What should I have done?

[slippers 3,168]

I had a biology lab exam yesterday and my lab partner blatantly tried to copy it from me. I quickly covered it with my left side of my body and arm to cover it as best as I can, hoping I didn't make it too obvious. I was a bit furious because I had emailed him the things that might be covered in that exam a few days ago, sacrificing my time to study doing a favor for him because he had asked me to email those. I'm guessing he didn't studied and I'm thinking I could get in trouble if the professor spot us him copying me.

So I've tought about several excuses that I could come up with incase he decides to accuse or blame me about this situation next time we see each other in class. While I was thinking about the excuses, I also remembered that on that same day that morning I let the other guy in my religion class to copy my hometake exam because he was absent before. The only reason I let him copy mine was because he helped me on the other exam. Then I thought my lab partner, although not as a big helper to me in the lab, he did helped me out several times and I feel like an asshole for not letting him copy it from me.

It isn't that simple and here's why I feel kinda guilty now. First, my lab partner was also absent (makes me a hypocrite to some degree for not sharing - although it isn't my obligation to do so) - because his girl was in the emergency room and he had to be absent for a week. She has some genetic disorder that causes problems in her throat that she has to battle for her lifetime. For his excuse, I guess he didn't really had the time to study for the daily quizes on the chapters that we have to go through each class time, and, of course, he missed a 2 day worth of labs, which is a lot because we have to take test over it. Secondly, our Bio Professor gave us a progress report on the same day that we took our Bio exam. He is barely hanging on by passing grade of 0.7% and you can say I was his only hope to cling on.

But she, the Bio Prof., had given us the opportunity to do a health related project which can boost up your grade up to 4 points, which my lab partner decides not to do, which was due - you guessed it - yesterday, and which I came to conclusion that he is somewhat lazy besides the unfortunate circumstaances he has to go through. But the dude in my religion class seemed to be lazy also. This is complicated situation because I don't know things about me that makes people copy me. A Professor in my religion class is nice and kinda old so he doesn't notice when someone tries to cheat because I cheat on that religion class almost daily due to impossible daily quizzes (everyone does that in that class rotfl) but not on taking exams in class.

I'll add that hometake exams is worth 5% of your grade in religious class and other major exams are worth 10%, which I guard the answers like I did with the lab exam yesterday. So my point is..what kind of excuse should I come up with that doesn't make me look like an asshole or hypocrite? I know my lab partner had no right to do what he did today, but I don't want him to think I'm the reason he will be failing because of me either. The withdrawing class is this Friday and I think he might be..I'm not sure. Other excuse I can think of is to pretend nothing ever happened and that my action speaks for itself so that he would not dare to try this again. I would still have not let him copy my lab exam because I didn't wanted to get caught doing so if the same event happened all over again, at the same time I'm semi-worried that he'll not help me during the lab because I want to slack off during the lab (because it's complicated and usually those materials are NOt on the fucking lab exams, as I confirmed it for hours of meaningless studies for yesterday's exam and prior to that exam) and all I want to do is copy others for a free completion lab grades.

I'd appreciate your insight on this.

[Dubird 6,815]

Letting someone copy homework because they were sick (or absent due to serious reasons) is one thing. I wouldn't do it except every once in a while, else they'll get to thinking they can mooch off you, but helping someone out like that, I don't see anything wrong with. Letting them copy your exam, espically when it's in the classroom, is not cool. Exams are supposed to test their knowledge, and if he knew an exam was coming up, he could've studied. After all, hospitials do have visiting hours, and he would've had time afterwards to study. Not to mention that getting caught would've cost you a grade because most teachers/professors will just simply give both parties an F, regardless of the circumstances.

If he gripes about it, offer to study with him and help him out. If you do your homework at the same time, he definatlly gets his done, and ya'll might end up doing it faster because you're working together. And that way, at least he'll have a shot of doing good on the exam without cheating. Well, except take-home exams. Copying someone's answers on that is just lazy considering if you really want to cheat, you can just open the book and at least have a chance of writing up the answer in a way that isn't like anyone elses.

[slippers 3,168]

Letting someone copy homework because they were sick (or absent due to serious reasons) is one thing. I wouldn't do it except every once in a while, else they'll get to thinking they can mooch off you, but helping someone out like that, I don't see anything wrong with. Letting them copy your exam, espically when it's in the classroom, is not cool. Exams are supposed to test their knowledge, and if he knew an exam was coming up, he could've studied. After all, hospitials do have visiting hours, and he would've had time afterwards to study. Not to mention that getting caught would've cost you a grade because most teachers/professors will just simply give both parties an F, regardless of the circumstances.

That's a good point and I didn't thought about regarding his hospital situation where he could've spend it more efficiently when he had the time. It's also possible that even if she didn't caught him cheating on the spot, she would have anyway because the lab exam wasn't multiple choices like lecture exam we have in Bio class, so it was very obvious if someone copied off from the others or not with same answers and mistakes that I could have made on that lab exam. That's one of the things that I was worrying about it also.

If he gripes about it, offer to study with him and help him out. If you do your homework at the same time, he definatlly gets his done, and ya'll might end up doing it faster because you're working together. And that way, at least he'll have a shot of doing good on the exam without cheating. Well, except take-home exams. Copying someone's answers on that is just lazy considering if you really want to cheat, you can just open the book and at least have a chance of writing up the answer in a way that isn't like anyone elses.

Even though Bio class doesn't offer hometake exams (that was only in Religion class), you can balance it out if you attend the class daily. Daily quizzes and completion grade of labs are total 20% of the final grade, but he've been missing the class a lot either due to his vacation to Guantamala (that's another reason he did bad on his first lab exam) with his mom or visiting his friend at the hospital. All he had to do was kept up with the chapters and he would have done fine on this lab exam, and him trying to japardize my grade was really uncalled for. 3 of Lab exams are worth another 20% so it wasn't worth risking for - we have one more lab exam to go. I think that's what made me ticked mostly because he thought he could just copy it off from me and be lazy even with my helping emails and whatnot. I often let him copy my lab homeworks too. Urg. Anyway, we have a student project coming up and I don't know if he's gonna just drop the class results of this or stick around to help me. I doubt he will be any aid to me now though, and I don't want to help him out anymore unless he proves it to me that he can still help me during lab hours.

Edited November 5, 2008 by slippers

[Strider Hiryu 2,704]

Gotta say Dubie put it best, took the words out of my mouth.

Quite frankly tell him straight out that he had no right to cheat off of you. I understand his girl has medical problems but thats not excuse to not study for a test. It's his own fault for not taking the time to study when he had the time to.

As Dubie pointed out just tell him if he has problems with what you did offer to help him study and do homework.

[Ladywriter 7,783]

You aren't obligated to make sure that someone else who doesn't do the leg work for their education passes.

If he's serious about educating himself he is capable of asking for help and doing the damn work.

[slippers 3,168]

Thanks guys. I needed a confirmation that he was being lazy.

I'll try to tell him that he shouldn't take an advantage of me that could hurt my grades, and tell him to read the damn chapters lol

[DeathscytheX 9,732]

Its not your problem. It doesn't matter what their circumstances are, its not worth screwing up your future for them. I don't know the rules and regulations of you university, but when I was in college, there was plenty of ways to get extensions and make ups for legit absences. He needs to take care of that himself.