80 Suspected of Cheating

i II I Vote today on referenda I i >^<^^>.><Y a. Cotlinuous II i * I,. h * as ,Newt, >,S.An c, .e F .Id S ^A*s .Votuni M nbiarl 1,Cubr25 80 suspected of cheating By Annabelle'Boyd On April 27, Wilson called a month before and told me what Between 80 and- 90 students in meeting with his teaching assis- I would, find,, I wouldn't have Introduction to, Computers and tants and a plan was devised to believed them." Engineering Problem Solving test for similarities in the prob- Other series of problem sets (1.00) have submitted 'duplicate lem sets that had been received' were then tested, with similar re- code" on problem., sets, according from the previous week. Wilson sults. 'Some of the students had to course professor Nigel H. Wil- asked one of his TANs to -write a copied code on up to ive differ- son SM '70. This is the largest computer program which would ent problem sets, while others instance of student cheating un- screen for similar statements in had done it on only one," Wilson covered in MIT's recent history. the student code. said. Most of the code plagiarism in- The problem sets were then "It has taken a long time for volved small groups of students run through the program, and us to go through all of the prob- who handed in- exactly the same the ones that triggered were lem sets and to locate all of the computer program code or very "carefully and individually" duplicated code," he added. similar coded statements on their analyzed for evidence of copying On Monday, April 30, Wilson problem sets, Wilson said. by the teaching assistants and announced to his class that cheat- . At the beginning of the term, Wilson. ing had been discovered, and that Wilson went to each of the "We were shocked at the num- any student who had duplicated course's 18 recitations and in- ber of times duplicate code ap- code would receive a zero for the Linda D'AngelolThe Tech formed the students what was ex- peared," Wilson commented. "If corresponding problem set. Protesters join hands in solidarity before marching through pected of them individually and someone had come to me the (Please turn to page 2) the infinite Corridor. what constituted cheating. 'I, told the class that while I t I would like every student to solve CAA protests failed divestment meeting every problem by himself, I rec- ognized this was unlikely. If a By Linda D'Angelo To this end, demonstrators to lead to accommodation," he student got stuck, it was appro- Approximately 70 students signed individual letters to the added. priate for him to speak to a TA, gathered on the steps of 77 Mass- executive committee which said: Many speakers at the rally another student or myself. How- achusetts Avenue at a Friday di- "The black South Africans are expressed frustrations about the ever, jointly written code and vestment rally held by the Coali- calling for divestment. As a Thursday meeting and doubted the submission of -jointly written. tion Againnst Apartheid. The rally member of the MIT community, its benefit. code were unacceptable." was an expression of the CAws I support the black people of Samuel Assefa G explained Wilson first became aware of frustrations after 21 members South Africa in their struggle. that he "left [the meeting] feel- the plagiarism in late April when met with- the Executive Commit- I feel that they know what's best ing quite disgusted." He "went a student came to his office -and tee of the MIT Corporation on for them and that they should in thinking something positive expressed "great frustration" Thursday to discuss divestment. decide how to fight against would come out of it, " but by about theI cheating, which, this "They thought they could ap- apartheid." the close of thq meeting "felt I student felt, was unjustly raising peasc us," CAA member Mark The letters were then placed in was wasting my time." the class--averagee. A. -Smith & told thie demonstra- a 15-foot- envelope addressed to Saxon felt the meeting "was After the student left, Wilson tors, 'but we are not going to the executive committee, and car- useful, [but] not in terms of con- I contacted several TAhs and dis- settle for talking to them and ried on what Francis called a flict resolution." A "strong be- covered -that many of them felt having them not listen." "special delivery mission." liever in the value of people talk- they "may have seen similar code Instead, CAA "wanted to send Demonstrators marched down ing to each other about their on the problem sets." Taken with a message" to the committee the Infinite Corridor with arms concerns," Saxon said the meet- I- the "large" discrepancy between "that they have to respect the linked, carrying the envelope to ing allowed the "executive com- II test scores and problem sets, this Tech file photo voice of black South Africa," the offices of President Paul E. mittee to hear and see first hand sentiment indicated to Wilson Corporation Chairman David member Ronald W. Francis G Gray '54, Corporation Chairman what the members of the coali- that there was a problem. S. S-axon '41 explained at the rally. David S. Saxon '41, and Vice tion and students felt." Members President and Treasurer Glenn P. "can read it, but its useful to get Strehle '58. a sense of the strength of people's Saxon "was disappointed, but feelings," he said. New grad dorn to open in June not particularly surprised" by In response to claims that Friday's rally. Judging the protest the meeting was an attempt to By Dave Watt continuing single graduate stu- Although the Practical Plan- as a "self-defeating"' action that appease CAA, Saxon said he The new graduate apartments dents. The new graduate students ening Guide for New Graduate was "not useful," Saxon felt it "could not tell you what was in at 143 Albany Street will be open who get through a lottery will be Students specifies that married was "too bad (CAA members] people's minds."' But, the chair- for residents beginning June 15, offered one-year non-renewable students would be admitted to felt compelled to do that." Such man said, he '"came prepared to according to Michael A. Mills, leases, while the continuing stu- the new apartments, Mills said action is "not a path that is likely (Please turn to page 9) general manager for housing and dents who pass a separate lottery that due to city zoning restric- renovations. The building is the will be offered renewable leases, tions',- married students will not first new MIT housing to open as specified in the new graduate be permitted to move in to the UA condemns AEPif since 1982. housing policy ("Grad housing Albany Street complex. Albany will house 190 new and -- policy adopted," April 20). Rents for single rooms at Alba- ny will be expensive. Efficiencies approves | referenda for one person will be $625 per By Reuven M. Lerner the reorganization. Walton said month this year, and one bed- The Undergraduate Associa- the national had promised "any room apartments will cost $742 tion Council passed a resolution brother willing to conform to the per month. More crowded apart- on Thursday which officially [Fraternity Insurance Purchasing ments will vary from $451 per condemns "the expulsion of 45 Group) policy, which we had vio- person in a two-bedroom apart- MIT students from Alpha Epsi- lated, would be welcomed back ment down to $345 per person in lon Pi. fraternity" and adiscour- to the chapter." He noted that I a four-bedroom. agels] MIT students from joining only 20 of the 55 brothers dis- The building is on target for with AEPi at this time." [See cussed the violations in their in- a June 1 opening, according to page 7 for text of resolution.] terviews, and that the national contractors at the site. As of last In addition, the council had only raised the issue in half Thursday, though, the landscap- changed the wording of two of of those. ing for the central courtyard had the three referenda for this Walton also noted that of the not begun, and the main entry- week's special election, approved- 10 brothers who were asked to way was still under construction. a new budget, and elected new return, two were the social chair- The housing office is trying to officers. men who had postered for the encourage present Tang Hall resi- The AEPi resolution, which (Please turn to page 7) dents to move into the new apart- passed by a vote of 20-3-7, was ments by posting the layout of introduced to the council by Sean the new building in the entryway R. Findlay '90 and Christopher at Tang Hall. As of yesterday, C. Walton '90, two of the frater- only 19 Tang Hall residents have nity's former members. While ve expressed interest in moving into they admitted to having kept an the new apartments out of 259 empty beer keg in the house, that Tang residents whose choices pledges had stolen street signs, have been processed by the hous- and that they had postered for MIF taeamtakes second ing office, according to Judith one of their parties, they said engnern deanIC11 M. Brennan, an administrative the national's "actions were more coordinator in the housing office. than was necessary." ,eO A7, 1 M, V,- ,* *.;;, ,- " 1. J-i Mills hopes that the extra Their greatest criticism focused. I'Enn~nal Co ge Bowl.

Load more