The School of Business and Administration is conducting an investigation of possible cheating on economics examinations, according to Dean Neil Seitz, Ph.D.
“No charges have been brought to the business school’s Student Academic Ethical Responsibilities Committee at this time,” Seitz stated.
“The committee has not processed any formal accusations or admissions at this time, so nobody has been disciplined or expelled.”
Students in Professor Mark Funk, Ph.D.’s Principles of Economics classes said that Funk announced his suspicions of 34 students cheating on the exams given on Feb. 10 and 11.
Beth Faulhaber, a student in one of the economics classes, said her class was told that cheating most likely occurred by students taking extra copies of the exam on Feb. 10 and then distributing them to students in the other class sections before they took the exam on Feb. 11.
Faulhaber said that she had not heard about cheating or the extra tests before taking the exam herself.
“I didn’t like the fact that I had studied all night long for a test that some students got to see beforehand,” she said. “I didn’t even find out [about the cheating] until a week later.”
Tests taken on the Feb. 11 will be thrown out and makeup tests will be scheduled towards the end of the semester.
Caroline Kadleck, a marketing and MIS major, is in one of the sections that will have to take the makeup exam.
“This means I have to study the material again at the end of the year,” Kadleck said.
Kadleck said she realized cheating can occur in any university. “It’s only fair that people got caught,” she said, “but I can’t believe it blew up this big.”
Funk declined comment.
As for any guidelines on how tests are distributed, Seitz said that consideration will occur after the investigation has been completed.
“We have no evidence to suggest that cheating occurs frequently in the School of Business and Administration,” Seitz stated.
Seitz added that no single best way to prevent cheating exists.
“Academic honesty is achieved through a systemic approach in which students are encouraged to maintain high personal standards, reasonable security is maintained, and appropriate corrective actions are taken when violations occur,” Seitz stated.
