I had my Human Anatomy and Physiology Lab midterm last night. During the exam I witnessed two acts of blatant cheating. Someone asked another person for an answer and the answer was provided. This happened twice, but with two different sets of students.

I told the professor to keep his eyes and ears open when I left the exam. (The persons that were cheating were still finishing their tests.) He said unless I'm willing to name name's he can't really do anything.

Should I name names? My first thought was that I didn't want to be a rat. The professor reminded me of my responsibility to report cheaters to the Honor Council, but said of course this was my choice.

How do you guys feel about this???

Nah dont rat them out

DanceWme said:

Explain please. Why wouldn't you?

Jill..not to sound like a rat..but I would speak up! If you worked hard, and did what you needed to do to obtain a good grade, is it really fair to let them get away with something like that?

You have to follow what is in your gut. Did your teacher say he would mention to the students who told him?

But...this is just me! I don't feel that one should work hard and other's just get away with cheating.

hokie said:

cuz i would be the one cheating
im lying!




Tell on them! Gives names and everything!

I wouldn't say anything. You can't save the world and shit like this backfires a lot of the time.

I'd tell on them

JessieJ said:

Does the professor grade on a curve? If so, you're probably screwing yourself if you don't report them, because chances are that their cheating is going to place you lower on the curve.

If he doesn't, then reporting them isn't going to affect your grade one way or the other. Then you have to listen to your conscience.

Maybe, if you know one or both of the cheaters, you can tell them that you saw them cheating and that if you see them do it again, you're duty bound to report them to the Honor Council.

MoniGram said:

I don't know if they (the cheaters) would know it was me who told. I believe that if it goes in front of the Honor Council both sides would have a say. So, I think at that point it would be known.

OK...here's the set up. It was a lab test so there are about 10 lab tables in the room. Each table has 4 chairs. Each chair had either a microscope, a model, or something else that we had to look at and answer questions about. So, we were constantly moving around the classroom. You didn't have to start with question #1. You could start at the end if you wanted. I just went to whatever spot was open and did it that way.

While I was at one of the tables looking in my microscope... the two students across from me were doing the cheating.

So, here's my concern. What if the teacher had heard something while his back was turned, but didn't know exactly who did the cheating? So then I am pulled aside and am a "suspect" if you will. I don't want to be implicated in a cheating scandal! I value honesty and when I don't know my shit I take the consequences. But I always know my stuff so...

I don't want my reputation tarnished because some idiots don't want to do their work.

The instructor even let us make a cheat sheet by writing down whatever we wanted in the first ten minutes of class. These people are seriously dumb if they had to cheat even with a cheat sheet of their own making.

dude, really? Who rats out someone who cheats on a school test??

Just focus on you, your studies, and your performance. Let the universe take care of other people.

JerseyKRS said:

excellent advice

RodeoSchro said:

He doesn't grade on a curve. Plus, not to sound uppity, but I always wreck the curve. I'm the one people hate.

JerseyKRS said:

Yeah. You're probably right.

But, yeah dude. Really. It pisses me off when people cheat. It's pathetic. I don't want them to get kicked out of school or anything, but a little public humiliation would be funny.

hokie said:

I understand that feeling. That's what I would do, just think they're losers and move on.

Oh, I forgot to say that I told my professor that I didn't want to name names because I feel like people get theirs in the end. They're just shooting themselves in the foot when it comes time for the final. You might be able to get away with asking for one or two answers, but if you don't know your stuff then you're pretty much screwed.

so you did tell on them? I mean, not naming names, but still telling?

JerseyKRS said:

Yep. All I said was that he should keep his eyes and ears open.

hokie said:

JerseyKRS said:

Sorry you don't agree.

hokie said:

It sounds like that's not how you feel, though.

It sounds like it really bothers you and you want them to get caught.



I would just focus on doing the best job I can do, but that's me. Now, if I saw someone hurting another person or something along those lines I wouldn't look the other way, but this to me wouldn't be worth my time.

Ehh

I would let others create their own path - cheaters cheat

I would make it a point to physically sit as far away from those types as possible though


( this is just me )


best wishes with it hun

Personally, the system cheats us. Why not cheat it?

Once students get out of college and get into corporate America, they're going to be raped.

Personally, I don't care if my fellow students cheat or not. It just doesn't concern me. I make sure I know my shit, and that's all I care about.

JerseyKRS said:

Yup

I remember my teacher gave 3 students a fake test sheet (one of those scantron thingys) during the regents.
Muthafuckas failed like there was no tomorrow

Dan and Mach echo my feelings. I really agree with Dan's view on a lot of things. Lying and cheating are staples in the workforce, that's a fact.

FunkMistress said:

I guess I have mixed feelings.

OK peeps. I get it. You guys think I'm a nerd.

I doubt I'll do anything about it. You're right. As long as I make sure I know my stuff then that's all I should worry about.


The ones who don't think I should tel...ya'll were the cheating mofos in school weren't you?

JerseyKRS said:

Yup.
And I'm not giving it my stamp of approval, but let's face it--you can only really control your own actions. And even then you have to keep your eyes open so that you're not getting stabbed in the back.
someone else's dishonesty being pointed out by you almost never benefits you. Almost never. I applaud whistel blowers in the work force, but not every lie or scheme a coworker undertakes requires being ratted out. Expecting honesty and integrity is impossible. You can't even get it from your government let alone your piers.

hokie said:

Here's how I try to think about things: I try to cause no harm.

If someone is harming another, I feel like it's my job to stop it.

But if I see someone cheating at school, they are not necessarily harming anyone. But I could step in and cause harm to them - for what reason? Because I think I'm right and they're wrong? So goddamn what? That person could have a family at home that they're struggling to feed, and this degree could help them get a job in order to do so. So maybe they were too tired to study last night and they want to get a good grade by any means necessary. Is that right? Not for me to say. But it's definitely not for me to just jump in like the damn University Avenger and possibly get them kicked out of school.

You don't know other people's situations, and I would hesitate to fuck with someone's life without having all the facts.