T H E
ROTUNDA
VOL. 71, NO. 16
LONGWOOD COLLEGE
APRIL 1,1992
Academic Dishonesty: A Sign Of The Times?
Photograph by John DiMauro
Bus Service Up; Undemse By Students Still A Problem By TRICIA ANN POPULAR 8taff Reporter One weekend at HampdenSydney College, a Longwood student was partying with her friends and having a good time. As the evening went by. it got late and she soon wanted to head back to campus. There was only one problem. She could not find her friends or her car. and she was Incredibly Intoxicated. She had no way of getting back to campus until she saw the Farmvllle Bus. Needless to say this student got home safely and worried about her car and friends the next day. But as responsible students and responsible drinkers ask yourselves one question: What would have happened If this student did find her car? Michael Socha was a student at Longwood College and Is the backbone behind the bus system. He majored In social work and is a member of Sigma Phi Epsllon Fraternity. He Is from New Jersey and as a student he had no access to an automobile. He 1* familiar with the Longwood and Hampden-Sydney lifestyles, and in order to make them more enjoyable he helped start the bus system for the students. Socha mentioned his college experiences of playing golf and rugby, and his realization that students without cars would not like walking to the golf course or rugby field like he did, encouraged him to create the Farmville Area Bus. The bus system began oper atlng In August of 1990. Socha started with 18 drivers, although they were not the most profes slonal. The system changed quickly and now the drivers go through a seminar and hands on training. The drivers combined have a total of over 8.000 accident free driving hours. Socha knows now that he has the most qualified drivers ever. In 1990. the bus transported 32.000+ people and In 1991. the buses have transported a total of 40.000+. a significant Increase. Farmvllle Area Bus has been cited by the Secretary of Transportation as having one of the best schedules and being the simplest to use. Socha emphasizes that the service is most Important and he wants to be as accommodating as possible. There seems to be a few questions, though. Faculty from Longwood once believed that the bus "gave the ride out (to H-SC) but there was no way back." Though at one time this was true. It is no longer correct. Socha states that most students need be only concerned about the Red line. The Red line runs between Longwood and Hampden-Sydney. Socha
stresses the regularity of the system, and notes that the only reason for any type of delay or change of route Is due to construction or traffic. Longwood College budgets the bus system $45,000 and Hampden-Sydney budgets $17,000 based on the student population at each campus. Socha wants students to take advantage of The Farmvllle Bus. He states that other colleges such as VA Tech. UVA. NOVA, and W&M. use the local bus system as a mode of transportation. These bus systems work Into the students' everyday schedule. He feels the bus is not put to good use because students are unfamiliar with the schedule. He gives one bit of advice. "DONT READ THE MAP." This Is what confuses students more. Be familiar with the times and the scheduled stops on the small red cards. Socha read the a recent Issue of The Rotunda and he found one thing very disturbing. A student complained about harassment from town people when walking home from DTs or Perlnl's. The student wrote about safety on campus, and mentioned the need for escort services and more police. Socha asks one question. "Why don't these girls get on the bus?" He states that he purposely changed the route so now the bus passes both of these locations. There was an incident where a bus broke down In front of The Dell. The Bus driver radioed the police for assistance. The students on the bus were intoxicated. They panicked and fled before the police arrived. Socha wants to make clear that when you are on The Bus. no one will "mess with you." You are not going to get In trouble. The Bus Is there to get you home safely. When these students Jumped off the bus and walked home, they ran a big risk to their life. Finally. Socha wants to let the students know of the extra occasions where the bus can be useful. The bus takes students to Wedgewood. the Creamery, and to the cabin. He knows that there Is alcohol and limited parking for sporting events, so why not take advantage of the utilities. Socha says that he will change the route to best meet the needs of the students. He will also arrange personal transportation for a direct ride If you c all. The Bus will take sororities out to Hampden-Sydney to tallgate at football games. He knows there are bands after the games, so he gives the option of taking the Red line back or arranging (Continued on page 3J
By KAREN NEU8TADT (CPS) - Fierce competition for Jobs and higher grades and poor leadership models have created a fertile climate for cheating, say college and university officials who are grappling with new ways to deal with an old problem. Worried educators say some of today's college students, exposed to a painful recession in a get-rlch-qulck society and numbed by scandals such as congressional check-bouncing, are asking themselves: What's wrong with cheating? "One of the reasons that (cheating Is) increasing is the perception that the students' future Job opportunities are closely linked to how well they perform In terms of grades." said Robert Dorff, faculty senate chairmen at North Carolina State University. "When pressure mounts, some feel that pressure and respond by cheating," he said, adding that today's faculty members are being urged to be more creative with testing procedures to make cheating "less enticing." Not only Is academic dishonesty growing, but there Is more discussion about It than ever before. "Both of these forces are coming together and making It a more apparent problem," Dorff said. One New Jersey student doesn't see cheating as a problem. In fact, he's making a tidy profit off of the current GPA paranoia. Michael Moore, a Rutgers University Journalism student, recently raised eyebrows with his 86-page book, titled "Cheating 101: The Benefits and Fundamentals of Earning the Easy AA." that details methods of cheating. Including hiding notes In the holes of torn Jeans and using foot signals to convey answers on multiple choice questions. Moore reported. In an article in "Campus Crime" (January 1992). that he has sold 1.750 copies of his book ($6 each) to students at Rutgers, the University of Maryland and Ohio State
University. Some professors say Moore's blatant effort to promote deceit has brought cheating, often an unspoken, seldom-addressed problem. Into the light. Educators often refuse to admit the amount of cheating that may be going on In their classes. said one source, and may not want to know the hard facts. In 1987 and 1988. the American Council on Education. In conjunction with the University of California at Los Angeles asked students about their cheating habits In a comprehensive survey. The American Freshman." About 37 percent of the students surveyed In the fall of 1988 said they had cheated on a test In high school, an Increase from about 30 percent the year before. About 57 percent said they had copied another student's work, while about 52 percent admitted doing so the year before. That was the last year any reference to cheating was Included In the survey. "We don't plan on bringing them up (the question) again." said Ellen Rlggs, a researcher with the Higher Education Research Center at UCLA. The general reaction from the schools were not the most positive. Some advised students not to answer the questions." Michael Moffatt, associate professor of anthropology at Rutgers University, said his intensive study of cheating left him shocked and "In a funk?" He said he received only a lukewarm response from his colleagues. "I found that 33 percent (of students) had been Involved In considerable cheating. That means cheating In three to 25 courses with an average of eight courses, and 22 percent had never cheated In college. The "Inbetweens" cheated once or twice." said Moffatt. Moffatt's Investigation Included 400 Rutgers students who turned In anonymous "selfreports" on subjects such as
sexuality and cheating. The results of the cheating question spurred him to write a 22-page report. "I received a great number of graphic papers that were In many ways more shocking than the sexual self-reports. It threw me Into a funk." he said. The student* future Job opportunities are closely linked to how well they perform In terms of grades... When pressure mounts, some feel that pressure and respond by cheating." Students confided to Moffatt that they cheated to get minimal grades to survive, to get revenge on a disliked professor, or because they were angry because others performed better academically without much effort. Moffatt said cheating often takes such an emotional and mental toll that It would be easier to study. "They are In terror of being caught." he said of cheaters. 'They will fight against the accusation." The professor said he has identified five commonly used cheating techniques from the "lookabout," where answers are borrowed from a neighbor, to "ripple cheating." which can consist of elaborate, premeditated schemes with many Involved. Cheat sheets are so common that Moffatt actually legalized them in his class. Students are allowed to bring In one 8-by-10 Inch of paper with as much written on It as the space can contain. "It encourages me to not ask stupid questions." he said. Cheating also takes other forms, such as plagiarism, paying someone to take a test or write a paper, or buying an already completed term paper. While many campuses wrestle with the problem of cheating, students at the University of Virginia are celebrating the 150th birthday of the nation's oldest student-run honor sys-
tem. For one week, beginning March 27. students take part in a four-day conference on honor and Integrity In the academic environment. The topic is dls cussed at luncheons, dinners, lectures and seminars. Founded In 1842. Virginia's honor system la simple: no lying, cheating or stealing. There Is only one punishment: students found guilty of an offense by Juries of their peers are dismissed from the university. While Virginia's drastic disciplinary measures may not wash on some campuses, many are tightening up their honor codes. In 1985. when officials at the University of Delaware surveyed the student body and discovered that 78 percent admitted to cheating they Immediately revamped their honor code. Now students caught cheating receive a grade of "XF" on their transcripts. Cheating cases are evaluated by a student board, which Is known to be tougher on fellow students because they see themselves as victims of cheating. The University of Maryland also gives students an "XF" grade which remains on the student transcript for a full year. After completing a non credit six-week course on academic Integrity, the students can petition to have the "X" removed. The spotlight has been on academic Integrity for the past several years. "Officials say students seem increasingly willing to do anything to get ahead." reports an article on academic dishonestly that appeared In the Chronicle of Higher Education (Jan. 17. 1990). "The students are frightened about the Job market. They're searching for the pre-wealth curriculum. The value of money Is more important to them than a code of honesty and a sense of responsibility." said Arthur Levlne, chairman of the Institute for Education management at Harvard University. In the same article.
Freshman Applications On Tl Budget Cuts & Tuition Hikes By DINA M. DAWBON Staff Reporter Recent media claims have maintained that state supported schools, during the next academic year, will be admitting considerably less freshmen due to financial problems. The stories assumed that with the Increase In Virginia's financial difficulties the amount of money granted to collegiate Institutions would be less In the 1992-1993 academic year than the amount granted during the 1991-1992 year. Larger state supported Institutions, such as Radford and Virginia Tech. may certainly be finding validity In such a statement. However. Longwood has found Itself In a different boat when compared to other Institutions within the state of Virginia. While it is true that some schools such as Virginia Tech have announced a cutback in the freshman class by 300 persons. Mr. Bob Chonko. Director of Admissions at Longwood. estimated next year's freshmen class to be "maybe 650 persons" compared to 636 freshman accepting In the fall of 1991. and 600 freshmen accepted in the fall of 1990.
It was estimated that close to 3.000 freshmen would apply to Longwood for admission next spring, and at this time the number of applicants submitted Is about eight percent ahead of the number submitted at exactly this time last year. The amount of applications submitted this year has taken the admission's house by surprise as the amount of students graduating from high schools this year was predicted to be the "smallest high school graduating class" that Virginia has seen In quite awhile, with only about 59.000 students. The increase In the number of applicants means that "standards are taken up." rats Ing the SAT score required for admission to Longwood as well as a student's grade point average. Mr. Chonko says that he credits the Increase of applications to the economy. With very few good Jobs available. Mr. Chonko stated that people are "ducking Into school and trying to buy time" and that Longwood may be popular because, despite the budget cuts, no cutbacks have been taken In any of the academic departments. Mr.
Chonko also stated that he felt the ability to handle budget cuts In such a way was a sure sign of a "stable Institution." However, with the new dollar figures proposed by the House and Senate Conference Committee It appears that Longwood will again have to deal with additional budget cuts. The commit tee proposed that Longwood be given $175,000 next year for the purchase of a main frame com puter system along with hard ware and software. $38,239 for fixing the humidity problem in the Wygal Building, and $75,000 to be used for building maintenance. The same committee also proposed several budget cuts, such as a reduction of $10,560 which will eliminate the state support for remedial education courses. According to Mr. Rick Hurley, vice president of Busl ness Affairs. Longwood will still continue to have classes. The state, however, will no longer continue to pay for them. An additional budget cut of $20,000 was proposed that would effect several centers at Longwood. such as the Small Business Development Center, but that would not go Into effect
until the 1993 1994 academic year and a third budget cut was proposed of $11.000 which pays some of the administrative help here at Longwood. While Longwood will suffer some budget cuts Mr. Hurley stated that we should be pleased with the amount proposed for the next academic year. If $175,000 had not been pro posed for a new computer sys tern Mr. Hurley stated that "It would have come out of our pockets and that's $175,000 the students don't have to pay." However, students can expect costs to rise to cover the budget cuts proposed as Mr. Hurley added that "It has a bad effect on students and their families."
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