Kuklick has history with with cheaters in 451

It seems like deja vu. Last year, through a combination of creativity, persistence, and burning the midnight oil, History professor Bruce Kuklick discovered that nine students cheated in his History 451 class, by submitting exact duplicates of certain take home exam questions. During this past semester's 451 class, at least one pair of students again submitted a identical responses to an essay question on an exam. Judicial Inquiry Officer Constance Goodman announced last week that a similar incident by a pair of students was discovered again this year in the same class. The students apparently again handed in duplicate tests, and were discovered in a similar manner. The take home final exam for War and Diplomacy asked each student to answer two questions with each response being five to six typed pages. And again, a teaching assistant noticed that in several of the submitted exams, the typeface varied from one question to the next. "All exams with different typefaces were reviewed," Goodman said Monday. "It was discovered . . . that two students answers to one question were identical." Goodman added that the teaching assistants are still in the process of reviewing all of the exams. Last spring, after five months of investigation, a similar case resulted in 10 students being charged with cheating. Nine received Fs in the course. Five of them were suspended. One student had his diploma withheld and one was cleared. History Professor Bruce Kuklick said last year that the cheating incident in his class "embarrassed and even humiliated" him. Students in Kuklick's class this semester said that Kuklick made it clear that he would not tolerate cheating. "We even had to turn in rough drafts for our research paper," College sophomore Jason Stanard said. "[It was due to]what happened last year." Goodman also said that Kuklick had warned his students that cheating was unacceptable. "I am aware that Professor Kuklick gave the class ample warning regarding any cheating," Goodman said. "Due to his turmoil and dissappointment over last year's case." Kuklick declined to comment this week on the incident since the investigation is still underway. "I've heard . . . that kids think it is a joke to cheat," Goodman said last year. "Somehow we have to change the culture here and have the students buy into the idea that cheating is wrong. We are intent on stopping cheating at Penn." Goodman also said last year that she understands the academic pressures that are placed on students at the University, but rather than cheat, students should seek help from relevant University resources, like the Tutoring Center. In the released confessions of the students last year, all said they were sorry for what they had done and that they would never do it again. All of the students said that they were under academic and personal pressure. "I was looking for the easy way out," wrote one student. "I got overwhelmed by all the work I had to do and couldn't see past it." Staff writer Christine Lutton contributed to this story.

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