The Battalion
Ni OiN
Page 9
Thursday • January 23, 1997
initelyin
^iys. ’
d’sprobl
year
•nr.
tie in left jr
ever hade
■ lonis-*'
nter fieldf
Making the Grade
onstant pressure forces students into compromising ethics
loss
igain slior A recent re P ort is -
tcr, whot A suet * b y the Faculty
lattedin! XSenate attempted
ned a ociladdress problems with
urgh incident ethics, specifical-
spotwi i ie plagiarism of intel-
400 avenltual property and the
season. Meating by students who
ason iniMsuse off-campus tutor-
ystem ;lg services.
I This report may be a
an Man |ock to some, especially
an institution such as
) and hai : >xasA&M where, the Ag-
eCode of Honor, is
Columnist
his leagiii imething students swear by. Truth of the matter is,
>aid. He; ^ividuals often bend, if not break it, which leads to
•oy; He cai
:am.
teamisnoi
eat Esters
t year, ta
have eve:
have hac
he
ho can say
e thing?’ 1
mingliiie-
;ers’ roster
out V
faces
run aver
se Alberro
and Coir
i a year of
e.
tionfrora
Patterson
■d ntrtin
;on alter
maQt{.
cates::
rasemai.
aseimn
o earn
ison.
Steve May
Economics Graduate
Student
degradation of the code, the academic system, and
/en the University.
At universities across the nation, cheating has be
rime an accepted means for students to accomplish
cademic tasks. This, in turn, causes individuals to take
nethical actions, when faced with extreme pressure.
The pressures posed by our families, peers, and soci-
ty cause those who cannot cope to search for a) tern a-
ve methods to succeed. Students under such pressure
dll sometimes stop at nothing in their quest for high
ccolades, which can unfortunately lead to cheating.
Dr. Steven Oberhelman, speaker of the Faculty
enate, expressed his view regarding the temptation
o cheat. “Just do your own work and you will be
udged accordingly,” he said. This is good advice, but
ist Danin sometimes easier said than done.
If one questionable act is accepted or con
doned, then the crime of cheating or plagiarizing
oses weight, and future transgressions become
easier to commit.
Like any problem, punishment is only part of the
solution. To truly put a halt to the disease, we must
attain substantial levels of success are routinely pa
raded in front of us as stars, worthy of admiration.
The more grand and robust the success, the greater
the accolade.
One of the greatest supports of this mentality is
television. It shows us the benefits: money, power
and influence. All of which can be achieved through
success. These rewards have become synonymous
with success and happiness.
Students must accept responsibility for our aca
demic indiscretions.
In our quest for success, the members of this gen
eration have developed a significant aversion to ad
versity. We steer clear of trials and tribulations to
make our lives easier. Cheating certainly makes
things easier, but its still wrong.
On top of the normal temptation, the effort by
some faculty members to simplify their work
load by standardization has led to an even
greater urge to take the easy way out. Be
cause professors routinely preach the
same materials to students year after
year, the local tutoring services have
made a business out of old notes,
quizzes, and tests. This further leads
to the temptation to cheat by pur
chasing answers. With little or no
original
easy way out by copying materials from tutoring ser
vices and other sources turning it in as their own work.
When caught with old an
swers on new prob
lems, the student,
not the service gets
the “F.”
Even if pro
fessors pro
duced new
material
each se-
-up and consider how it is transmitted.
the
Nowhere vn history has success had such a bearing
on a young individual’s life.
From birth, we are programmed to be successful
achievers. Our parents tell us all they want for us is to
be happy and live a fulfilled life. But, despite what
they say, they reward our successes and punish our
failures, regardless of our happiness.
Society also plays a major role in forcing students
Into this Vin-at-all-cost” attitude. Individuals who
thought re
quired in
many
lower
level
cours
es,
some
stu
dents
take
mester, they would have nothing to gain by chal
lenging students except poor evaluations. With the
current system students know what to expect based
on previous years information. Sometimes they
need little or no change to the old information pro
vided by the tutoring services to adapt it to the new
material. Predictable courses mean better student
evaluations. Better evaluations please the adminis
tration. Pleased administration, helps with tenure.
Over emphasis of student evaluations by the ad- '
ministration has become part of the problem. There
is an attempt to make everyone responsible for
everyone elses’ actions. "We’ve gone overboard with
accountability,” Oberhleman said. This gives profes
sors reason to standardize their materials in an effort
to maintain or improve their student evaluations.
With all the temptations to cheat, it makes it
difficult to adhere to standards,
even the hallowed Aggie Code
of Honor.
Remember when as a
child, we were told repeated
ly that “Cheaters never
win,” well they don’t.
Even if individuals are
successful in cheating, the
only ones they have
cheated are themselves.
They robbed themselves
of that feeling that origi
nates deep down in your
gut. That feel that you can
conquer anything. The
feeling of pride in a job
well done. Even the
praise of others feels hol
low and insignificant,
when you know you are
unworthy. Cheating robs
your soul of the water
which quenches your
thirst for acceptance and
self-respect. A
cheater gives up
their right to
dignity and
of future
success.
ge 7
Xaviei
job as a
id. “We
>y Bailev
r a spot.’
pport«/|
esigning
“Pudge’
HR, and 1
laseman
. 38 HR
The Battalion
Established in 1893
h wew
tracts to
it office
ig multi'
day.
lectetft
es, start-.
idge
ive years
cher has
ers ovei
ditorials appearing in The Battalion reflect the
iews of the editorials board members. They do not
ecessarUy reflect the opinions of other Battalion
taff members, the Texas A&M student body, re-
ents, administration, faculty or staff. Columns,
uest columns, cartoons and letters express the
pinions of the authors.
ontact the opinion editor for information on sub-
litting guest columns.
Editorials Board
Ogden plan keeps students involved
Rachel Barry
Editor in Chief
Michael Landauer
Executive Editor
Tiffany Moore
Managing Editor
Alex Walters
Opinion Editor
Honest Approach
Students should maintain honesty when
working with outside tutors.
O ver the last 10
years, the cost of
attending A&M
has steadily risen from
an average of $4050 to
$7926 per year, an in
crease of 96 percent.
Former State Rep.
Steve Ogden has pro
posed a fee simplifica
tion plan to reverse this
crippling trend. All fees
not related to the acade
mic quality of the Uni-
Glenn Janik
Sophomore
Political Science major
student service fee.
Tuition would be
set by the state legisla
ture. The essential stu
dent education fee (a
fee encompassing stu
dent services related
to the academic quali
ty of Texas A&M)
would be set by the
Board of Regents. The
student service fee,
which would cover all
non-academic, non-
Off-campus student tutoring
services are necessary for some stu-
thrownj lents to keep up in their classes,
perceni but the services can be abused
be base vhen students engage in academic
lishonesty.
When used to cheat, the services
|re a waste of students’ time, energy
t Olivei and money that would be better
pent on other methods of studying.
Students need to strive to learn
his
atch the
iavehi®
ret
Hterhit-
i just fo>
ast yea
g injuf
it bicef
ring the
i ted with
ils.
midates
il bat. j
er
|Uiet5; ; Vi
season
as wiho
special-
er Juan
). When
Tam.”
i2-gaine
ood the
nt in his
nanage
subject matter in
& thorough man
ner and gain
iuch an under
down at Standing so they
vill be able to
easily advance to
Upper-level
bourses. Some
utoring services
Jtse old tests de
lated by stu-
ients as the basis
or their teaching
Inaterial. Al-
hough this is not
By taking shortcuts
and learning only
what is absolutely
necessary to get
from one exam to
the next, students
are short-changing
themselves.
a grea!
n’t help
behind
rything
ire that
impeti-
Hegal, it puts students at a disad-
antage by only exposing them to a
mited view of the subject.
Some professors change their
ests from year to year and those in
he upper-level courses do not al-
ays emphasize the same things
at were stressed in the lower-lev-
1 classes. By taking short cuts and
earning only what is absolutely
ecessary to get from one exam to
enext, students are short-chang-
ng themselves.
Professors and teaching assis-
ants should make sure they are
eadily available to answer questions
d discuss concerns from their stu-
ents. This is rarely a problem, be-
:ause most professors are willing to
ipend extra time outside of class with
students who are in need.
Students should also take ad
vantage of free services offered by
theTAMU Center for Academic En
hancement. The Center, located in
241 Blocker, gives students the op
portunity to improve reading, writ
ing, math and other skills.
The most popular service is
Supplemental Instruction, which
is being administered in more
than 50 courses
this semester. SI
sessions are con
ducted by stu
dents who have
already complet
ed the particular
course and are
knowledgeable
enough to help
fellow students.
The sessions con
sist of group-
study time where
students can ask
the instructor
versity would be combined into a
single fee. No longer would the
average fee statement be filled
with a myriad of complex, redun
dant fees. Instead, students
would be given one tangible dol
lar amount to show how much
the University is demanding for
non-academic purposes.
The Ogden plan proposes the
current fee statement be simplified
into three categories: tuition, an es
sential student education fee and a
essential services, would be set
by a student referendum.
Students would be given the
power to control the amount of
the fee through direct referendum.
Currendy, students can vote on
certain fee increases at certain
times. However, a referendum on
increasing a single fee rarely has a
chance to be defeated. Last semes
ter, the ballot for the referendum
to increase the Student Center
Complex fee was bold enough to
list reasons why Aggies should
vote for the increase — hardly a
fair ballot.
By voting on a regular basis for
all non-academic fees, students
attempting to keep the cost of
their education at a reasonable
price would have the power to re
ject ludicrous fee increases. If
Student Government, the MSC or
bus operations attempted to add
to the student service fee, they
would have to gain the approval
of the entire student body during
a fair referendum. The funda
mental question is whether the
student body as a whole should
be given the chance to vote on all
non-academic fees.
It comes as no surprise then,
that groups which stand to lose
power through controlled fees
have rallied in opposition of the
Ogden plan. Student Senators
Cass Burton and Mandy Gomez
introduced a Student Senate reso
lution, blasting the Ogden plan as
an attempt to “disguise how funds
are being distributed.” While the
senators claim they are protecting
the student body, they neglect to
mention it is easier to hide and in
crease fees when there are dozens
of categories on one fee statement.
What’s more baffling is why the
Student Senate, presumably the
“voice” of the students, would
pass a resolution designed to lim
it students from voting on their
own fees.
The Ogden plan will soon be
introduced to the state legisla
ture, and campus debate will in
tensify. Passage of the Ogden plan
would allow current and future
Aggies to control their non-acad
emic fees. Defeat of the plan
would perpetuate a system of sky
rocketing fees and decreased ac
cess to education. By giving stu
dents the power to control fee
inflation, the opportunity to at
tend A&M can be extended to
thousands of prospective Aggies.
Disney lives in politically correct fantasy land
'Pirates of the Caribbean' altered to preserve tolerance, not truth
questions, seek clarification, and
strive to understand the material
better. While this service is readily
available to all students registered
in a class containing supplemen
tal instruction, many fail to realize
the additional help the service
could provide.
Still, the common theme
through these solutions is work.
Students have an inborn responsi
bility to be thoughtful enough to
seek help when they encounter dif
ficulties in class. They must work to
fully understand subject material,
instead of waiting until the week
before a test, relying on a tutor to
give just enough information to
beat the test, but not enough to ful
ly grasp the material.
F ood, ahoy! Hungry
sailors will soon
replace lusty ones
at Disneyland’s Pirates
of the Caribbean when
the ride reopens in
March after extensive
renovations.
Thanks to recent com
plaints about the lack of
political correcmess ex
hibited by the “sexist” pi
rates, the remodeled ride
will favor pirates with
Columnist
Heather Pace
Sophomore
English major
satisfy the consumer
dollars of certain femi
nists who contribute
nothing more to soci
ety than whining. Per
haps these feminists
would prefer a ride
that features women
chasing men, showing
the true equality which
existed when pirates
roamed the seven seas.
The same Disney
that couldn’t have cared
growling stomachs instead of those
with raging hormones.
Previously, visitors to the exhib
it watched pirates as they drank,
fought and (gasp)... chased
women. The new exhibit, however,
has the pirates chasing women for
turkey legs and wine, other than
for the usual reasons.
However noble the reasoning
behind these alterations, there is
no need to alter what is essential
ly the depiction of basic human
(or pirate) nature.
Disney has sacrificed truth to
less about political (or historical)
correctness in movies like Poca
hontas, has caved in to demands
in an attempt to pander stupidity.
Although the angered parties
might smile at the “improve
ments,” what is at stake is a sense
of truth, history and reality.
Disney may have created its
own small world after all, but it
cannot isolate itself from reality.
In an era which has become tol
erant of anyone and anything, re
ality and truth should not be sacri
ficed simply to pacify feminists.
Because visitors complain about
the offensive nature of the pirates
leads people to wonder if some are
just looking to pick a fight.
For example, Judy Rosener, a
management professor and
women’s issues expert at the Uni
versity of California, was quoted in
The Houston Chronicle saying,
“Chasing women
may be entertain
ing to men, but
not to women.
And just because
pirates did such
things doesn’t
mean Disney has
to depict it.”
By all means,
let’s rewrite history
to forget the horri
ble things done in
the past.
Disney may have
created its own
small world after
all, but it cannot
isolate itself
from reality.
Jewish people don’t shut down
Holocaust exhibits because they
loathe Nazis, and most women
don’t eschew / love Lucy because it
portrays a woman happy with her
role as a housewife.
Instead, like reasonable crea
tures, we should expect nothing
less than the depiction of truth to
ensure mistakes of the past are not
repeated. When the gory annals of
our past are relegated to the dark
stacks of the Evans Library, we are
in danger of forgetting the evil that
man is capable of.
Disney’s attempt
to restore peace to
its kingdom after a
flood of complaints
is nothing more than
a misguided exercise
in futility. Men will
be men and women
will be women. Like
wise, kids will be
kids and they will
enjoy Disneyland for
the magical king
dom it is. Any at
tempt to hide hu
man nature behind distractions of
food seems to be a return to the
Victorian era, when a reference to
common body parts like a leg or
arm would have shocked even a
few pirates.