Fulfillment still found in the journey

Pressure mounting, deadlines looming and expectations breathingdown your neck … these are the general reasons that spewfrom the mouths of today’s young scholars when asked aboutthe motivation to cheat on an assignment.

Growing up in a capitalist economy in the United States,students may not realize that we are driven by the alluring powerof money.

Superstar athletes wielding multi-million dollar contractsthrough free agency, and the down-up-down-again nature of WallStreet stocks and bonds are two examples of this nation’sfinancial state of mind; which is to get the biggest piece of thepie now before it all disappears.

In a 1996 Newsweek article entitled, “Making theGrade,” professor Kurt Wiesenfeld artfully summarized thedwindling significance of today’s college degreeprograms.

“Though intrinsically worthless, grades, if properlymanipulated, can be traded for what has value: a degree, whichmeans a job, which means money.

The one thing college actually offers — a chance to learn— is considered irrelevant, even less than worthless, becauseof the long hours and hard work required.”

Exemplifying the capitalist mindset, Wiesenfeld suggests that acollege degree is only a ticket to be punched for admittance to the”Wonderful Ride of Profit.”

A hunger for personal enlightenment, and a joy in attaining newperspectives on the world around us seems to be something westudents have lost in today’s million-dollar-a-minutesociety.

Along with the societal pressures that press us to cheat, it isalso human nature to search for the easiest means to an end.

Technological advances such as the Internet have helped toconnect the world and make communication and the sharing ofinformation much easier.

On college campuses today, it is commonplace to find a computerand Internet connection in every student’s dorm room. Withaccess to infinite documents and files of information availableonline, a student can be easily tempted to abuse technology byplagiarizing another’s work.

In the olden days, you had to copy from the book.

Now with the click of a mouse, you can copy and paste.

Today numerous Web sites offer term papers online, available inalmost any subject that is taught.

This seemingly short route to success can be very tempting to acollege student who may at times be overwhelmed by multiple writingassignments, accompanied by exams.

Many will argue that students here at Southern Methodist whoapproach their class work with an entrepreneurial mindset mayultimately have the bigger picture in mind for themselves, which isto use their college education as a stepping-stone into aprofitable future.

However, the pressure that pushes students to use the latestquick-fix scheme on the Internet will ultimately come back to hauntemployers down the road.

A diploma that is acquired dishonestly breeds a lifelong cycleof misrepresentation. It diminishes the value of an honestly earneddegree.

It deceives future employers who measure a prospectiveemployee’s worth by the knowledge and abilities that his orher grades and degree imply.

It further deceives an unsuspecting public that relies on thestandards that are represented by a collegiate diploma.

Deterioration of the economic structure will be the ultimatedownfall of our society if a college degree is no longer trustedand respected by an employer.

While many may feel that the honesty and integrity of ournation’s higher education system is falling rapidly, thereare solutions available that, if applied now, will over time helpto reroute the mindset of future generations.

The initiative for change should be student driven rather thanimposed by authority figures such as teachers, because young peoplefeel more at ease discussing problems with their peers.

For example, an experiment on peer influence in Des Moines, Iowais being used to promote better moral behavior among elementaryschool kids.

College students from Drake University were trained 60 hoursover the summer to use group exercises and discussions amongstudents to reverse the culture of cheating at the K-5 level.

This is a great example of how students right here at SouthernMethodist can use their time to participate in an outside activitythat will help to both build their resume and give back to thecommunity.

Cheating in college and high school will be difficult toeradicate without some patience.

Societal pressure to have a successful career and thetechnological temptation to find an easy route to success are heavyweights that cannot be easily lifted off the collective shouldersof America’s scholarly body.

But when equipped early on, moral education programs that areimplemented into America’s youth will replace the cheatingmindset with one of noble principle.

We students must take the initiative now, not only with our ownscholarly practices but with tomorrow’s cheaters as well.

Your children will thank you for it.