The editorial is the opinion of the editorial board of The Daily Eastern News.

Don’t lie, cheat or steal. These are values we learn in first grade, if not earlier. Those who don’t learn them face the consequences imposed by schools, the government, or even family and friends.

Eastern’s Student Government has come up with the idea to have students sign a pledge that states they will not lie, cheat or steal. While it would not be legally binding, it would encourage students to uphold this moral code, said Kristen Rutter, student vice president for academic affairs.

“This is stuff all of us should be doing already,” she said.

If this is stuff all of us should be doing already, and it is not binding in any way, what impact will the pledge have on the university.

The pledge has been compared to the Students First contract that Student Body President asked Eastern faculty members to sign stated they were dedicated to students.

Two years ago, the Student Senate came up with a similar idea with a different name. They called it an honor code and its purpose was to encourage students not to cheat. The difference is that the honor code would have been binding if a student was caught cheating and had signed the code. The honor code was never implemented because students were not in favor of the idea. Yet, here we are again, discussing the same topic.

Rutter got the idea from Texas A&M University that has a long history of having student sign an honor code that states “Aggies do not lie, cheat or steal and do not tolerate those who do.”

The student body president at Texas A&M said the code gives students a greater pride in their university and Rutter hopes the student pledge would have the same effect at Eastern.

The reason the code has an effect on students at Texas A&M is because of the tradition at the university that dates back to 1876.

Students at Eastern do not need to sign a piece of paper that will be forgotten the next day to remind them of their morals.