals permeating exam halls. In the province of Hubei, nearly 200 screening devices were installed in the exam halls of the four campuses of Technology University to interrupt students' attempts to transmit information on examination topics. Last year the Department of Education issued an unprecedented notice, requiring all examination students to sign a "letter of agreement on integrity" before being permitted to take the exam.

Other integrity crises of this privileged minority in our society include thesis stealing, copying homework assignments, false certificates and resumes, delays or refusal in repaying student loans etc. New and different forms of cheating keep appearing.

It is no wonder that many colleges have instituted "Integrity Education". Nine colleges in Beijing combined forces last October to promote an "Integrity First" movement, trying to fill the integrity void through integrity cartoon competitions, integrity debates and movies with an integrity theme.

The reality is that this integrity deficiency does not begin at college. Today's primary and secondary school campuses are faced with the same issues. Last year, China Youth Journal reported the results of a survey which found that as many as 49.7% of primary school students, and 79.9% of secondary school students admitted to having lied. Among college students, the percentage was as high as 99.52%.

For this reason, last March the Department of Education issued an urgent announcement requiring strengthening of Integrity Education in primary and secondary schools in order to raise the level of awareness of integrity issues, including the establishment of integrity record evaluations, and designating September as "Secondary and Primary Schools National Spirit Promotion and Enhancement" month. Their hope is to re-discover the virtue of integrity in traditional Chinese culture.

What is the cause of this collapse of integrity?

The lack of integrity awareness among students is like a drop of water refracting the integrity crisis in society at large.<

According to an analysis by Prof. Chu Yun-lin of Nanjing Aerospace University Graduate School, there are three aspects to the cause: education in the home, the school environment, and the social environment all affect a student's integrity.

Currently home education in China puts its emphasis on the acquisition of knowledge. So long as a student gets good grades and can gain entry to a good school, then everything else is secondary or can be neglected, and this includes integrity. Many parents put great emphasis on grades and not enough on honest behavior; some even encourage dishonest behavior. Many parents act dishonestly in their own work and daily lives, and thus setting examples for their children to learn from.

Today the educational environment on many campuses is equally worrisome. Many colleges have sought economic prosperity by greatly expanding their campuses and putting up new buildings at the expense of the quality of their teaching and counseling. Many faculty members who should be examples and mentors have this same issue of a deficiency of integrity. Practices like copying the scholastic work of others, having other people write research papers, buying and selling book contracts, false identification, following self-interest, and monopoly of budget items prevail. As the saying goes, "when the ceiling beam is off the pillar, the posts will shift". Students simply follow and imitate their teachers. Last year, a leading newspaper revealed a funny story: the "Model Education Demonstration Class" in a certain school in Hunan Province had a teacher who advised his students to all raise their hands to speak during a class when outside teachers were present as observers. But there was one condition: students who actually had something to say should raise their left hands, and those who had not should raise their right hands!

The environment of society at large affects students' attitudes to integrity issues in the most direct and profound way. Today everyone aims to make money, and getting rich is an end which justifies any means. Corruption is rampant in all areas and at all levels of society. Even the importance of interpersonal relationships has weakened significantly, resulting in a lack of mutual trust arising from the loss of integrity. People have become suspicious of the traditional values and principles of morality and integrity.

Those who have held fast to their personal integrity and worked in accordance with these principles have not been rewarded by society but rather have been marginalized, isolated, attacked or victimized. Those who have been dishonest have not had to suffer their just condemnation and punishment, but have instead been regarded as "smart and capable". The prevailing trend is "you can't achieve great things without telling a lie or two".

Thus a professor of Beijing University, Ding Yuan-ju, has pointed out, "It is the consensus of scholars and representatives of many different sectors of society that integrity may be the single moral resource that is the most lacking today among our countrymen." 

A lame determination to regain integrity

There is a contradictory phenomenon today. The majority of students are calling for the restoration of integrity; but when their own personal interests are at stake, they put integrity issues aside. In Hainan Province, Chuong-Zhou University did a survey on integrity among college students in the 10 colleges in the province. Of all respondents 81.1% regarded integrity as very important, even necessary. But when the question was asked whether any of them had participated in exam cheating, 33% admitted to having done so; 50% thought that while it was not recommended it was understandable; and 20% regarded such behavior as normal.

Regarding the issue "how to deal with false credentials on one's resume", only 23.1% of students treated this as a lack of integrity. When asked if they intend to repay student loans, as many as 20% of students said, "I'll put it off for as long as possible"; "I'll deal with it when the time comes", totally disregarding their own signatures on the bank's repayment guarantee forms.

When asked, "If the restoration of integrity needs to start from yourself personally, and you may suffer as a consequence, what would you do?" Over 50% chose to first make sure that their own interests were secure. This is a typical reaction. Integrity is a good thing, an important thing; but when applied to myself, then I am sorry but I must first look after Number One. Good grief! If this admission is coming from the future pillars of our society, what can be expected of average folks? 

How can integrity be restored?

Today the Chinese people have had a taste of the harm brought about through a lack of integrity. What with false drugs, false liquor, false food and even false baby milk powder causing direct harm to life and property, life-and-death lessons have made people realize that the damage brought about through a lack of integrity is much greater than they could have imagined. Therefore, there is now a general joint call for the restoration of integrity.

However, actually the situation is even worse. A black humor joke goes as follows : the chief executive of a business was so used to suspicion in the business world that his left hand did not trust his right hand. When a bowl of hot soup was served up to him, his left hand thought that it had to handle the bowl on its own rather than using the right hand to help. The right hand thought likewise. So the chief executive ended up having to spend twice as much time trying to figure out how to hold on to the bowl of hot soup.

The real source of the integrity crisis is lack of faith. When one abandons absolute truth and believes that everything is just "relative", how can one expect to have true "integrity"?

It is only when one believes that there is such a thing as solid, unchanging truth which is absolute, that integrity is seen as both necessary and valuable. Only when a person believes in the One who sets the truth and who will ultimately be his Judge, will people behave with true integrity.

In the Bible, in II Corinthians 5:7- 12 reads: "We live by faith, not by sight. We are confident, I say, and would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord. So we make it our goal to please him, whether we are at home in the body or away from it. For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive what is due him for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad."

"Since, then, we know what it is to fear the Lord, we try to persuade men. What we are is plain to God, and I hope it is also plain to your conscience. We are not trying to commend ourselves to you again, but are giving you an opportunity to take pride in us, so that you can answer those who take pride in what is seen rather than in what is in the heart."

This passage describes very clearly the basic elements of integrity:

1. The foundation of our actions and of our honesty and trustworthiness, is our belief in God and our acceptance of His truth. In God there is no falsehood; "yes" is "yes", and "no" is "no". In Him there is no room for change or relativity. If we believe in Him, we should follow Him. "If we claim to have fellowship with him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth.(I John 1:6)".

2. In the future there will be a great Day of Judgment, when everyone will be judged before Christ's throne. All our deeds and the words we have uttered will be exposed and there will be no room to hide. God will judge according to His unchanging righteousness and truth.

3. Integrity not only pleases God, it is also reflects the reality that we fear God and honor Him; because our God is an awesome God. He is everywhere and He exposes our thoughts and hidden intentions.

4. Integrity is also a most important element in human relationships. One's integrity is manifested both before God and before man. It is reflected in common sayings like, "the eyes of the audience are bright."; "you can fool someone some of the time, but you cannot fool someone all of the time."

5. In a world which emphasize externals rather than the internal, integrity is a beautiful testimony. When a person sees integrity and desires it with all his heart, but finds that he lacks the power to practice it, then he may start to consider where the problem really lies. Only those with true faith have the answer to this question.

It is only when we return to the true faith, the salvation which God has shown to us through His only begotten Son, and turn from our old self, that we can recover what has been lost.

The author came from Shanghai. He is currently Director of Chinese Ministry in "Sowers International" .