how do I report cheating/bribery if it hasn't happened yet?
November 22, 2014 10:31 AM Subscribe
I go to a large public university in Canada and it has come to my attention that people are bribing their way into the university and/or paying people to write their personal statements. There's also rampant cheating - people paying to have their essays written or having people sit in on tests for them. Most of these are international students and they are a valuable resource at my school so I do not know if anyone will listen to me or who I should even tell.
For most of these claims, I can get proof. I know the agencies that write personal statements for a fee and I can get meetings with the people who will sit in on exams for other people. As for the bribery, that one is more difficult but I can also get a meeting with at least the middleman.
The question is what can I do about this? Is it illegal? Who do I tell? My university has a reputation for turning a blind eye to sketchy activity by international students and in fact, they are starting a lot of new initiatives to attract international students. As a student, I'm extremely upset by this because I feel that the rampant cheating and using money to buy access to university is turning our university into an extremely unfair and hostile environment. It affects my ability to learn and I am really angered by the fact that I had to earn my place here while others just pay to get in.
For most of these claims, I can get proof. I know the agencies that write personal statements for a fee and I can get meetings with the people who will sit in on exams for other people. As for the bribery, that one is more difficult but I can also get a meeting with at least the middleman.
The question is what can I do about this? Is it illegal? Who do I tell? My university has a reputation for turning a blind eye to sketchy activity by international students and in fact, they are starting a lot of new initiatives to attract international students. As a student, I'm extremely upset by this because I feel that the rampant cheating and using money to buy access to university is turning our university into an extremely unfair and hostile environment. It affects my ability to learn and I am really angered by the fact that I had to earn my place here while others just pay to get in.
Cheating is wrong, but if you are doing well, it won't matter so much if other people cheat.
Up to the point that someone employs someone from your programme and they are undertrained and incompetent.
Consider speaking to editor of the student newspaper and turning evidence over to them to let them take this forward.
posted by biffa at 10:46 AM on November 22, 2014 [6 favorites]
Up to the point that someone employs someone from your programme and they are undertrained and incompetent.
Consider speaking to editor of the student newspaper and turning evidence over to them to let them take this forward.
posted by biffa at 10:46 AM on November 22, 2014 [6 favorites]
The people in charge know. You will not be thanked for trying to blow the whistle. Leave it.
posted by zadcat at 10:52 AM on November 22, 2014 [20 favorites]
posted by zadcat at 10:52 AM on November 22, 2014 [20 favorites]
There is probably an office of student conduct thst deals with academic integrity. Speak to them about it. Even if you have a sense that some are turning a blind eye, you don't really know until you report it.
posted by k8t at 10:52 AM on November 22, 2014
posted by k8t at 10:52 AM on November 22, 2014
If your university has an ombudsman, go talk to that person. But be prepared. Fighting this will likely take a lot of time and energy if you choose to pursue it.
posted by procrastination at 10:54 AM on November 22, 2014 [1 favorite]
posted by procrastination at 10:54 AM on November 22, 2014 [1 favorite]
Another way to approach this is to think about why a public university is turning to international students. This might be something worth addressing with your government representatives as to the funding structures for universities.
posted by k8t at 10:55 AM on November 22, 2014 [7 favorites]
posted by k8t at 10:55 AM on November 22, 2014 [7 favorites]
If you have proof then this story could be explosive and get national coverage. I would contact the Go Public team at CBC. They've recently produced some stories, such as the one on the temporary foreign worker program, that have resulted in the government actually paying attention. You can submit your story here:
http://www.cbc.ca/thenational/indepthanalysis/gopublic/about-go-public.html
I would do this from your computer at home.
posted by Jasper Friendly Bear at 10:56 AM on November 22, 2014 [17 favorites]
http://www.cbc.ca/thenational/indepthanalysis/gopublic/about-go-public.html
I would do this from your computer at home.
posted by Jasper Friendly Bear at 10:56 AM on November 22, 2014 [17 favorites]
It sounds like the higher ups at your school know what is going on, and they are just fine with it.
YOU need to get into a new program at a different school asap.
The only only only person you should consider talking to is an attorney with no personal or professional ties to the school.
If you leave due to rampant cheating and the devaluation of any resulting degree - you want that presented along with your evidence by an attorney. I assume you would need tuition reimbursement and a settlement.
If you stay on at the school and decide to pursue this. I would only do so through an attorney.
Basically, you are poking a hornets nest full of genetically modified militarized super robot hornets, and you need TOTAL protection of your person and reputation.
I think you should tread lightly, or not at all down this path.
My honest advice: If you expose this, do so from a safe distance after you have achieved your degree from a different institution.
posted by jbenben at 10:57 AM on November 22, 2014 [17 favorites]
YOU need to get into a new program at a different school asap.
The only only only person you should consider talking to is an attorney with no personal or professional ties to the school.
If you leave due to rampant cheating and the devaluation of any resulting degree - you want that presented along with your evidence by an attorney. I assume you would need tuition reimbursement and a settlement.
If you stay on at the school and decide to pursue this. I would only do so through an attorney.
Basically, you are poking a hornets nest full of genetically modified militarized super robot hornets, and you need TOTAL protection of your person and reputation.
I think you should tread lightly, or not at all down this path.
My honest advice: If you expose this, do so from a safe distance after you have achieved your degree from a different institution.
posted by jbenben at 10:57 AM on November 22, 2014 [17 favorites]
Oops, and to clarify....
I worked as an investigative journalist for a few years. I can't imagine this getting mainstream coverage because of politics, power structures, and how folks on that level protect each other.
posted by jbenben at 11:02 AM on November 22, 2014 [5 favorites]
I worked as an investigative journalist for a few years. I can't imagine this getting mainstream coverage because of politics, power structures, and how folks on that level protect each other.
posted by jbenben at 11:02 AM on November 22, 2014 [5 favorites]
If you signed an honor code, you are responsible for coming minimally forward. You are not responsible for performing leg work. You do not want to be pushing hard on this. You want to point someone in the right direction, and then effectively absolve yourself from this any further. You turn it over to whoever was indicated in your honor code, or the office of student conduct as stated above. After that, it is your choice if you want to provide the same information to your student paper. Beyond that, remove yourself as quickly as possible less negative fallout come in your direction from said potential cheaters. If they have resources for test papers, they have resources to remove allegations against them if you are too blatant.
posted by Nanukthedog at 11:04 AM on November 22, 2014 [2 favorites]
posted by Nanukthedog at 11:04 AM on November 22, 2014 [2 favorites]
Speculation - I know this is a problem in a number of places and there's no easy answer. But I wonder if there's a way to get the alumni association to bring some pressure on the administration on this subject. The uni has decided it needs the international students for their tuition dollars, I presume - so you need to figure out what groups can bring financial pressure from the other direction. If alumni funding is important, then the alumni association will have that ability, and maybe you can find somebody there who is interested in something like protecting the perceived value of the degree.
posted by LobsterMitten at 11:06 AM on November 22, 2014 [1 favorite]
posted by LobsterMitten at 11:06 AM on November 22, 2014 [1 favorite]
If it was this obvious to you, it's this obvious to everybody. It's infuriating, but--this is kind of how universities are now, I guess. My law school had a cheating problem and, yeah, nobody ever did anything about it even when complaints were lodged with the university--they took the stance that they couldn't discipline anyone without proof and that, I guess, any more strict standards for exams were impracticable. Basically, making waves just goes over poorly. The honor code is a university CYA measure. You already know where the university's priorities are; focus on getting yourself out and established in your career.
posted by Sequence at 11:06 AM on November 22, 2014 [1 favorite]
posted by Sequence at 11:06 AM on November 22, 2014 [1 favorite]
I can't speak to the admissions issue, but most of the professors I know would be very displeased to learn of students cheating in their classes, and thrilled to have some means of rigorously detecting and punishing that kind of academic dishonesty. (The administration, on the other hand, almost certainly does not care, and would not respond well to whistle-blowing attempts on your part.) If you have info on specific instances, definitely bring it to the attention of the person teaching the course; it may be that a few rounds of cheaters being conspicuously called out and punished would have a dampening effect on the practice at large.
posted by Bardolph at 11:08 AM on November 22, 2014 [1 favorite]
posted by Bardolph at 11:08 AM on November 22, 2014 [1 favorite]
Also, in light of the fairly discouraging responses in this thread, it may be comforting for you to reflect that even if this practice continues, it's unlikely to do you a whole lot of concrete harm. Most of these students will be leaving post-graduation to go devalue your university's brand in their home countries, not in yours (which is the whole reason universities do this in the first place; think of movie stars in the US who deliberately go overseas to work lucrative but embarrassing product spokesperson contracts, so they can cash in while still preserving their rep back home). For the ones that don't leave, there will be other factors-- lack of internships, lack of recommendations, etc.-- that will differentiate their degrees from yours. You'd do far better to keep your nose to the grindstone and focus your attention on your own performance.
posted by Bardolph at 11:16 AM on November 22, 2014 [4 favorites]
posted by Bardolph at 11:16 AM on November 22, 2014 [4 favorites]
It's not clear if you know that there is cheating going on or if you know that person X, Y, and Z specifically are cheating and how they're chearing/how you know their cheating (with the two hows hopefully being answers that lead to provable cheating. The university surely knows there are companies who write essays for pay. At my university these places advertise at the university with flyers and posters tacked up. But unless you can point to the student who used the service, what can anyone do? If you can point to the person who actually used the service and provide some evidence that they did, my university would absolutely care and so would any course professor who received such a paper.
posted by If only I had a penguin... at 11:23 AM on November 22, 2014 [2 favorites]
posted by If only I had a penguin... at 11:23 AM on November 22, 2014 [2 favorites]
This is super common. All over the place, degrees and credentials are forged, exaggerated, invented, bought, and lied about.
It is one of the reasons you need to graduate with not just a degree, but actual relationships, accomplishments, and experience.
posted by miyabo at 11:27 AM on November 22, 2014 [13 favorites]
It is one of the reasons you need to graduate with not just a degree, but actual relationships, accomplishments, and experience.
posted by miyabo at 11:27 AM on November 22, 2014 [13 favorites]
There is a lot of worry about retaliation here. I think that is overly paranoid, to be honest. I would bet that the vast majority of teaching assistants, lecturers, professors, and department heads -- the people who have the most direct influence over your passing -- would agree with you. They want something done but are not in a position to do it. You have far less to lose than any of them.
You could start by just sitting down and talking to the head of your program. Specifically talk about the overall policies of the university regarding academic integrity and how they affect your program. Then, depending on how that goes, write a letter to the appropriate dean and copy whoever in your university is supposed to be in charge of academic integrity. Point out, as people have here, that if you have noticed then it's an open secret. An open secret that will devalue your degree, and eventually break the reputation of the university. Universities live by reputation.
I know people here are like, That's Just How It Is! But honestly there are things that can be done. If you are reading someone's essay is usually BLATANTLY obvious whether they wrote it (or parts of it), but are the people grading the essay actually empowered to do anything? Are there ID checks at exam time? Does the academic integrity review process actually work-- it can be made to work. This is not "how it is everywhere." It's not an unsolvable issue.
posted by zennie at 11:35 AM on November 22, 2014
You could start by just sitting down and talking to the head of your program. Specifically talk about the overall policies of the university regarding academic integrity and how they affect your program. Then, depending on how that goes, write a letter to the appropriate dean and copy whoever in your university is supposed to be in charge of academic integrity. Point out, as people have here, that if you have noticed then it's an open secret. An open secret that will devalue your degree, and eventually break the reputation of the university. Universities live by reputation.
I know people here are like, That's Just How It Is! But honestly there are things that can be done. If you are reading someone's essay is usually BLATANTLY obvious whether they wrote it (or parts of it), but are the people grading the essay actually empowered to do anything? Are there ID checks at exam time? Does the academic integrity review process actually work-- it can be made to work. This is not "how it is everywhere." It's not an unsolvable issue.
posted by zennie at 11:35 AM on November 22, 2014
You should look into the accrediting authorities - surely the Ministry of Education or its appointees look at institutions to say whether they can carry on being a university. I would send the documentation of your allegations to them, and I would consider whether sending it to an organization like the CBC group mentioned above, with full documentation of your contact with government officials on the issue, is also worth considering.
posted by Emperor SnooKloze at 11:50 AM on November 22, 2014 [1 favorite]
posted by Emperor SnooKloze at 11:50 AM on November 22, 2014 [1 favorite]
International students pay three times (or more) the tuition domestic students pay, so university administration people don't care what they do, that much, because of what nat said.
Is this the best place for you to put your focus, right now? What are you going to get out of it? Things aren't fair - some students have more native ability, some use nootropics, some come from families that were better able to help them negotiate the HE system for cultural reasons. You could spin your wheels on this, or spend your time on your studies and maximize the value you get out of your education. I mean, do use some of the reporting mechanisms people have talked about if you really feel compelled, but it's a systemic issue (other than the bribery, that's really something else). Your actions wouldn't change much, and sustained involvement would cost you, even if that's just time away from your own education. Transfer to another university if you like, but odds are similar things will be going on.
(Also, in terms of admissions at least, there are separate quotas for domestic v. international students. You didn't compete with internationals to get in, just other domestic students.)
posted by cotton dress sock at 12:01 PM on November 22, 2014 [5 favorites]
Is this the best place for you to put your focus, right now? What are you going to get out of it? Things aren't fair - some students have more native ability, some use nootropics, some come from families that were better able to help them negotiate the HE system for cultural reasons. You could spin your wheels on this, or spend your time on your studies and maximize the value you get out of your education. I mean, do use some of the reporting mechanisms people have talked about if you really feel compelled, but it's a systemic issue (other than the bribery, that's really something else). Your actions wouldn't change much, and sustained involvement would cost you, even if that's just time away from your own education. Transfer to another university if you like, but odds are similar things will be going on.
(Also, in terms of admissions at least, there are separate quotas for domestic v. international students. You didn't compete with internationals to get in, just other domestic students.)
posted by cotton dress sock at 12:01 PM on November 22, 2014 [5 favorites]
This is corruption, and the thing about corruption is that is itself corrupting and corrosive. When it gets a foothold, it will spread until it meets an adequate challenge, which becomes harder and harder to muster. In the short term, it may not have a direct impact on you. The reputation of your degree will be preserved for a time when these people return to their home countries. But this is an interconnected world, and it will surely impact you in some way eventually. Perhaps in 10 years, you'll be called upon by one of these people, taking advantage of your alumni connection, and they'll make an offer you find difficult to refuse. Or you may end up with your taxes go to prop up banks that have been fleeced in a massive, global fraud.
Many of the responses in this thread are evidence of how corrosive this stuff can be. Look at all of the people who, while they may not be entirely comfortable with it, are encouraging you, for your own sake, to look the other way.
I can't entirely agree with them, but I can't exactly disagree with them either. So, what I'll do is to encourage you to look at this as a long game. Gather your evidence and try and figure out the various forces at work, and the various players. You can be sure that there are others who know about this, or at least suspect it. There are people of responsibility who try to maintain plausible deniability, and the people who are trying to advance their own interests by providing that layer. Understand the various agendas at play. And, of course, follow the money.
posted by Good Brain at 12:02 PM on November 22, 2014 [1 favorite]
Many of the responses in this thread are evidence of how corrosive this stuff can be. Look at all of the people who, while they may not be entirely comfortable with it, are encouraging you, for your own sake, to look the other way.
I can't entirely agree with them, but I can't exactly disagree with them either. So, what I'll do is to encourage you to look at this as a long game. Gather your evidence and try and figure out the various forces at work, and the various players. You can be sure that there are others who know about this, or at least suspect it. There are people of responsibility who try to maintain plausible deniability, and the people who are trying to advance their own interests by providing that layer. Understand the various agendas at play. And, of course, follow the money.
posted by Good Brain at 12:02 PM on November 22, 2014 [1 favorite]
Wait, I just realized you said you're at a Canadian university. Canadian universities don't require personal statements for undergraduate admissions. Are you talking about graduate students? Report the hell out of that if you feel like you can do so without repercussions.
posted by If only I had a penguin... at 12:24 PM on November 22, 2014 [1 favorite]
posted by If only I had a penguin... at 12:24 PM on November 22, 2014 [1 favorite]
If you have proof then this story could be explosive and get national coverage.
I'm sorry; but this is an almost hilariously incorrect assumption. This practice is widespread in universities, globally. Tutors, Lecturers and admin are all aware of it. Cracking down on it in anything but the most ad hoc manner is strictly frowned up/not followed up, as universities grow ever-more dependent on the foreign student revenue streams and there is a powerful, powerful incentive not to pursue it.
Rather, a few bad apples will be plucked from the reeking barrel, and the problem will be claimed as solved. Authorities will argue that existing policies for catching plagiarism/cheating suffice as they are detecting students regularly; that there is no evidence of systemic abuse; that the organisations offering these services are operating and run off-campus and thus beyond the reach of the universities; that the students cheating are coming from a different cultural background with different expectations and thus should not be judged as harshly as they don't understand the mores around cheating etc.
These arguments have varying degrees of merit, but I lay them out here to gently point out to you that you are far from the only person at your university with this awareness, and moreover you're not the first to raise this issue, I'd wager. Before launching your crusade, I would consider why your predecessors failed to succeed and what you will be doing differently.
posted by smoke at 1:00 PM on November 22, 2014 [5 favorites]
I'm sorry; but this is an almost hilariously incorrect assumption. This practice is widespread in universities, globally. Tutors, Lecturers and admin are all aware of it. Cracking down on it in anything but the most ad hoc manner is strictly frowned up/not followed up, as universities grow ever-more dependent on the foreign student revenue streams and there is a powerful, powerful incentive not to pursue it.
Rather, a few bad apples will be plucked from the reeking barrel, and the problem will be claimed as solved. Authorities will argue that existing policies for catching plagiarism/cheating suffice as they are detecting students regularly; that there is no evidence of systemic abuse; that the organisations offering these services are operating and run off-campus and thus beyond the reach of the universities; that the students cheating are coming from a different cultural background with different expectations and thus should not be judged as harshly as they don't understand the mores around cheating etc.
These arguments have varying degrees of merit, but I lay them out here to gently point out to you that you are far from the only person at your university with this awareness, and moreover you're not the first to raise this issue, I'd wager. Before launching your crusade, I would consider why your predecessors failed to succeed and what you will be doing differently.
posted by smoke at 1:00 PM on November 22, 2014 [5 favorites]
Welcome to North American Universities. You have every right to be angry. But you either have to make your peace with it, or you have to find another school that doesn't do this. (Good luck, with that.) The professors know, the International Students Dean knows, we all know. The money International students bring into the school smooth over all those guilty feelings. It's rampant here and in Europe (and probably South America too.)
So it's not as if the University doesn't know. They know and encourage it. So, that said, can you live with it?
University is more than the grading. So make up your mind to be a scholar. Do the right thing, don't worry about the rest of it. Write your papers, take your own exams and keep your eyes on your own paper.
Personally I think it's disgusting, but it's the way it is.
posted by Ruthless Bunny at 1:01 PM on November 22, 2014 [2 favorites]
So it's not as if the University doesn't know. They know and encourage it. So, that said, can you live with it?
University is more than the grading. So make up your mind to be a scholar. Do the right thing, don't worry about the rest of it. Write your papers, take your own exams and keep your eyes on your own paper.
Personally I think it's disgusting, but it's the way it is.
posted by Ruthless Bunny at 1:01 PM on November 22, 2014 [2 favorites]
While I'm not sure this is happening on the level of your school, I can assure you stuff like this is happening to some degree at most major schools. Since international students are often able to pay full tuition, they're much more profitable than the local students, who either pay much less esp. at public schools, or the most bright/promising, who receive funding/TA work/etc. The students who pay are essentially subsidizing the rest of the students, who are the ones who are going to make the school look good and increase their rankings. The cheating/grade inflation/passing people who shouldn't pass to keep grad rates up also is also a positive to the administration, because it looks good in rankings. (I don't want to make it sound like there aren't hard-working/successful international students, there have been and will continue to be, but there's a definite uptick in this sort of thing in the last 5-10 years). English competency can also be an issue (there's people who couldn't have written their application essays without help)
posted by JauntyFedora at 1:04 PM on November 22, 2014
posted by JauntyFedora at 1:04 PM on November 22, 2014
Since it's international students, you might have some success approaching the most right-wing xenophobic 'journalism' outfit you can find to pitch the story to, because it'll fit neatly into their schtick. Problem is the more likely to run with the story for that reason, the less credible the story will be.
posted by ctmf at 1:48 PM on November 22, 2014
posted by ctmf at 1:48 PM on November 22, 2014
Schools accept bribes all the time. Sometimes it's basically legal- Such as when a parent gives a school a sizable donation their kids are often admitted to the school even if their grades do not meet the requirements. There's not much that can be done legally in these cases.
However in what you're describing that's not the case. It wouldn't surprise me in the least if administrators turn a blind eye to this if the school is making money from these students. Schools are a business more than anything else. Don't get me wrong- I love education. But after 20 years of school I knew all sorts of useless information like what the atmosphere of pluto consists of, but I knew nothing about any real knowledge- like how to properly peruse a credit card statement. The only people who really got much from this arrangement were the schools that got their tuition money every quarter. It's possible that there are teachers who dislike the situation, but fear losing their positions. Going to the dean may work, or it may just expose you as a "troublemaker" to the school. I would just anonymously send my proof over to a News Station or ask to be an anonymous source for them. Maybe that makes me cowardly- I dunno. But back when I was in college there was- not exactly the same as your situation, but somewhat similar- and I made the mistake of going to the dean only to find out that he was not only aware of the situation, but he told me I would be "happier" if I simply stayed out of it and not mention it again. Which I took as a threat.
posted by rancher at 2:02 PM on November 22, 2014
However in what you're describing that's not the case. It wouldn't surprise me in the least if administrators turn a blind eye to this if the school is making money from these students. Schools are a business more than anything else. Don't get me wrong- I love education. But after 20 years of school I knew all sorts of useless information like what the atmosphere of pluto consists of, but I knew nothing about any real knowledge- like how to properly peruse a credit card statement. The only people who really got much from this arrangement were the schools that got their tuition money every quarter. It's possible that there are teachers who dislike the situation, but fear losing their positions. Going to the dean may work, or it may just expose you as a "troublemaker" to the school. I would just anonymously send my proof over to a News Station or ask to be an anonymous source for them. Maybe that makes me cowardly- I dunno. But back when I was in college there was- not exactly the same as your situation, but somewhat similar- and I made the mistake of going to the dean only to find out that he was not only aware of the situation, but he told me I would be "happier" if I simply stayed out of it and not mention it again. Which I took as a threat.
posted by rancher at 2:02 PM on November 22, 2014
I am really surprised by the comments here. I work at a small institution, and we struggle with the problems you have described, even as we work to attract more international students.
While I can't speak for your university, here, we would be very happy to know more about what is going on. The students who enter on false premises have a terrible time here, and they drain ressources from normal, honest students. They may imagine bribery and false papers are an easy way to an exam, but at the end of the day, they struggle at classes and exams.
If we could crack down on the officials who accept bribery and the businesses who are forging papers, it would help everyone, including all students.
Personally, I'm at the point where I want to cut off all students from some countries, because the majority are admitted on faked papers. But obviously, that would be racist, and I have a dilemma there. So I am working to create tests that can expose forgery and corruption.
Also, while I will probably not (yet) publicly report or expose those colleagues I suspect are accepting bribes, as a first measure I am refusing to amend the problems they are creating. I will not have the students they have admitted on my courses, and I will not participate in exams at their courses, legitimizing their practice.
Yes, the money we get from hosting international students are important. But the stress and drain on resources we experience with un-qualified students is not at all proportional with the gain. And we have plenty applications from countries where this culture of corruption is not the norm.
Also, we are to some extent evaluated on the succes of our alumni, and these students are certainly not helpful. The economics of this are not simple, and you should not assume that the only interest of your institution is tuition money. Specially not in a public institution.
If you can at all identify where the corruption lies, go to an official superior to this. Here, the admissions office is pure as new snow, I can discuss the issue with them, and I do. If you have a professor you trust, you may ask them for a talk. I wouldn't go to the dean here, because it would be low on his priority list and he would ask me to solve the problem (again: not ignore it, solve it). But your institution might have an other organisation.
posted by mumimor at 2:42 PM on November 22, 2014 [3 favorites]
While I can't speak for your university, here, we would be very happy to know more about what is going on. The students who enter on false premises have a terrible time here, and they drain ressources from normal, honest students. They may imagine bribery and false papers are an easy way to an exam, but at the end of the day, they struggle at classes and exams.
If we could crack down on the officials who accept bribery and the businesses who are forging papers, it would help everyone, including all students.
Personally, I'm at the point where I want to cut off all students from some countries, because the majority are admitted on faked papers. But obviously, that would be racist, and I have a dilemma there. So I am working to create tests that can expose forgery and corruption.
Also, while I will probably not (yet) publicly report or expose those colleagues I suspect are accepting bribes, as a first measure I am refusing to amend the problems they are creating. I will not have the students they have admitted on my courses, and I will not participate in exams at their courses, legitimizing their practice.
Yes, the money we get from hosting international students are important. But the stress and drain on resources we experience with un-qualified students is not at all proportional with the gain. And we have plenty applications from countries where this culture of corruption is not the norm.
Also, we are to some extent evaluated on the succes of our alumni, and these students are certainly not helpful. The economics of this are not simple, and you should not assume that the only interest of your institution is tuition money. Specially not in a public institution.
If you can at all identify where the corruption lies, go to an official superior to this. Here, the admissions office is pure as new snow, I can discuss the issue with them, and I do. If you have a professor you trust, you may ask them for a talk. I wouldn't go to the dean here, because it would be low on his priority list and he would ask me to solve the problem (again: not ignore it, solve it). But your institution might have an other organisation.
posted by mumimor at 2:42 PM on November 22, 2014 [3 favorites]
I am an academic (in Australia). At the universities I've worked at, we know this is happening, but we don't know which students are involved. We have no jurisdiction over the agencies that sell essays or whatever, if they aren't our students. We have a little more agency when it comes to the students who buy. But those are super hard to detect and prove.
So if you can expose actual cheating students and have solid evidence, I think you should. We need more than word of mouth to look into cheating though, as it's possible for students to accuse each other of cheating due to personal conflicts and with bought essays, there's no quick way for us to follow up and see if it's true. (There are slow ways, like getting students to write new work while you stand over them, or to explain their essays verbally, etc, but if we do this we are required to either have really strong evidence of cheating already, or to get the whole class to do it, for fairness sake, and sometimes that means 200 students. And then if the suspect can't explain their essay to you, there's still the possibility that their verbal skills are worse than their written skills or that they can write well with three weeks to do so and a dictionary but not in a one hour class with no materials, etc )
It is true that administrators hate having to punish high fee paying students, but at my universities at least, this doesn't mean some sort of conspiracy or cover up, just a higher standard of proof, a lot of second chances and that any barrier to proving or punishing offences tends to activate administrative "can't-be -bothered-itis". Barriers like having to conduct lengthy investigations to find out the truth, students graduating in the meantime, students just not showing up to meetings about it, conflicting evidence, etc.
posted by lollusc at 3:02 PM on November 22, 2014 [1 favorite]
So if you can expose actual cheating students and have solid evidence, I think you should. We need more than word of mouth to look into cheating though, as it's possible for students to accuse each other of cheating due to personal conflicts and with bought essays, there's no quick way for us to follow up and see if it's true. (There are slow ways, like getting students to write new work while you stand over them, or to explain their essays verbally, etc, but if we do this we are required to either have really strong evidence of cheating already, or to get the whole class to do it, for fairness sake, and sometimes that means 200 students. And then if the suspect can't explain their essay to you, there's still the possibility that their verbal skills are worse than their written skills or that they can write well with three weeks to do so and a dictionary but not in a one hour class with no materials, etc )
It is true that administrators hate having to punish high fee paying students, but at my universities at least, this doesn't mean some sort of conspiracy or cover up, just a higher standard of proof, a lot of second chances and that any barrier to proving or punishing offences tends to activate administrative "can't-be -bothered-itis". Barriers like having to conduct lengthy investigations to find out the truth, students graduating in the meantime, students just not showing up to meetings about it, conflicting evidence, etc.
posted by lollusc at 3:02 PM on November 22, 2014 [1 favorite]
Also, I challenge your claim, OP, that it's mostly international students who are buying essays or plagiarizing. Enough domestic students commit plagiarism (sometimes even unknowingly, thanks to their ordinary interactions with free-floating 'information' on the web) that many lecturers use things like TurnItIn.com to evaluate the originality of submitted work.
And I mean really, it's not like there's some mysterious underground network -- any administrator could pick up the campus flyers they walk past every day, respond to the many ads on Craigslist, or skim the top of the results of a Google search for (legal) 'essay writing services', purchase a few dozen samples, and establish a baseline of comparison (although I'm sure lecturers and TAs become familiar with them over time in any case).
I'm not suggesting it's not a problem or wrong, but it's so much bigger than you, and I think it would be a waste of your energy to pursue this with any intensity, or beyond a one-time report. Or ok, you take up the cause. Great, you kick off your working life with an expensive/annoying lawsuit, notoriety as a quixotic whistle-blower (which will stay online forever), and maybe, no degree, if you get caught up in / worked over by the whole process.
k8t's not nat's, as I said above, sorry suggestion to campaign for a change to funding might be a better use of your time (which I still really think should mostly go to your own development).
posted by cotton dress sock at 5:08 PM on November 22, 2014 [1 favorite]
And I mean really, it's not like there's some mysterious underground network -- any administrator could pick up the campus flyers they walk past every day, respond to the many ads on Craigslist, or skim the top of the results of a Google search for (legal) 'essay writing services', purchase a few dozen samples, and establish a baseline of comparison (although I'm sure lecturers and TAs become familiar with them over time in any case).
I'm not suggesting it's not a problem or wrong, but it's so much bigger than you, and I think it would be a waste of your energy to pursue this with any intensity, or beyond a one-time report. Or ok, you take up the cause. Great, you kick off your working life with an expensive/annoying lawsuit, notoriety as a quixotic whistle-blower (which will stay online forever), and maybe, no degree, if you get caught up in / worked over by the whole process.
k8t's not nat's, as I said above, sorry suggestion to campaign for a change to funding might be a better use of your time (which I still really think should mostly go to your own development).
posted by cotton dress sock at 5:08 PM on November 22, 2014 [1 favorite]
In terms of whether the news media would be interested in this story, there is precedent. In 2012, the Global TV News program 16x9 did a story (see Dubious Degree on YouTube: 23 minutes) on degrees offered jointly by Douglas College, a public college located in the Vancouver suburb of New Westminster, and partner institutions in China. The story was the result of whistleblowers who worked at Douglas College in China. The news report led to an investigation by the BC government (PDF document). The government investigation led to some (admittedly small) changes in the program.
In this case, you’re claiming that this is happening right in Canada and some of the things you’re claiming (such as that you “can get meetings with the people who will sit in on exams for other people”) would make for compelling TV. Also, compared to 2012, social media is much more prominent now and a story like this would be all over it.
posted by Jasper Friendly Bear at 5:17 PM on November 22, 2014
In this case, you’re claiming that this is happening right in Canada and some of the things you’re claiming (such as that you “can get meetings with the people who will sit in on exams for other people”) would make for compelling TV. Also, compared to 2012, social media is much more prominent now and a story like this would be all over it.
posted by Jasper Friendly Bear at 5:17 PM on November 22, 2014
Canadian universities don't require personal statements for undergraduate admissions.
Not true. Many undergraduate programs require short statements about why you want to be at the school, etc. I remember writing one for Queen's university, specifically.
posted by hepta at 6:29 PM on November 22, 2014
Not true. Many undergraduate programs require short statements about why you want to be at the school, etc. I remember writing one for Queen's university, specifically.
posted by hepta at 6:29 PM on November 22, 2014
this shit happens everywhere and thus you are very unlikely to get any traction trying to expose it while risking yourself to retaliation and shunning
welcome to the long slow slide into bitter, cynical adulthood
posted by Jacqueline at 11:49 PM on November 22, 2014 [5 favorites]
welcome to the long slow slide into bitter, cynical adulthood
posted by Jacqueline at 11:49 PM on November 22, 2014 [5 favorites]
Since it's international students, you might have some success approaching the most right-wing xenophobic 'journalism' outfit you can find...
ctmf is right. Based on a certain recent "outrage" story related to eduction and "foreigners", I would guess that Ezra Levant / Sun TV would love this. I can't say they would cover it particularly well, but it does seem like the kind of thing they would take on with gusto.
posted by onshi at 8:54 AM on November 25, 2014
ctmf is right. Based on a certain recent "outrage" story related to eduction and "foreigners", I would guess that Ezra Levant / Sun TV would love this. I can't say they would cover it particularly well, but it does seem like the kind of thing they would take on with gusto.
posted by onshi at 8:54 AM on November 25, 2014
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With all that being said, I think you are probably best off devoting your time and energy into yourself and your own grades. Cheating is wrong, but if you are doing well, it won't matter so much if other people cheat. All the time you spend having fake meetings and trying to expose this could be spent studying.
posted by AppleTurnover at 10:43 AM on November 22, 2014 [1 favorite]