I hate doing term papers -- as a matter of fact,I downright resent it. Honestly, what masochist enjoys making students write 20-page papers with 15 different sources? And do they really read all this hard work? Do they appreciate the angst and the blood, sweat and tears that went into it?
I was complaining to a friend about my latest graduate school project and made the off-hand comment that I would gladly pay someone to write this monster for me. She said there actually were people who did this sort of thing.
I have to say I was tempted, and started looking online for these angels of mercy. To my surprise, I found many web sites devoted to "helping" people with term papers. What made me laugh were the disclaimers stating these "papers" were for research only and were only designed to "help" the student with their own paper. What started out as a curiosity turned into a quest to see how far people will go to get out of doing their own work.
One website guy said his stable of writers included doctoral students, masters students and professors at universities from all over the country. Of course, it could be his cousin Vinny for all I know. And really, what recourse would someone have if they got a crummy paper? Do you take someone to court for cheating the cheater? And what if, by some wicked twist of fate, the professor who wrote your paper for money was the actual professor who taught the course? Well, mutual blackmail could work in this case.
"Website guy" explained he provided papers for the low-level student -- that's the undergraduate level -- for as low as $5 dollars a page, all the way up to $35 a page for custom work (dissertations, graduate papers etc.). So, for my little ol' paper he wanted $525. Now, when I complained that was a bit excessive, he did try to bargain with me, offering to drop the price to $450, because he was such a nice guy and wanted to see me do well.
Lest the reader worry about my eternal soul, at this point in the negotiations my intent was only for doing research for this article. Yes, I politely declined his offer of help and wondered what student has that type of money to pay for papers.
I then decided to ask my ethics professor, Dr. David Arant, if he knew when people turned in bogus papers.
Dr. Arant related quite a hilarious story about one of his students. The guy had turned in a term paper, and Arant was thinking how the writing was very much like his own style. He looked up the student's source and realized it was actually an article Arant had written a few years before. The student didn't even cite him. Maybe this could be a Fox television special -- "When Stupid Students Do Stupid Things." Alas, the poor guy was so aghast he didn't even finish out the rest of the year.
"I'm there to teach students -- not to be a policeman," Arant said.
Dr. Elinor Gruisin, who teaches journalism, occasionally spot-checks citations and has used plagiarism.com if she suspects someone has not been doing their own work. She said it was very easy to find out, since her area of teaching is very specific and she knows when students are cheating. She did say that in 13 years of teaching at The University of Memphis, only one person has been expelled from the graduate program for cheating.
At this point in my research, I began to wonder if my questions were making my professors suspicious of me. But I'm sure they'll recognize my bad grammar and prose and will know the work is all mine.
Cathy Allen, who teaches English, said she runs across plagiarism much more in her department. Not because English students are more dishonest, but because there is so much more writing involved. At the beginning of the year, the students sign an agreement stating they understand the policy on plagiarism and can receive a failing grade and even be expelled. Of course, if I was caught cheating, I'd be like Dr. Arant's former student, just slinking out and never coming back.
Allen also tries to impart a lesson Senator Joseph R. Biden, of Delaware, learned the hard way. A few years ago, Biden was trying to get nominated in the primaries to become president of the United States. Seems some intrepid reporter found out Biden had been caught plagiarizing in college, and he was forced to drop out. Now, like Senator Ted Kennedy of Massachusetts, he's relegated to being a senator forever.
Allen doesn't think students are more inherently unethical these days, but thinks they don't always understand what constitutes plagiarism. She said tremendous pressure is put on students to compete, and instead of focusing on how much they can learn, they only focus on what they have to do to get that "A."
To help combat plagiarism, Allen has her students turn in their papers in sections, complete with notes and sources. This is also the method Dr. Rick Fischer, who teaches journalism, uses. Fischer also assigns topics that are current, and which no one has written about. Of course, they haven't met "website guy."
Kathy Story, associate dean of Judicial and Ethical Programs, said she sees quite a few cases of plagiarism, and it comes in all forms. One case came from an interior design class, where a student had copied a fabric design and turned it as her own wallpaper pattern. Plagiarize wallpaper -- who would've thunk?
She said professors can often tell when a student is cheating because some of the work they turn in is beyond their capability. Story said departments also keep a bank of papers and know when the same work is turned in. She said it's not just the written word people take as their own, but music, art and ideas that can be plagiarized.
Allen said the Web makes it easier for students to cheat. But what students don't realize is it also makes it easier for the teachers to catch the students.
The moral of this story? Keep your money, do your own work and sleep better at night.
