Cheating Referral

Chance Me / Match Me!
21

<p>Northstarmom, the most likely reason no one has turned htem in is because they do not want to be labelled a "snitch". probably main aversion to "snitching" that many students feel that it is not their problem if they are not hurt directly, despite the fact that everyone is hurt indirectly by anyone that is cheating.</p>

<p>many people are reluctant to "tell on others" because once a person is labelled as a snitch or rat, they cannot be trusted with anything. i mean anything, if one tells on someone shows once shows others that they will likely do it again.</p>

<p>and maintaining anonymity of the person turning in cheaters is not quite so simple. students talk and will find out who did it... it doesn't take very long for word to spread.</p>

22

<p>"and maintaining anonymity of the person turning in cheaters is not quite so simple. "</p>

<p>Not true at all. Administrators and teachers have no reason to reveal the identity of the students who turn in the cheaters. I have been involved in situations in which the bell ringers remained anonymous to all but the administration.</p>

<p>"many people are reluctant to "tell on others" because once a person is labelled as a snitch or rat, they cannot be trusted with anything."</p>

<p>Personally, I think that people who cheat -- particularly those involved in stealing exams -- are the people who can't be trusted. I guess that our values are very different.</p>

23

<p>Theres no reason not to cheat.
Seriously, if you're smart about it you won't get caught, your grades go way up, you do half the work. The only possible downside of cheating is that it will lower you in the eyes of the Lisa Simpson's of the world. I really can't imagine the pesonal satisfaction you get out of not cheating. I hope that cushions the blow of your 80 while you see others getting 100s for far less work. You might argue when you cheat you don't learn anything, I agree that is the biggest pitfall but usually cheating is only to go from the 90 to the 100. Like most things, when used in moderation it is seriously amazing. Who wants to watch that dumbass beat you on a test cause he cheated?</p>

<p>Disclaimer - I never mentioned anywhere in this post that I cheat.</p>

24

<p>Northstarmom, i don't mean that administrators or any other staff will reveal the identities of students who turn in cheaters. i believe most administrators and staff would never do such a thing.</p>

<p>i meant that it would be the students who talk because a lot of times it is possible to find things out from talking to people who have talked to others. the students will know, because whether we like it or not... when someone opens their mouth about anything at school, good or bad, the likelihood of others finding out is great. when students are turned in, it's not too difficult to discover who turned them in by simply talking to other students.</p>

<p>i guess you're right about our values being different. i really do not feel it is right to tell on others. if they have a strong enough character they will turn themselves in. there are only certain situations when people should be told on immediately, which are when they are putting themselves or others in imminent risk of serious injury or death. this however is the last thing to do, if other alternatives, such as talking them out of doing something dangerous or wrong doesn't work.</p>

25

<p>"Theres no reason not to cheat.
Seriously, if you're smart about it you won't get caught, your grades go way up, you do half the work. The only possible downside of cheating is that it will lower you in the eyes of the Lisa Simpson's of the world. I really can't imagine the pesonal satisfaction you get out of not cheating. I hope that cushions the blow of your 80 while you see others getting 100s for far less work. You might argue when you cheat you don't learn anything, I agree that is the biggest pitfall but usually cheating is only to go from the 90 to the 100. Like most things, when used in moderation it is seriously amazing. Who wants to watch that dumbass beat you on a test cause he cheated?</p>

<p>Disclaimer - I never mentioned anywhere in this post that I cheat."</p>

<p>Kinda weird, it seems like this happens alot in my math class. About half the kids just blow off homework and make up random answers since its just for completion. A small portion of those people are pretty intelligent and manage to score A's on the tests, while the rest either do pretty poorly or just flat out fail. </p>

<p>Personally, I don't think cheating is worth it, I've always found some satisfaction in doing my homework "the good old-fashioned way." I've never had any cheating dumbasses beat me on tests :p. Most people who get high scores in our class are just smart or hard workers ^^.</p>

26

<p>". when students are turned in, it's not too difficult to discover who turned them in by simply talking to other students."</p>

<p>That's true only if the student who turns the others in tells other students about their actions. One doesn't have to tell one's friends what one is doing. One can simply do the right thing.</p>

<p>"i guess you're right about our values being different. i really do not feel it is right to tell on others. if they have a strong enough character they will turn themselves in."</p>

<p>If the people who were stealing teachers' tests had strong characters, they wouldn't be stealing and cheating. To think that they are going to turn themselves in is naive indeed.</p>

<p>Meanwhile, they are hurting a lot of people including the students who don't cheat.</p>

<p>Incidentally, colleges that have honor codes have values in line with mine when it comes to the responsibilities of students who are aware of honor code violations.</p>

<p>For example:
Stanford's honor code:
"The Honor Code is an undertaking of the students, individually and collectively:
1. </p>

<p>that they will not give or receive aid in examinations; that they will not give or receive unpermitted aid in class work, in the preparation of reports, or in any other work that is to be used by the instructor as the basis of grading;
2. </p>

<p>that they will do their share and take an active part in seeing to it that others as well as themselves uphold the spirit and letter of the Honor Code. ...
Third-party responsibility
A primary responsibility assumed by students is to discourage violations of the Honor Code by others. </p>

<p>Various methods are possible. Drawing attention to a suspected violation may stop it. Moral suasion may be effective. Initiating formal procedures is a necessary and obligatory remedy when other methods are inappropriate or have failed. </p>

<p>Faculty members have like responsibilities when suspected violations come to their attention. "
"
Here's what Vanderbilt's honor code says are students' responsibilities when students are aware of honor code violations:</p>

<p>"Without the support and cooperation of the entire student body, the Honor System will not work. Students must insist on the absolute integrity of themselves and their fellow students. It is the obligation of every student who suspects an honor violation to take action in one of the following ways, determining the choice of action by the flagrancy and/or certainty of the violation. </p>

<p>If a student has reason to suspect that a breach of the Honor Code has been committed, he or she must: </p>

<ol>
<li><p>Issue a personal warning to the suspect, or </p></li>
<li><p>Report the incident to the Honor Council for action by the president, or </p></li>
<li><p>Inform the instructor in the course of the suspicions and identify, if possible, the person(s) suspected..."</p></li>
</ol>

<p>Emory University:
"Upon every individual who is a part of Emory University falls the responsibility for maintaining in the life of Emory a standard of unimpeachable honor in all academic work. The following articles, to be known collectively as the Honor Code of Emory College, are based on the fundamental assumption that every loyal person of the University not only will conduct his or her own life according to the dictates of the highest honor, but will also refuse to tolerate in others action which would sully the good name of the institution. "</p>

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<p>well..cheating is actually the worst thing u can do when u are a student. I never cheated and was never tempted too because i knew the risks were to high and the grades weren't worth being suspended for. besides, if u cheat, u cheat later in life. yo harvard for life, if your school puts on ur transcript of a cheating referral, then ur chances will go down because to tell u the truth, no colleges really want a cheater.</p>

28

<p>Northstarmom, you're right about the fact that the student turning in the cheaters does not have to tell their friends. as i said before, people talk. it's difficult to not answer a [good] friend that is asking you a question directly. i'm not saying this is always the case, it's just one of many examples. </p>

<p>i think we are talking about 2 different aspects of character when we use the word character. i mean the character to accept consequences for mistakes one has made. the character you're talking about is that of being fair, working hard, and not cutting corners.</p>

<p>in addition, i agree with your statement that cheating hurts everyone. karma will ensure cheaters get what's coming to them in the end. but they don't need me to "help" them get what's coming to get them.</p>

<p>and yes i have known people to admit to doing something bad or wrong and accept the consequences, without having to have someone else turn them in.</p>

<p>and i truly believe in personal loyalty is one of the most important things. many students generally look out for each other. this could be something as simple as helping someone pick up all the books they dropped. </p>

<p>the reason i have an aversion to turning people in is because they only reason you know of something is because the person who did it trusts you with the information. turning someone in is a form of "backstabbing" because you are taking advantage of their personal trust. and yes i know you're going to argue that this violates the trust of everyone by not turning them in. if i believe something is wrong, i will go through the steps of talking to the person to concinve them to stop.</p>

<p>i feel that turning someone in is the final thing to do, when all else fails and should be reserved for the most serious of offenses.</p>

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<p>"the reason i have an aversion to turning people in is because they only reason you know of something is because the person who did it trusts you with the information. turning someone in is a form of "backstabbing" because you are taking advantage of their personal trust."</p>

<p>I view a person as violating my trust if they tell me about an honor code violation that they have been committing or that they plan to commit.</p>

<p>And if their violation is cheating, I see them as stabbing me and my honest friends in the back by cheating. I also would find it insulting that they thought that I would somehow support their cheating, even if that support was passive by not saying anything or not turning them in.</p>

<p>In your case, I think it's important for you to realize that sometimes when people tell us things that they are doing that are wrong, they are really asking for our approval. If we say nothing or do nothing about it, it's giving them a green light. Sometimes people tell us about their ethical violations because they look up to us, and if we tell them that we disagree or if we let them know that we'll speak up about what they're doing, they'll change their minds about doing the action.</p>

<p>This particularly is true with young people because people your age often value their peers' opinion a great deal. Your speaking up to your friend may hold more weight than if a teacher or other adult spoke up and said that their actions were wrong.</p>

30

<p>when i mentioned sharing information, i meant more than just sharing it through conversation. i mean to include those situations when you see someone doing something possibly questionable.</p>

<p>i don't think people necessarily seek approval, by telling others of the "bad things" they do. if they truly believed the things they were doing are wrong, they wouldn't be doing them at all. when a friend tells me that they are doing something i morally disagree with, i will immediately let them know that it's not ok.</p>

<p>however, i still would only turn someone in the most serious of circumstances, even if the person is not my friend.</p>