The Cheating Season

With studies heating up in Bogotá's universities, the cheating industry is also booming.

Whether you need a thesis done, or just an essay, rhese folks will do it for you. And they make no bones about cheating: Our company 'will replace the student,' promises one flyer.

'Want to escape that pressure?'

If I had an internet place or a photocopy shop near a university, which depended on university students, I think I'd feel ashamed and embarrassed to allow one of these ads in my business. After all, I'm damaging and making worthless the educational industry upon which I depend. It makes me wonder why the universities don't pressure to have these things removed, altho if they did most interested students would likely find the same services on the Internet, anyway. (Or, maybe the universities like these services: They make their students seem smarter.)

But couldn't the universities take other, more aggressive measures, such as employing a confederate to carry out a sting operation. I suppose the usefulness of that would depend on whether or not ghostwriting students' papers is prohbited. Cheating, certainly, is against university rules. But does helping students cheat violate those rules?

By Mike Ceaser, of Bogotá Bike Tours