STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF THE UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA SINCE 1912 I VOL. 160, NO. 49 I WWW.DAILYTROJAN.COM
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« THE FABULIST’S TALE
THE HOAX; STARRING RICHARD GERE, TELLS THE STORY OF CLIFFORD 7 IRVING, WHO LIED TO HIS PUBLISHER *
LETTERS »
DON'T EXPECT HANDOUTS FROM USC
MONDAY, APRIL 2, 2007<
GABLE’S ABLE »
CJ. GABLE WAS A
BRIGHT'SPOT IN USC'S
FIRST INTRASQUAD SCRIMMAGE OF THE YEAR
Website offers homework help — at a price
Users place bids to answer questions at Student of Fortune. Some say services border on cheating.
By ARIN MIKAILIAN
Daily Trojan
Auction websites have been known to offer everything from designer bags to alleged apparitions of the Virgin Mary on a slice of toast, but one new site’s product is of high demand to college students: homework help.
Shortly after graduating from Occidental College in 2006, Sean McCleese teamed up with a friend to launch the online tutoring site Student of Fortune.
The website, which functions like a cross between eBay and Yahoo! Answers, allows students to submit questions and place a “bounty"
ranging from 25 cents to a few dollars for a correct answer.
Unlike some tutoring websites, the profits go directly to the person who submitted the answer, not hired tutors.
"Every college student is an expert at something," McCleese said. “I think that every student deserves an opportunity to get paid for their expertise.”
McCleese acknowledged that some students might take advantage of the site as a quick way to get answers and turn them in as their own work.
Charles Lanski, a mathematics professor, believes the most effective method of learning should con-
tinue to be done the old-fashioned way.
"The accumulated experience is historically how learning and understanding works,” Lanski said. “Unless you sit down with a paper and pencil, you’re not going to get it. It requires effort and work."
USC Student Judicial Affairs officials believe Student of Fortune’s intentions are not a blatant threat to academic integrity.
“If (students’) purpose was having someone else do their work, that would be viewed as a violation,” said Raquel Torres-Retana, director of Student Judicial Affairs and Community Standards. "But if people are using it as a tutor, then it’s a tutor. It’s the same online as it would be getting help at your neighbors apartment.”
I	see TUTOR, page 3 |
Top dollar | Students pay 25 cents to a few bucks for solutions in more than 300 subject areas on the Students of Fortune website
« Donkey
The Democratic Congress is no ■ less crooked than its Republican predecessor, writes columnist Kip Payne
OPINION. PAGE 4
Motor city or bust»
Columnist Derek Peters heads to Motown and discovers a city in decline
A near perfect bracket»
Rhett Bollinger writes about how his girlfriend has a better bracket on Facebook than you do
SPORTS, PAGE 16
Professor given lifetime award for diversity
National Associate of Minority Hedna Executives honors FeSx Gutberez-
By LAURA DAVIS
Daily Troian
Forty years ago, Felix Gutierrez couldn’t find a job even though he had just graduated from a major journalism school.
"When I got out, it was basically a white profession, a male profession, in terms of the leadership,” Gutierrez said.
Since then, Gutierrez has turned his own misfortune into opportunities for others by working to promote diversity in the media and help up-and-coming journalists break into the field
Last Thursday, the National Associate of Minority Media Executives presented Gutierrez, a journalism professor at USC. with a Lifetime Achievement Award at a ceremony in Washington to honor him for his work to increase diversity in the media.
Since Gutierrez has never had a career as a journalist, he was especially appreciative of the award
“I was pleasantly surprised,” he said. “I appreciate that thev are recognizing someone on the sidelines I thought it was great for them to reach beyond their ranks.”
Gutierrez attended the award ceremony with his wife, daughter and son-in-law
After graduating from Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism in 1967 and later gening his doctorate in communication from Stanford. Gutierrez worked to promote diversity in thc field of journalism “I decided since I couldn't make an impact in thc newsroom I would make an impact on the newsroom," Gutierrez said
Since then, he has been working “to help thc media do what they sh«>ukl be doing anyway — fair coverage accurate coverage, equal employment opportunities for everybody,' he said
Over thc wars, Gutierrez has received awards from other minority groups that aLso aim to diversify thc media, and. he said working with organizations he is not dcmographkallv a part of has been one of his most
I see award page S I
LAPS FOR HOPE | USC Relay for Life raises $109,314
Lumlnaria | A participant walks past a glowing luminary, lit in honor of friends and family who have battled cancer.
LIFESTYLE, PAGE 7