Show Page 2 October 19 199S Viewpoint If one cheats in high school will heshe cheat in college? by Sundi Decker staff writer In 1969 34 percent ul high school students surveyed around the nation admitted using cheat sheets on tests hy 19X9 that number doubled and 58 percent ol those students had let others copy their work by 9X9 98 percent admitted they had When asked it' they had cheated on tests in high 1 school 76 percent of 3(XX) college students reported that they had (Reader's Digest Oct 1995 "Cheating in Our Scandal" p66) seem irrelevant to college students to consider that d cheating is an part of high school life yet it stands to reason that those who cheated through their high school years will continue to cheat as they further their education An ingrained habit like cheating becomes hard to forsake Just as good students will apply their familiar study habits in order to pass tests other students will relent to cheating to keep their grades up to par To set it out flatly cheating includes giving friends answers to tests or copying (heir work without trying to find answers for yourself Cheating also goes into often unaware actions of plagiarism Maybe you don’t fit into those categories maybe you don't realize you do however in the long run you can only hurt yourself through any form of cheating Although often considered a problem among struggling stu- -' dents the "I give up" or “Should I try?" stance of this staining device marks you as undcdicatcd and unreal At CEU cases of serious cheating are rare They are dealt with by Brent Haddock Academic Vice President who confirmed that usually only one of two incidents of cheating come to his office in a year lie said that most cheating problems are dealt with by the faculty working one on one with problem students Penalties for cheating and plagiarism as outlined in the CEU Policy and Procedures Manual allow any student who feels violated by a teacher's accusation or handling of their involvement with cheating can appeal to the Student Judiciary Committee from which a hearing will be scheduled As mentioned earlier however such cases requiring thorough investigation arc unique to CPU's campus Brent Haddock comments "Our students in my opinion arc very honest and our faculty for the most part are dealing with cheating in the classroom" I le went on to say that students who do cheat in classes usually arc flunked or encouraged to drop the class Broad statistics fail to highlight individuals and cheating Schools: A National It may almost-accepte- non-existe- nt begins directly with individual decisions Preventive actions must then target on individuals From the University of Maryland Gary Pavcla director of the judicial program there tells of prerequisite steps to avoid cheating in colleges and all schools Rules against cheating appear on every exam and exams arc proctored or students arc asked to sign an honor statement Cheating allegations arc honor council Students found resolved by an to have cheated fail the course and their transcripts tell the reason Kerry Shahan president of the student government there says “It definitely works Students aren't so quick to cheat because they know their peers won't cover for them" (p69) Other schools use direct lionor codes statements signed by each individual pledge to refrain from cheating and pledged to deterring their peers from cheating Even more prevention starts in the classroom Teachers must carefully explain details of tests and assignments leaving no controversy over an individual's part in classroom concerns Nancy Takacs of CEU's English Department teaches a whole section on plagiarism to her English classes hoping to inspire awareness of what to do and what not to do in documenting papers When most people know something is wrong and how to avoid it they can find the will to avoid it Truly cheating mirrors the attitudes of the students caught in its webs “Stopping cheating must become a lop priority of every school in the county We must set strict standards for personal integrity because lower expectations become a prophecy" (p 69) It all starts with you You're the one that ultimately decides to cheat or not to cheat Should you want to come off as respectable dependent and diligent cheating will not he a consideration no matter how hard the class is no matter how little time you have to study On a broader perspective cheating epidemics rcllect badly on the whole nation Jay Mulkey President of the Character Education Institute in San Antonio Texas states "Students whocheal in class may just as well cheat in their jobs or on their spouses When you have a country that doesn't value honesty and thinks character is unimportant what kind of society do you have?" (p70) When you view yourself and your prospects of the future totally relying on the inconsistency and risk of cheating what chance of succeeding in all aspects of living do you really have? Zero to none maybe? nt self-fulfilli- non-prof- it ' Let your voice be heard encourages students faculty and members of the community to submit letters to the editor "guest viewpoints and political cartoons Write: The Eagle CEU 451E 400 N Price ITT 84501 Letters and guest viewpoints must be typed (300 words or less) All works must have the author's full name and a phone number where they can be reached Editor will grant anonymity of opinions only under special circumThe Eagle stances reserves the right to edit any letter or article Cartoons must be in Ink and are not returnable The Eagle Punishing the innocent by Anthony Petersen staff writer Think of yourself imprisoned having been arrested subsequently tried convicted and sentenced to life What havcldonc you ask? Upon your arrest you were told you were being charged with the murder that your neighbor had committed He returned to his home next to yours to live out the rest of his life with his wife two kids a dog and three goldfish while you rotted away in a dank cell Everyone knew it was he who committed the crime while you had no knowledge of it but you are left to face the punishment The court's attitude to your conviction was summed-u- p in the judge's statement directing the jury “someone has to take the blame” What is your reaction? “Sure" you say 'in an Ayn Rand novel recently discovered lucked away in an ultraconservative propaganda vault somewhere but never in reality and certainly not in America” However in no way this dramatic nearly all persons convicted of crimes in the United Stales arc subject to this kind of treatment at least in principle It is called the factor of deterrence and it is what has been used since the beginning of law to influence members of society to abide by the dictates of their nation It is the practice of sending a message to the general populous that should you commit a crime you will he dealt with just as this person harshly It's been seen during the times of Nazi Germany where every political enemy of Hitler was promptly exterminated in order to suppress dissidencc before it began It's seen today in the judicial system of the United States Shoplifters arc forced to do 100 hours of community service for stealing a 50 cent candy bar in order (odder people from shoplifting Using the punishment of an individual as a societal deterrent is accepted even more than practiced When it's broadcast on the news that a murderer is being executed a good portion of the people watching would respond by thinking that this was good because it shows people what their punishment will he if they decide to kill someone In a time when people arc frightened of crime and the possibility of themselves or their family members being the victims of this crime it has become increasingly prevalent to disregard a logical assessment of the offense and merely "throw the book at 'em" However it is fundamentally Hawed to use the punishment of a person as a deterrent to others or that person who has committed the crime In order for a deterrent to work the punishment must be more severe than necessary If not the message isn't sent to the public that criminal activity will he responded to harshly For example a person doing only 50 cents of damage in stealing a candy bar is forced to do 100 hours of community service in an attempt to convince other members of society that facing the punishment is not worth committing the crime The problem with this reasoning is that when a person is used as an example of what happens to a criminal that person is no longer being punished for the crime hcshc has committed Instead at least a portion of the punishment is for a crime that another person may or may not commit in the future Also if a person is punished over zealously for a crime that they have committed in an attempt to purge them of the desire to commit this crime again they are being punished for a crime they have not yet committed and may not commit in the future So what is a proper punishment in response to a criminal act if the factor of deterrence plays no relevance? First the constitution helps in no way to make this determination The only that the stipulations punishment puts on prescribing punishment to crime is that it be not cruel nor unusual and subject to due process These inherently vague phrases no for provide parameters deciding the proper course to take Therefore without detailed guidelines the only logical assumption that can be made is that the punishment should fit die crime In order to determine what damage should be inflicted upon the individual the damage (hat the individual has inflicted in committing the crime must first be determined Once this has been (Continued to page 3) |