Fuqua Scandal

Tip of the iceberg phenomenon. Fair to say that more than half of all b-school students cheat in some way or another, just they have been lucky enough not to be caught. This article made headlines simply because it was focused a name brand school. Most readers would care less if a tier two school like BU was accused of a similiar scandal.

That's kind of why I said earlier that I feel sorry for the people that were caught. If this was simply a case of bad luck & bad timing, where they were caught for doing something that goes on everywhere all the time, then they are paying a really heavy price for it - perhaps millions of dollars worth of damage to each individual.

On the other hand, follow-up articles have clearly pointed out that the judicial committee carefully reviewed a series of events, and that their conclusion was definitive. If these students knowingly cheated, then they should be punished accordingly. To me, knowingly cheating in this type of environment is trying to prosper at the expense of fellow classmates - gaining an advantage through cheating means it's more difficult for all those that don't cheat. This type of cheating and profiting at the expense of people that know you and trust you is the most despicable kind.

We don't know the full details. If it was simply bad luck, I feel really bad for them. If it went beyond the acceptable give & take of normal class life (as it seems that it did), then they should be punished and others should heed the example.