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btentortan
Vol. X1^ No. 3
The North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics
March.!, 1996
Around
THE
World
...and back
Compiled by Maryellen Corbett
■The court-appointed attorney for
the accused assassin of Yitzhak
Rabin quit after one day on the
case. Avraham Pachter quit, saying
that his client was only using the
trial to express his militant views.
■A fire on January 29 claimed
Italy's La Fenice Opera House. The
opera house was a 204-year-old
structure and one of Italy's great
est artistic institutions.
■John E. du Pont was apprehended
outside his mansion after a two-day
standoff with police. Du Pont, an
heir to the chemical company for
tune, was accused of killing Olym
pic wrestler Dave Schultz. Schultz
coached the wrestling team that du
Pont formed and sponsored.
IWhey, best known from the tale
about Little Miss Muffet, may pre
vent carriers of the AIDS virus
from infecting others during inter
course. If tests continue to go well,
a midified version may be put in a
cream or foam. Whey is produced
when milk is made into cheese.
Academic honesty put to the test
Adam Tarleton
Staff Writer
The NCSSM Student Gov
ernment, in cooperation with
Special Programs, Institu
tional Research and Evalua
tion (SPIRE), recently con
ducted a survey regarding
academic honesty. Over 450
students participated in the
survey, according to SGA's
results. The survey reported
48.3% of Science and Math
students admitted to doing
“anything while at NCSSM
[that could be regarded by a
teacher] as cheating.”
The most common type of
cheating at NCSSM is asking
someone to reveal what ques
tions were on a test, accord
ing to survey results. Of the
students surveyed, 43.6% ad
mitted to asking about test
questions. The least frequent
types of cheating are taking
answers from someone else
during a test and plagiarizing.
Only 8.9% had taken answers
during a test, and 10.0% ad
mitted to plagiarism.
Sally Adkin, director of
SPIRE noted that reasonable
assignments, enforcing penal
ties for cheating, and varying
tests were the most frequent
suggestions for what teachers
can do to encourage honesty.
Adkin added that an honor
INSIDE This issue
♦ Two opinions on the issue of a
smoke-free campus, page 2.
♦ Altem^ves to college after
graduation, page4.
David Bediz
Sfudertts slide a Ml in the Reynolds 1C baby pod. Has
year's snomtoms dumped tmotypeopk*6 plans. Story p. 6.
code has been discussed fof
years by NCSSM administration
and trustees. "Last year SGA
discussed the idea of an honor
code but dismissed a recommen
dation that Student Government
suggest one to the Board of
Trustees," said Jody Smith of
SGA.
The NCSSM Board of Trust
ees challenged the Executive
Committee of the SGA to con
duct a survey to study the aca
demic integrity of NCSSM stu
dents said Sally Adkin of
SPIRE. This survey could affect
the possible implementation of
an NCSSM honor code in the
future.
An honor code implies not
only that the act of cheating is
grounds for dismissal, but also
that knowledge of cheating
without notifying authorities
could be punishable by expul
sion.
“This school needs an honor
code that is included on every
NCSSM application from now
"This school needs an
honor code that is
included on every
NCSSM application
from now on."
—anonyous response
to academic honesty
survey
on,” wrote one student sur
veyed.
The NCSSM student
handbook’s description of aca
demic honesty states that “stu
dents are expected to act in an
ethical and honorable manner at
all times.” Teachers are ex
pected to discuss any incidences
of possible cheating with the
student or students involved.
Also, “the teacher is the final
authority on what does or does
not constitute cheating in a spe
cific class.”
According to some students.
Glaxo donates $1 million
for outreach program
Rajesh Swamimthan
News Editor
Glaxo company is currently
funding a project with NCSSM
known as Winners II. This
project provides the school with
$1 million to finance a pilot
project in science with East
Wake High School.
Winners II, headed by teach
ers Myra Halpin, Chuck Roser,
and Angelina Winborne, began
July 1, 1995 and will last for
three years. Some equipment
that was purchased included a
class set of computers, CBLs,
and calculators.
Halpin, Roser, and Winborne
go to East Wake on Tuesdays
and Thursdays to teach the fac
ulty how to use the equipment.
They also work with the stu
dents and modify some of
NCSSM's labs for their use.
In 1992, Glaxo Inc. initiated
Winners I, also a three-year pro
gram. Marilyn Link, Hugh
Haskell, and Sarah Allen were
in charge of that project. Win
ners I provided NCSSM with
$750,000 which was spent on
the two middle schools that feed
into East Wake. The goals were
similar to the ones set by Win
ners II. The first objective was
to increase laboratory equip
ment, and the second was to in
corporate more laboratory expe
rience into classrooms.
"The Glaxo foundation has
always been generous to schools
and museums," said Link. The
company is funding pilot efforts
to increase the quality of sci
ence education by establishing
special projects like Winners I
and II. Glaxo has also funded
the NCSSM student oriented-re-
search program.
The teachers at schools
served by Winners I and II have
significantly changed their
teaching styles to encompass the
use of equipment and labora
tory. The students are also en
joying class and are learning
much more in the process, said
Link.
this creates a problem. “It seems
as if the majority of the students
do not see eye to eye with the
teachers regarding what is and
is not academic dishonesty,”
wrote one student, in response
to the question of what NCSSM
teachers can do to discourage
cheating in their classes.
SGA reported that 26.7% of
students surveyed said that
teachers can do nothing to de
ter cheating. "Teachers can do
nothing; it all comes down to
the student,” wrote another.
When asked what students
can do to promote academic
honesty, 20.2% responded that
students cannot do anything to
prevent cheating. 18.8% said
that self-regulation is the best
way to deter academic dishon
esty.
This was not the first survey
on academic honesty conducted
at NCSSM. The original was tal
lied in December 1993, and 63%
admitted to some form of cheat
ing said Smith.
Staff member
suspended,
reinstated
Monica Dev
News Editor
An NCSSM staff member
was suspended from his position
and then reinstated due to an al
leged conflict with an NCSSM
student.
Coach Lamar Shannon
was suspended from his
duties as Recreation Special
ist on Thursday, January 18.
He was suspended with pay
and was reinstated January
30. The suspension was due
to an alleged conflict with a
student on the indoor soccer
team.
The alleged conflict occurred
on January 18 in the PEC during
soccer practice. Investigation of
this incident has not yet been con
cluded. Dr. Joan Barber, Direc
tor of Student Life, said that the
administration conducted “a fair
investigation to the best of (its)
abilities.” She stated further that
all parties involved would receive
“appropriate consequences.”