Dartmouth College has charged 64 students accused of cheating in a sports ethics class with violating the Ivy League school’s honor code.
Rob Wolfe has been reporting on this story for the Valley News and he joins Morning Edition to talk about what we know so far.
So what exactly are the 64 students accused of doing?
They’re accused by their professor Randall Balmer, the department of religion chairman. He says they have misrepresented their attendance in class using these electronic devices called “clickers.” Basically, they’re used to answer questions in class. He says some of his students passed them off to other students who clicked in for them.
And what do we know about what action the school has taken against the students?
The school is staying mum for the moment, mostly because the appeals process doesn’t end until the middle of this month. Balmer says his understanding is that most of them have been suspended for a term.
As you reported, many of the students involved are varsity athletes. Have we heard anything about whether this will affect their involvement in the school’s athletic program?
We haven’t yet heard about that yet, no. A spokesman for the athletic department couldn’t be reached for comment for the article.
Can you talk more about this sports ethics class? Are you’ve reported, this course was designed specifically to help student athletes who’ve struggled with Dartmouth coursework.
Do you get these sense there are larger concerns here that student athletes are getting any kind of special treatment?
I don’t know about special treatment. The class, as professor Balmer described it essentially, describes the intersection of sports, ethics, and religion from the beginning of Western or world civilization. More largely, at the college I’ve heard students express concerns about athletes and academics, but there’s certainly a wide range of opinions.
So what happens next? What else are you hoping to learn?
At this point, we’re waiting until this appeals process ends and until the college has an official comment on what sanctions if any they’ve handed down.
