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Focus
Can cheating pay? Students say yes
BY LARKY TUCK
Senior Staff Writer
“It is assumed that students will conduct themselves maturely during a?) examination.”
—USC Faculty Handbook
“Our students are much more competitive today...
“That raises some suspicions, at least in my mind, that there is at least increased temptation to cheat."
-James Appleton, quoted in the Los Artgeles Times. June 26. 1974
“Those who can, do.”
—A student
More than half the students questioned in a Daily Trojan survey said they had cheated at least once since coming to the university.
Faculty and administrators, while aware that cheating goes on. seem to have no idea of the magnitude ofthe problem All they can be sure of is that many cheaters go uncaught, and many who are caught are never reported to the administration.
Robert L. Mannes. dean for student life, is supposed to get a report on even- action taken by a faculty member in a case of cheating. He received a dozen «ueh reports last year.
-JTa nnes said that the 12 reports were the most he
had gotten in the five years he has had his job.
Of the 108 undergraduates surveyed, 62 said they had cheated in college. Another 31 said they had cheated in high : chool, but had stopped since.
But 12 who did not cheat in high school started when they reached the university. Only 14 said they had never cheated in school.
“Of course I cheat,” said a freshman in business. “This place is every man for himself, so if you get the A, you deserve it. It’s dog eat dog.”
Scott Fraser, professor of psychology, used the same words—dog eat dog—to describe the cutthroat attitude of getting grades by any means. He
sees this as a reflection ofthe morality ofthe world outside the university.
“In the day-to-day world, certain forms of cheating are not only tolerated, but condoned—cheating on income taxes, for instance.” he said.
“In the academic world, we like to think there should be higher standards.”
Students seem to be more pragmatic. Even among those who do not cheat, few claim any moral repug-
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Viet family won’t live at USC as planned
BY STEVEN HAWKINS
Staff Writer
The family of four Vietnamese refugee's originally expected to come to the university two weeks ago has been routed to Arkansas and will not seek temporary accommodations in university housing, said the alumnus who made the arrangements.
Alan Wondra, a 1965 graduate, said the family was flown to Fort Chaffee. Arkansas. rather than to a local Marine base as he had believed.
Wondra joined the refugees in Arkansas for the weekend to offer his assistance in their transition to American society. He said the Catholic Church is now helping with the family's plans and would try to secure a farm somewhere in the United States for them.
The readjustment to a farm would be easier than a transition to city life,
Wondra said, despite the family’s urban lifestyle in South Vietman. Wondra said he believes the father was a supply manager at a warehouse.
He has known the family since 1967, when he served in the Infantry’s civil affairs division in South Vietnam. He said they were very devout Roman Catholics.
The four refugees originally expected at the university—father, mother, daughter and teenaged son—were traveling with six other family members. Wondra arranged for the other six to stay at the homes of people in the Los Angeles area.
The four were to be housed in two apartments in the Married Student Housing Complex until Wondra could secure a place for all 10 members to live together.
The 26-year-old daughter worked with the U.S. Embassy in Saigon and is fluent in English, said Jerry E. Wulk, executive
director of the Office for International Students and Scholars.
The accommodations here were arranged after Wondra, a Los Angeles County deputy probation officer, contacted Chancellor Norman Topping and asked for the university’s assistance in temporarily housing the family.
The family was flown out of South Vietnam into Guam, and was to have been flown to El Toro, a local Marine base. From there, the family was to have been transferred to Camp Pendleton, where Wondra would have met them and brought them to the university.
At one time, he was concerned that the family would be flown to the wrong location, but later believed he had ensured their arrival here when he made definite arrangements for their flight.
Topping attributed the confusion in the
airlifts to the state of affairs in South Vietnam.
In the event of recrimination by the Communists, Wondra said the family would have faced harm because of the daughter’s employment in the U. S. Embassy.
Despite Wondra’s arrangements, the family was mistakenly flown to Arkansas.
“In any event, we appreciate the kindness of the university, including Dr. Topping and Dr. Wulk. for offering us the use ofthe facilities,” Wondra said. “I want to thank everybody for offering help when it looked like we needed it.”
He also thanked Arnold McMahon, chairman ofthe Married Student Housing committee, and those married students who had planned to greet the refugee family and make their stay in the complex more comfortable.
Interfraternity Council president works to improve Row unity
University of Southern California
Volume LXVII, Number 127	Los Angeles, California	Tuesday, May 13, 1975
Nietsehmann considers his job as IFC president to be integrally related to life on the Row.
“IFC should work to improve the lifestyle and unite the fraternities,” he said, implying that both these areas have been neglected by past IFCs.
“Past IFCs have not been effective,” he said. “There are only five officers and they cannot possibly do all the work required.”
Nietsehmann, his two vice-presidents, a secretary and a treasurer, were elected in February by a representative from each of the fraternities. He will serve as president until next February’.
During the two months since his election in February, Nietsehmann said his job has been strenuous He has had to establish an organizational plan and see that it is carried out—no small matter when usually only eight out of the 28 fraternities even show up for an IFC meeting.
But Nietsehmann said attitudes have changed since he became president.
"There used to be apathy on the Row about IFC. and, consequently, it didn't play a big part in the organization,” he admitted. "But now we have at least 20 houses represented at the meetings, the larger houses are getting increasingly involved, and we meet every two or three weeks, compared to every six or eight weeks before I took over.”
The first test of the new leadership was USCaleidoseope, Nietsehmann said, and he thinks “we demonstrated that we could be effective and achieve our goals.”
“Last year there were no special provisions made to show parents and prospective students the Row during USCaleidoseope, and, consequently,
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Daily
Trojan
PLANTS, ANYONE?—All types of houseplants were being sold Monday in front of Tommy Trojan by Sherry Stern, a junior in journalism. The plant sale will continue today from 10:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. The sale is being sponsored by Sigma Delta Chi, the society of professional journalists. DT photo by Shuji Ito.
BY DOROTHY REINHOLD
Bill Nietsehmann sits quietly speaking, leaning forward occasionally to emphasize a point, gesturing with a flip of his open hand. His conversation is full of talk about goals and purposes, structures and policies—hardly befitting the image most people expect of a “fraternity man.”
But Nietsehmann, a 23-year-old economics major, is the president ofthe Interfraternity Council. and it is this fraternity man image that he is most adamant about.
“The Greeks feel people are guilty of stereotyping them. If people really want to see what Row life is about, they should come to the Row during the week when everyone is studying and leading a pretty normal life, not on Thursday nights when the parties start," he said.
Nietsehmann reacts strongly to any implication that the How is “all white" or promotes racist policies.
“1 know many people complain that there are very few blacks on the Row, but I know ol no chapter with a racist policy of not admitting or rushing blacks or any other minority,” he said.
“In fact, IFC is endorsing Kappa Alpha Psi—a black fraternity—to move on to the Row from their house on Crenshaw Boulevard.
“Anti Row sentiment is unfair. I think 99*r ofthe people could find a place for themselves on the Row—there is that much diversity. Although there are characteristics that might preclude people from living on the Row—such as not wanting to cooperate, live or work together—that is pretty much a personal problem and shouldn’t be seen as a reflection on Row life," he said.