cheating fuquans part ii

ok, i hear the argument for zero tolerance on cheating. part of me likes that policy, especially since the PR spin could be gorgeous. but what about the other side?

my roommate employs a brilliant consulting technique which has a name that escapes me right now. it's really simple though, you just keep asking why. i think the magic number is asking why 5 times. perhaps the name is the "5-why technique". consultants are so brilliant.

here goes:
1. WHY do people cheat?
--because they are afraid of failing.

2. WHY are they afraid of failing?
--because they have been moderately successful their whole lives so when put in a difficult situation, they choose to succeed at all costs instead of flirt with failure.

3. WHY do they want to succeed at all costs?
--because they feel a sense of entitlement to the degree.

4. WHY do they feel a sense of entitlement to the degree?
-- because they were admitted to the program.

5. WHY were they admitted to the program?
--to give them a degree.

a ha. you see it? i worked hard to make it work out this way, because as i've learned in this little exercise, the 5-why technique can end up with any conclusion, however absurd it may be.

let's assume that from day one, you walk in and think the program is going to give you a degree. it doesn't matter what you do throughout the 2 years. you saw the comment in the previous post: everybody passes. why *wouldn't* you feel entitled to the degree if you were admitted?

i'd be curious to hear what people think about whether you EARNED your degree or if you just finished a curriculum and were GIVEN a degree. there's a subtle difference but changes the entire attitude you would take.

if you had to EARN your degree, would you let anyone cheat off you? conversely, if you knew everyone was going to pass regardless, would you help someone out in the spirit of team fuqua?

Cheating Fuquans

Saturday night found me at a really nice, outdoor deck party on Houston and 6th Avenue. With booze flowing freely, insecurity about my own deck in the Village started to creep into my subconscious. We don't have a trelice. Nor do we have the nice wooden furniture or cool elegant lighting. Or plants for that matter.

Just as I was spiraling into despair, a classmate hits me with this serious text message:
"34 Fuquans caught cheating on decision models. on abc.com. Sucks."

I can't find the abc.com article, but here's the local Raleigh report. Would love to hear other thoughts out there.

Some notable commentary from email chains I've seen:
"People have been pretty down on the ‘08s this year for a variety of reasons, which is probably a longer conversation. But my thought is that theirs is just the class that got caught doing something that in one form or another happens year-in and year-out." --current '07 student

"Did they miss the part of orientation where they explain that everyone passes and grades don't matter?" --'04 alumna

"I’ve long suspected various groups of walking on the Honor Code when no one’s looking. My understanding is that this sting struck deep within one particular community of international students, but that’s not been in any way confirmed." --current '08 student

"J.B. Fuqua rolling in his grave..." --'06 alumna

"I have no idea why people still try to do this….of course that might be because for all the one’s that get caught many get away with it." --'05 alumna

Incidentally, Decision Models is going to become an elective next year. Which brings up a whole slew of follow-on questions. At the top of my list is: how are future students going to project the number of attendees at a wedding without the knowledge of crystal ball? and a close second: without the power of excel solver, how will future Fuqua summer interns differentiate themselves?

soundtrack to my life

i feel like i'm on the outside of this technology-driven music consumption revolution that's taking place. you know, the same "technology-driven music consumption revolution" you've been reading about and experiencing over the past 5 years. or as most simply recognize it as the ipod era.

with all the new ways to purchase or otherwise acquire new and old music, as well as the technology available to listen and consume at any time (car, workout, shower, killing kittens or not killing kittens as the case may or may not be, etc.), i have sat on the sidelines watching musical obsessions flourish amongst my contemporaries. being in nyc, with all the live music options, has further highlighted my disinterest. i guess it can be summed up in one statement:

music is not very important to me.

i know that's hard to believe, given that i'm a charter member of the NKCDOTMC. i mean i'm interested in downloading albums and listening to new music as a primary activity, but music as a secondary, constant activity is not up my alley. i never cruise around the city with my ipod. my phone, which is also an mp3 player, has exactly 0 songs downloaded on it. even on my longer workouts, i don't really listen to music.

it seems that the world falls into two categories when it comes to music: those that want a soundtrack to life and those who don't. i definitely fall into the latter. i mean, a soundtrack to my life would be a cool little add-on feature, but i am equally entertained with the noise or silence of my surroundings, whether that's honking horns and cell-phone conversations or chirping crickets and the hooting of owls.

for those in the former category, i am quite jealous. there has been a massive buildout of technology to help you achieve your desire and enable your consumption. you can always access your soundtrack.

but alas, for me, my soundtrack will remain filled with the normal everyday cacophony.

Holding back

An interesting conversation yesterday on the golf course: What do you think about when you are having sex and you don't want to climax?

Midnight was out with me and he and I had the same answer, which is strange, to say the least. We both think about our respective home sports teams and their starting lineups back in the late 80's/early 90's. For me, that's the Run TMC version of the Golden State Warriors and also the Will Clark/Robby Thompson era of the SF Giants.

Our other friend Nasty made a funny point. Apparently I've had this conversation with him as well, and he said that if he starts using my methodology and thinking about Timmy Hardaway, Mitch Richmond and Chris Mullin, then he inevitably starts thinking about me. Gross.

What do you think about when you are holding back?