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Discuss “Stockpiles stir concern”
In various locations on campus, there exist the Holy Grails of study resources: organized files of old exams, papers, notes, and homework.
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Comments
Nov 11, 2008 at 12:57 AM
Professors who don't want their tests shared should change up the tests they give. Simple.
Nov 11, 2008 at 01:13 AM
If non-Greek students want to have access to Greek scholarship rooms, all they have to do is ask. Those materials are not behind a locked door; they are free for anyone to use so long as they are a brother/sister or have requested permission to be in the house.
Nov 11, 2008 at 01:16 AM
I'm sorry, what was the point of this article?
/sarcasm Wow, excellent journalistic skills.
Nov 11, 2008 at 01:33 AM
"The files are behind the locked doors of some Greek housing facilities"
locked doors? wrong. i agree with greek person. ask and you shall receive.
Nov 11, 2008 at 01:44 AM
1. Who cares?
2. I know plenty of non-Greeks who pass down course materials to underclassmen.
3. This is just students being resourceful. It is not difficult to get a hold of past course material. This is not a Greek specific phenomena.
Nov 11, 2008 at 01:45 AM
1. Who cares?
2. I know plenty of non-Greeks who pass down course materials to underclassmen.
3. This is just students being resourceful. It is not difficult to get a hold of past course material. This is not a Greek specific phenomena.
Nov 11, 2008 at 01:47 AM
So it seems like the tartan is again scraping the bottom of the barrel for interesting stories. Blaming greek organizations for a perfectly legitimate practice is really an effective way to gain support and readership .
The tone of your article starts in an accusatory/muckraker tone towards greek organizations only to move on to numerous faculty and staff quoted as saying this is a completely acceptable practice, if not encouraged!
Then you mention that the UNIVERSITY ITSELF keeps exams, and Case Western is planning on doing so as well. You ALSO mention that only 144 students replied to the survey on Case Western's campus, CLEARLY a hot-bed issue there (as well as here).
I think you should consider learning some journalistic tact as well as finding and researching a story students care about. Next time you want to scapegoat a group of people on campus, pick one that doesn't have a higher GPA than the rest of campus. As a Greek alumni, I can assure you that picking on the Greek community - the most involved, talented group of leaders on campus - will only lead to decreased respect and readership of the Tartan.
Nov 11, 2008 at 01:59 AM
Fact: Greeks are 18% of the CMU population
Fact: This article falsely accuses all Greeks of having poor academic integrity
Possibility: You may have just lost a significant portion of your readers.
Nov 11, 2008 at 02:32 PM
Fact: It rocks
Possibility: When are the Pulitzer nominations?
Nov 11, 2008 at 04:38 PM
What is knetwit.com if not a digital version of CMARC and Greek scholarship closets? No one is at a particular advantage or disadvantage. There is no story here. Get over yourself.
Nov 11, 2008 at 05:09 PM
Fact: All those who have responded negatively to it, clearly cannot read and didn't grasp anything said in the article.
Fact: Your negative, caveman comments look dumb next to the well written piece of journalism.
Possibility: The author is the bomb dot com?
Nov 11, 2008 at 07:37 PM
*grunt* me not understand what "concern" is stirred by stockpiles. no know who feel concern. why concern? where concern?
(translation: the person who seems most concerned about these so called stockpiles is Kelly Cahill. Maybe Dean Tucker as well, but the only concern he seems to express is that professors will have to "communicate their expectations to their students in writing via their syllabi and orally during their class meeting(s).” Holly Hippensteel essentially said that she sees no reason to be opposed. Other professors even said that people with access to old materials may find themselves studying the wrong things. Cahill said herself that Carnegie Mellon has something very similar to, and probably more extensive than, the Greeks' so-called stockpiles. And Brian Correia, are you interested in seeing what the fraternities and sororities may have to offer you? Because, seriously, you are more than welcome.)
Nov 12, 2008 at 11:22 AM
greek person and frat guy: that's simply not true (or at least, not true across the board. perhaps you'd name the organization that will share freely with anybody?) during my time at CMU, as a nongreek student, i've been denied access to "study materials" including old tests at multiple fraternities when studying with friends (who were brothers), including pika and sig ep. I also was allowed to see a test by a DG sister that said "these tests are only for DG's so don't tell anyone i let you copy it".
Disgruntled alumni: perhaps not that great of an argument to say that greeks have higher GPA's that all other groups when you're trying to refute that greeks have a studying advantage... just saying...
the definition of news includes "newsworthy material, and "new information of any kind". in light of Case Western's recent changes, this article IS NEWS.
interesting that of the disgruntled comments, pretty much every single one is from a greek that already HAS the advantage. who knew paying for friends could make school easier too.
and SHOCKINGLY if you actually read the article through, you'll notice that although presented in a fashion that notes this advantage to greeks, the article implicates carnegie mellon's need to have a cohesive system, not the greeks (who seem so quick to react against this news "breaking" that perhaps they feel a bit of guilt?)
perhaps the proper reaction from the greek systems would be to come forward with their stockpiles, and work with the school administration to offer something similar to case western's... unless, of course you DON'T want to share with everyone, and DO in fact, like to keep your stockpiles as a benefit to paying members only.
Nov 12, 2008 at 12:44 PM
non-disgruntled alum, what about chill out's point that "stock piling" happens within majors? that seems pretty non-Greek specific to me.
also, as a member of a sorority, I have never found any use of the old materials we have in our study room because none of it has related to my classes. I have found that the most common use of our old materials is a library. rather than buy expensive text books, sisters simply borrow from the study room.
and with regards to sharing with non-Greeks, I have seen plenty of non-Greeks using our materials, some by my own invitation.
Nov 12, 2008 at 12:50 PM
my friend was told that the article was simply about Greeks and scholarship. so my friend talked about tutoring programs, study hours, and quiet spaces. nothing was mentioned about "stockpiling." i find it interesting that her interview wasn't included at all in this article.
Nov 12, 2008 at 04:07 PM
so i gave my notes from kleppernomics to my house's scholarship room. who cares? it's not like i had anything better to do with them.
Nov 17, 2008 at 01:31 AM
So what if we do stockpile? Just because we have a general idea of what the next test is going to be doesn't necessarily imply that we have the knowledge to retain that information. And another thing, what kind of credentials does this Cahill have? Sounds like another sexually repressed CMU student with too much time on her hands. If they want to stop us from stockpiling I have a few words for them: From Our Cold Dead Hands. What's next? No date rape?