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About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (Nov. 30, 1978)
Need a term paper made to order? (Continued from Page 1) from number 13232: the Hand kerchief as a Symbolic Fabric in Othello, to number 10616: Due Process and Miranda v. Arizona. Each entry has with it a description of the paper s dis coveries. For example, number 845 ‘‘finds that, in deed, we are all waiting for Godot." Number 958 ‘‘Demon strates that what we call de viant behavior is seldom in and of itself pathological, but simply conflicts with the current societal view of what is nor mal.” Seasoned students will recognize half their education in the catalogue. At $3 per page, the papers offer a cheap alternative to conventional education. Some, however, consider it unethical. Students at the Uni versity caught buying Pacific Research papers face an F in the course, and punishment for plagiarism if the case is refer red to the student conduct committee. To ease the student’s conscience the organization's - catalogue puts up an ethical defense for prepackaged edu cation: “More today than ever before,” it says, “time is of the essence in getting the most out of your college education, not to mention the real learning experiences offered by extra curricular college life. "Sure learning takes time. But like many students, you may be wasting much of your time learning how to learn. We at Pacific Research under stand the research and writing end of the academic process and would like to pass the be nefits of this understanding on to you.” The company’s success, nevertheless, depends on sec recy. Pacific Research owners refuse to make public com ment and the company limits most of its contact with cus tomers to the mail. Only bulle tin board and newspaper read ers can crack its files, by mail ing in a coupon. The secrecy policy seems to be working. Though depart ment heads in psychology, lit erature, political science, math, sociology, history and geology claim they have heard of the term paper market, only one department head has ever seen a catalogue, and no stu dent has ever been caught passing a commercial term paper. “Don’t think I haven’t thought of it,” says George Wicks, English department head. “I don’t think they could get away with it. Generally stu dents who do this sort of thing are desperate and not smart.” The English department has had no complaints about the service. Wicks admits the lack of evidence may mean students are getting away with it. "I’d like to see a catalogue, he says. Department heads in sociology, psychology, and the business school admit Pacific Research papers might pass as student originals, though they have no evidence of ac tual attempts. "These com panies are not run by stupes,” says sociology department Head Ben Johnson. “They get people to write these papers who know what they’re doing.” History Department Head Robert Lang takes precautions Graphic by Tom Ettel in his own classes against the use of file papers. "In my clas ses the use of this kind of paper is precluded by the nature of the assignment,” he says. "I work with the student. I require a bibliography and I have a close discussion with the stu dent about the books. I expect to see several drafts of the work, and I have the student discuss the topic orally in vari ous ways.” This practice is not a department policy, he says. John Orbell, political sci ence department head be came suspicious enough two years ago to send in a coupon. He copied the list of paper of ferings, and circulated it in the department. “They had the nerve to put one of their adver tisements up on our bulletin board,” he says. “I gave copies of it to the other professors, but I’ve never head of a student using one of the papers. ” His real concern lies with the paid killers of the research world, ghost writers. For $9.50 a page Pacific Research will create a paper from scratch, by turning the assignment over to a staff writer. “It would be im possible to discover whether or not a paper was commis sioned,” he says. The student conduct committee has had no cases of students accused of buying stock papers. “I don't recall any instances of it,” says Mildred Roveck, committee head. "But dependent on the complaint system. If students use the papers and professors don't pick it up, there’s nothing we can do. ” Food Service he Skylight] & Century Rooms RUHR * Cottage Cheese with Chopped Green Onions, Sliced Tomatoes and Alfalfa Sprouts on Rye * Peanut Butter, Sliced Banana and Coconut on Raisin Bread * Cheddar Cheese, Sliced Tomatoes and Alfalfa Sprouts on Carroway Rye Bread * Cream Cheese, with Sliced Green Onions, freshly sliced Mushroom, Cucumbers, Alfalfa Sprouts on Carroway Rye Bread K OR CREATE YOUR OWN FRESH SALAD PLATE FROM THE SALAD BAR, CHOICE OF DRESSING ^__ FOOSBALL TOURNAMENT sd™Nd TOO AY OPEN DIVISION A WLdr il A TWO DIVISIONS OPEN — ENTRY $2.00 NOVICE — ENTRY 50c NOVICE DIVISION — 5:30 pm OPEN DIVISION — 6:00 pm double elimination - ✓
