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Your Cheatin' Hearts

  • May. 11th, 2006 at 11:38 AM
Legally Ruth
Because of its mostly asinine content, I rarely (a) read or (b) believe anything that is posted at AutoAdmit.com, but recent (anonymous and who-knows-how true) accusations of cheating among this year's 1Ls concerns me.

I don't know how much I believe the OP. He has the classic markings of an attention whore (and yes, it takes one to know one and all that), by making vague accusations and never providing any details. And yet, he's OMG!outraged that the administration isn't doing anything about it!!!11ONE My gut tells me that he really doesn't know anything about anything, that maybe the administration was looking into something, and when he didn't see the conclusion, he wanted to effectively ensure UT's integrity by... posting vague comments on an asinine and anonymous discussion board. Our honor codes says that, "[a] student who knows of unethical behavior of another student is under an obligation to take the steps necessary to expose this behavior," and by golly he's going to expose that unethical behavior by keeping the details to himself and dropping hints on a message board that no administrator is ever going to read.

And his excuse for no details? "I don't want to screw up any future punishment by releasing all details I know now. I don't know if that may or may not affect it, but I'd rather be cautious so the fuckers can eat a dick." Right. Because some asshat on a message board is going to make the Powers That Be say, "You know, cheating is unacceptable and could lead to expulsion, but since someone released all the details on the internets, we're going to let you stay at school. Have a good year, and thanks for stopping by." I call a BS/AW combo, but I'm willing to entertain evidence to the contrary.

So inquiring minds want to know: were there 1Ls cheating? Has it been properly reported? Anyone know how they were cheating or what's going to be done? Anyone know why they were cheating? It seems to me that a B in Crim Law would be better than risking my entire legal education and career, but I learned to accept my mediocrity sometime during my first semester.

ADDENDUM: Sent from a reader, who is just repeating what he's heard, so this isn't exactly verifiable. Take with several grains of salt, perhaps?

A group of 1Ls in a different section from his were apparently taking "excessive bathroom breaks" during a closed book exam and it's believed that they were leaving the test room to look at their notes and/or discuss the exam. Because he's not in their section, he can't confirm (this is just what he heard), but he did say that he'd heard about it before I posted this entry.


*anxiously wrings hands* I can't help but hope that it turns out that they were just leaving the exam room because they were sick, which may be naive (but I did leave my Civ Pro exam several times to be sick... of course, it was open book/outline...). I just can't understand the need to cheat, and if they did indeed do it, then I'm really disappointed (as I'm sure that's their biggest worry right now--what I think of them). Also, an Anonymouse says that the Powers That Be are investigating. In the meantime, I'd prefer if no one named names here, because I'd hate to have contributed to allegations of cheating towards specific people if it turns out not to be true. That would suck. Comments are temporarily screened, just in case (but of course I'll approve anything that doesn't name names).

So... apparently the OP on AutoAdmit is not BSing. But he's still an attention whore. *nods*

Comments

( 31 comments — Leave a comment )
(Anonymous) wrote:
May. 11th, 2006 05:17 pm (UTC)
Sack up, people, you're going to be a lawyer. All of us will be legally obligated to expose unethical behavior as professionals. So, it's time for the anonymous posters to grow some balls.

As for the alleged cheaters--you shouldn't be in law school if you don't want to follow the rules. If anyone actually cheated they should be expelled, and I'm sure UT will treat this seriously.

Hate to admit it, but, as the Honor Code says, we are all harmed by unethical behavior.

One question, though, what is the AW in the "BS/AW" combo?

--rcd
(Anonymous) wrote:
May. 11th, 2006 05:27 pm (UTC)
Attention whore.

Ruth

(not signed in)
(Anonymous) wrote:
May. 11th, 2006 05:33 pm (UTC)
Yeah, well, you should be happy I'm here since I account for something like 30-40% of your comments. I'm providing you the attention you're addicted to. =P
(Anonymous) wrote:
May. 11th, 2006 05:34 pm (UTC)
LMAO

I wish I could read. I thought you were calling me an attention whore, but whatever. you know I'm an idiot.
(Anonymous) wrote:
May. 11th, 2006 05:36 pm (UTC)
LOL, no, I was answering your question about what AW stood for. :P

Ruth
[info]theperegrinus wrote:
May. 11th, 2006 05:51 pm (UTC)
That was one of the funnier exchanges I've read in a long time. . .thanks!!!
(Anonymous) wrote:
May. 13th, 2006 02:30 am (UTC)
Oh, I thought it was Ass Wipe.
[info]theperegrinus wrote:
May. 12th, 2006 01:51 am (UTC)
Since no one has been forthcoming w/info - I'm calling complete BS by the OP in autoadmit. More senseless Texas bashing. If he has information otherwise, he should bring in forward or keep quiet.
(Anonymous) wrote:
May. 12th, 2006 02:35 am (UTC)
It's not BS. The post on auto-admit was stupid and pointless and the kid should have either told all he knows or not say anything at all, but it IS being investigated.
(Anonymous) wrote:
May. 12th, 2006 02:47 am (UTC)
If he hasn't talked to the administration, he's in violation of the honor code. If he has, this just makes him an asshat.

This is the first I've heard anything of the sort in my two years here. I hope it isn't like undergrad where the crooked f***ing premeds stole the curve without consequences. I imagine since the law school vouches for us to the Bar that they take this at least a bit more seriously.
(Anonymous) wrote:
May. 12th, 2006 04:07 am (UTC)
Who says the law school isn't taking it seriously? They have been told that cheating took place and they are investigating. What do you want, a press release naming the accused cheaters?
(Anonymous) wrote:
May. 12th, 2006 07:59 am (UTC)
i love gossip! :) ruth, thank you for providing a forum for it.
(Anonymous) wrote:
May. 12th, 2006 12:09 pm (UTC)
Naw, I want them to run the gauntlet naked through two rows of their ticked off classmates who put all that effort into an exam which rumor has it will be pass fail. I think sharp number 2 pencils are good implements to put in their classmates' hands.
(Anonymous) wrote:
May. 12th, 2006 06:06 am (UTC)
Yeah I definitely went to the bathroom 4 times during my torts finals last year. Its not because people are cheating! Its because of the 3 cups of coffee they drank during the 2 hours before the exam, and the water to counteract the dehydration! People need to chill out, there's no good way to cheat on law school exams unless you know where the prof. keeps the questions or something.
~Racheli
[info]theperegrinus wrote:
May. 12th, 2006 07:53 pm (UTC)
I went to the bathroom at least three times during the four hour BA exam? Does that make me a cheat (seems excessive)? I also had two 24 oz bottles of water and a caffeinated ice tea before the test - so I don't know, close call.
(Anonymous) wrote:
May. 12th, 2006 08:10 pm (UTC)
The professor gave out a three essay exam, two of which were available online, with sample answers, from the collection of his old tests. So not only would you know what the question was, you also know what the answer should be. And on a so called bathroom break, how hard would it be to wander over to Tarlton and print that sucker out? I'm not saying thats what happened, but it is possible.
(Anonymous) wrote:
May. 12th, 2006 08:21 pm (UTC)
I'm in the alleged cheating section - and they exam answers weren't available online, but they were the EXACT same questions as the last exam posted online. Also, we've been told it is being investigated and have been sent several emails making sure we know we have a duty to say anything if we know. SOO.. my point being, its not just rumor, and it is being investigated, and would they really make an exam pass/fail?
[info]amicus__curiae wrote:
May. 12th, 2006 08:31 pm (UTC)
They made my section's crim law exam pass/fail last spring. But that was because our professor died, and we knew it was pass/fail since before spring break.

If there's any truth to the pass/fail rumors, I would suspect it's due more to the fact that the exam questions were exactly the same (I've heard of similar stories, minus the cheating, where students complained and the class was just made pass/fail). Possible reasoning: the exam wasn't testing knowledge of con law, but testing to see which students had worked through the old tests.

It would suck for the people that worked hard, but for those who worked hard but didn't necessarily work through the old exams (and who then score lower than people who didn't work as hard, but happened to work through those tests), it would suck to be curved. And then of course, the curve in and of itself kinda sucks.

Anyway, I hope it works out for you. My advice: forget about all the cheating BS and get drunk tonight. :)

Ruth
(Anonymous) wrote:
May. 13th, 2006 12:47 am (UTC)
Having taken BA today, this is all making me ask why these people can't be bothered to write new tests. Throw me a friggin' bone here. Especially when I'm paying more attention to your class than your old exams.
(Anonymous) wrote:
May. 13th, 2006 02:20 pm (UTC)
Having worked with the Japanese, I have to agree.
(Anonymous) wrote:
May. 13th, 2006 03:52 am (UTC)
I'm not sure that reusing an old exam should be grounds for making the class pass fail. With maybe one or two exceptions, all exams I've taken are more or less rehashed versions of prior exams. They change a name here, twist a fact there, bury and issue in another part, but essentially test the same knowledge. Those who take the time to work through old exams will automatically have advantages over those that don't and that's just good strategy. The fact that Professor may have simply copied an old exam - really doesn't change all that much from my point of view. What is of concern, is whether students used materials in such a way as to go against the rules to gain a competitive advantage on their peers. That, if true, is outrageous and should be punished to the full extent (admitting them onto law review then reporting the unethical behavior to the ABA and TBA). Making the class P/F seems unfair, and, if doesn't actually punish the alleged cheaters, misses the mark altogether.
(Anonymous) wrote:
May. 13th, 2006 01:39 am (UTC)
Names
I know you said not to post names but I heard one of the cheaters was Joe Jamail. He and Walter Shapiro apparently were in the bathroom. Cochran caught them.
(Anonymous) wrote:
May. 16th, 2006 07:57 am (UTC)
Re: Names
UPDATE:
LATEST NEWS: it was girls in the girls bathroom. fingerprints possible from bar registration. no news on pass/ fail. SAO is investigating.
(Anonymous) wrote:
May. 16th, 2006 09:17 am (UTC)
Re: Names
OK. So how did this actually go down?
(Anonymous) wrote:
May. 16th, 2006 10:27 pm (UTC)
Re: Names
what is difficult to understand? closed book, recycled tests, premade answers stashed in bathroom, excessive bathroom breaks to read and discuss premade answers.

if you'd like i could draw a diagram for you... in crayon
[info]slarg wrote:
May. 17th, 2006 06:47 pm (UTC)
How likely are you to find out the results of the investigation? I would like to know if this was just all overblown, nervous students pointing fingers or if there was something more substantial going on.
(Anonymous) wrote:
May. 18th, 2006 10:07 pm (UTC)
pssst, something more substantial going on...
[info]slarg wrote:
May. 18th, 2006 10:44 pm (UTC)
Gotcha.
(Anonymous) wrote:
May. 22nd, 2006 05:25 am (UTC)
All of us will be legally obligated to expose unethical behavior as professionals.
is that true in TX? I don't think the mrpc obligates you to rat out your fellow attorney. The patent office's ethical rules do, though.
(Anonymous) wrote:
May. 22nd, 2006 06:25 am (UTC)
Re: All of us will be legally obligated to expose unethical behavior as professionals.
Yes, the model rules require reporting of violations. 8.3
(Anonymous) wrote:
May. 22nd, 2006 06:26 am (UTC)
so was the cheating just attention whoring?
http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=420539&mc=47&forum_id=2#5829193

DING!

( 31 comments — Leave a comment )

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