Friday, February 25, 2000
The University Daily Kansan
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Section A·Page 3
It is up to the individual professors to decide whether to excuse students to use the restroom during exams. Some don't allow it because of concerns of cheating. Photo illustration by Lucas W. Krump/KANSAN
Policies to prevent cheating vary
Some don't allow students to leave tests
Paul Silkner thought the honor code governed testing situations at the University of Kansas.
By Mindie Miller
writer@kanson.com
Kanon staff writer
By Mindie Miller
But last week, a graduate teaching assistant, escorted the Lawrence senior to the restroom during an exam to make sure he wouldn't cheat.
"I told him I was going to use the bathroom, and he said "You can't do that." Silkiner said. "I told him it wasn't a matter of choice."
Silkiner said the GTA didn't wait outside the restroom door. Instead, he escorted him all the way to the urinal, where he stood guard, making sure he did not cheat.
"You can't get more bottom-line than making sure I'm not pulling a note out of my underwear," Silkiner said. "This is penitentiary-level security."
pentesting. But his situation seems to be more the exception than the rule, some faculty and administrators say.
Kathleen McCluskey-Fawcett, associate provost, said there was not a University policy that addressed the issue of whether students could leave the room during a test.
"We try to stay away from something that specific," she said. "It's at the faculty's discretion how they're going to monitor the exam."
we work a little bit on trust here," he said. "We try to treat students as if they were adults and proceed from there."
Jack Porter, professor of mathematics and department chair, said he always let students leave tests to use the restroom.
But, he said that it would be difficult to cheat on a math exam.
"They either know the material before the test, or they're in trouble," Porter said.
John Gauch, associate professor of electrical engineering and computer science, said he made judgments based on the circumstances in individual cases.
"I ask myself if this person has been looking suspicious on other occasions," he said.
He said that establishing a department-wide policy on whether students could leave during tests had never been a subject of conversation.
jeff or colin said.
"A good question for a faculty meeting would be 'How are we going to deal with this?'" Gauch said.
The University Testing Service administers standardized tests — such as the GRE, LSAT and MCAT. It offers both computerized and paper-based testing.
Melissa Fast, assistant director of testing services, said that although there were rules about the number of pencils and sheets of scratch paper a person could have during a test, test takers would be allowed to leave at any time to use the restroom.
"You are allowed to go to the restroom on any standardized test, but you have to leave your testing materials in the room," she said. "And your time keeps going if it's a timed portion of the test."
"I told him I was going to use the bathroom, and he said 'You can't do that.' I told him it wasn't a matter of choice."
Paul Silkiner
Lawrence senior
"Students don't have a reason to leave the exam until they're done with it," he said.
However, Tom Volek, associate professor of journalism and associate professor of Russian and East European studies, said he thought it was unrealistic not to worry about students cheating.
He said he didn't allow students to leave tests to use the restroom, nor does he allow latecomers to begin a test once another student has left the room. He said he generally gave the rules one session ahead of the exam to remind students they weren't allowed to leave.
Richard Hardin, professor of English and department chair, said that because English classes often involved in-class essay assignments, the atmosphere was fairly liberal.
"Most of my tests are writing assignments where the answers are not written on the wall somewhere," he said.
When thinking about what he went through, Silkiner said he laughs — but he still is offended that the GTA questioned his integrity.
Council approves course-retake policy
"We're supposed to have an honor code," he said. "Idealistically, we're all here for an education."
Bill may avoid scarring GPAs when students repeat courses
By Ryan Devlin
writer@kansan.com
Kansas staff writer
Students who wish their bad grades could be erased are one step closer to having their wishes fulfilled.
After considerable debate yesterday, University Council approved 20-11 a proposed amendment to the course-repetition policy that would allow students to repeat up to five courses to increase their grade point averages.
Under the bill, if a student elects to repeat a course in which the original grade was either a D or an F and the result is an improvement in grade, then the improved grade would be calculated into the student's GPA. The original grade still would appear on the student's transcript, but it would not be calculated into the GPA.
The bill will be sent to University Senate in April for approval.
Objections to the amendment focused primarily on the stipulation that students would not be required to obtain the permission of a dean before being allowed to retake the course.
Carol Holstead, associate professor of journalism, said that students who failed a course because of cheating or academic misconduct might be able to slip through the cracks and abuse the policy.
Barbara Romzek, professor of public administration, agreed and said she would like to see the dean's approval as a means of closing possible loopholes.
notes.
But Dede Seibel, student body vice president and the bill's primary author, said she thought there was a way to determine whether academic misconduct had previously occurred without a requiring a dean's stamp.
Sone said the registrar's office could place a hold on a student's record in such cases.
"There is a way to put a hold on a course that would disallow a student from enrolling in a course if they failed due to academic misconduct." Seibel said.
John Brandt, professor of speech, language and hearing, said that as a professor he was responsible for ensuring that students who had failed his course because of cheating were unable to retake it.
Despite the objections to the bill's language, it passed unchanged.
"I have an objection to students who cheated in my course then try to take it again," Brantt said. "You can be sure I'll do whatever I can to keep them from doing that."
Seibel said that the bill's passage was a victory for students and proved that faculty took students' interests seriously.
Jim Carothers, Senate Executive Committee chair, said that issues that might not have been resolved at Council likely would be taken up when the bill went to University Senate in April.
"This is not the end of the process." Carothers said.
writter@kansan.com
Kansan staff writer
■ In other business, Council tabled a bill to extend the credit/no credit option from the third and fourth to the fifth and sixth weeks of a semester because of time constraints.
He suggested that the provost could make some changes that council members thought should be made before April's Senate meeting
Transportation board weighs bus route changes
The plastic bus shelter in the circle drive at Jefferson Commons, 2511 W. 31st St., has been empty all year.
By Sara Shepherd
"We already have a bus stop," said Kristin Harrelson, Jefferson Commons resident relations director. "It would be great if we could have a bus to stop there."
Five representatives from the student living complex, at 31st and Iowa streets, lobbied the transportation board for campus buses to stop there at KU on Wheels' annual route review meeting last night in the Burge Union
Harrisonel said that nearly all of the 720 available rooms at Jefferson Commons were filled and that about 99 percent of the residents were students.
Representatives from Jefferson
Commons were confident a campus bus would be widely used by student residents.
"We're going to have ridership, and we'd probably be the best gamble in town," said Robin Corrick, Jefferson Commons community manager. "I think if it did come into our community, they would ride it in droves."
Aaron Quisenberry, assistant director of the Student Organizations and Leadership Development Center and KU on Wheels adviser, said several things were to be taken into consideration before altering a route to serve the Commons.
He said money was the main concern with the proposed project, even if ridership would be high. One bus route costs between $70,000 and $80,000 every year, Quisenberry said.
If there were large numbers of students riding the bus from the Commons, one bus would not be
enough, and extra buses may be needed at peak times," he said.
However, by reshuffling routes, some operating hours could be transferred from discontinued routes into new routes, which would help defray some of the cost.
Quisenberry requested that the board try to come up with an approximate dollar figure for what a route to the Commons would cost before any decision was made.
Samantha Newman, Jefferson Commons resident and community assistant, said she was one of many Jefferson Commons residents who would take the bus to class if it stopped there instead of using Park and Ride.
Quislenberry said he also was concerned about what a bus stop at the Commons would do to KU on Wheels' Park-and-Ride program.
The board did not finalize decisions about the route changes yesterday.
but the consensus among board members seemed to be that the changes would be enacted.
Other route changes discussed included:
Discontinuing the West Sixth route because of low ridership. This action would eliminate the stop at Boardwalk Apartments, 524 Frontier Road, but residents could board a bus across the street in front of Sunrise Village Apartments, 660 Gateway Court.
Changing the Second-and Michigan route to include service to Highpointe Apartments, 2001 W. Sixth St., where a bus would stop every 30 minutes.
Changing the Sixth and Crestline route to include half-hour service to Sunrise Village Apartments. The proposal also would change the turnaround location from Schwarz Road to Fireside Court.
Ideas for bus shelter to come from students
By Erin R. Barcomb
writer@kansan.com
Kansas staff writer
A warm, dry place for about 20 students to wait for the bus in front of Learned Hall is one step closer to reality.
Student Senate Finance and University Affairs committees passed a bill Wednesday night that would provide a $1,000 reward for bus-shelter designs. The bill will go before Senate next week
Students from regional universities will be encouraged to submit designs for the shelter while attending an architecture conference at the University of Kansas in April.
"If we were to go through the University and have the university architect design the shelter, they would charge a lot more that $1,000," said Alison Beck, architecture senator.
Holly Krebs, transportation coordinator, said the shelters could be built as part of a service learning project for an architecture class next semester. Not only would this mean free labor, Krebs said, but the only cost would be materials, which would keep project under $10,000.
The reward money for the winning design would come from the Senate reserve account, which is used for emergencies. The account has twice the recommended amount, and Senate would like to use the extra money for permanent improvements to campus.
Yet debate centered around the possibility that the cash prize could go to students from schools other than the University of Kansas.
"We think this will increase the participation of students
at our University," Beck said. She said that architecture professors sometimes discouraged students from designing projects not required for their classes.
"Architecture students are incredibly busy with their workloads," Beck said. "You need an incentive to get them to do extracurricular activities."
Moreover, Drew Thompson, Nunemaker senator, said the shelters would not be run-of-the-mill metropolitan bus shelters with smoky glass walls and rectangular features.
"They have to be blended into the surrounding," Thompson said. "It will be something KU students will enjoy."
Lindsey Gaston, liberal arts and sciences senator, said he did not think the money should leave the University.
"I have issues giving $1,000 to students at some other university." Gaston said. "Why couldn't we just run a contest through the University of Kansas?"
Aaron Profitt, University Affairs committee member, echoed Gaston's sentiments.
"It has three sides and a roof and a way out," Profitt said. "I don't think it's the most complicated structure, and I don't think having a plethora of designs is going to help."
Krebs said that if more schools entered designs, the University would have a wider range of styles from which to choose. The entries also could be considered for additional bus shelters. Krebs said.
Designs ultimately would be approved by the administration, but Beck said the money would not be awarded if none of the designs were adequate.
Informational Meeting Feb.28, 5-7p.m.at the Kansas Union
Cintas wants to show you that college has paid off!
Positions available for interns & management trainees
Interviews scheduled at the Business Career Services Center in Summerfield. 8-5 p.m.