UPDATE: Students Blame Professor’s ‘Laziness’ For Sparking Controversy
httpvh://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pJG7aCQtI8E
Read the full story on this major update in the UCF cheating scandal here.
Prof. tells ABC: Cheating was ‘like a knife through the heart’
The cheating scandal rocking UCF’s College of Business has officially made national network news.
ABC’s Good Morning America sent a correspondent to Orlando to give a live report to anchors George Stephanopoulos and Robin Roberts, who did not hide their outrage over the cheating.
“We’re going to turn to just a maddening story out of Florida,” Stephanopoulos said when setting up the story. “A college professor there says he’s disgusted and disillusioned after he discovered with some detective work that fully one-third of 600 students in his business course had cheated on the midterm — 200 students!”
That’s when Stephanopoulos tossed to ABC news correspondent Yunji de Nies, who appeared live via satellite outside Millican Hall, with the sound of UCF’s iconic Reflecting Pond able to be heard in the background. The biggest new piece of information revealed her report was that 75 percent of the suspected cheaters have come forward through email or by admitting the behavior in person.
Professor Richard Quinn broke his silence on the cheating scandal by giving ABC News his first interview. And if you thought he was exaggerating when he first told his class he was “physically ill, absolutely disgusted” and “completely disillusioned” by their behavior — the interview showed he wasn’t.
“This was just like a knife through the heart,” Quinn said, during an emotional interview with de Nies.
Some students sided with Quinn, and told ABC News there’s no need to send even more unethical people into the business world. But others said Quinn was making a mountain out of a molehill.
RAW VIDEO: QUINN SCOLDING STUDENTS FOR CHEATING
Rumors that a student stole a copy of the test were debunked by a report in the University of Wisconsin’s student newspaper stating a student purchased the exam answers online from the textbook publisher test bank. The Badger Herald quoted UCF Associate Dean of Academic Programs and Technology Taylor Ellis who also said, “There was no breach of security at the school.”
Students commenting on KnightNews.com have suggested it was just a practice test circulated students got on the publisher’s website, but KnightNews.com was unable to reach anyone at the publishing company to find out more details on what exactly was accessed.
A student told ABC News he thought UCF’s so-called cheating scandal had been blown out of proportion.
“This is college, everyone cheats. Everyone cheats in life in general,” the student told ABC News. “I just think you’d be hard pressed to find anyone in this testing lab who hasn’t cheated on an exam. They’re making a witch hunt out of absolutely nothing, as if they want to teach us some sort of moral lesson.”
But de Nies said, “A lesson in morals is precisely what Professor Quinn is hoping his students take away.”
“If they’re going to learn one thing coming out of a university, if they learn nothing else, they’re going to learn dignity and honor and the value of ethics and honesty,” Quinn told ABC News.
When de Nies finished her report, the anchors made it clear they were bothered by the student’s comments on the situation.
“Oh man, that new definition — everyone does it,” Stephanopoulos said, “I couldn’t believe that student!”
Neither could his co-anchor.
“Everyone cheats, everyone cheats in life?” Roberts said. “Maybe he’s meaning people cut corners here and there, but to say it so blatantly, I’m sure his parents…”
Stephanopoulos then interrupted Roberts to share more of his disappointment. “And to suggest it’s all OK!” he said.
Roberts finished up her thoughts on the student opinion by declaring, “That’s a real problem there.”
The segment on one of America’s top-rated morning news shows lasted more than three minutes, and aired across the entire country. The students have until midnight tonight to retake their exams.
KnightNews.com is continuing to follow this major, national story, and will post more updates when we can.
