Academic Dishonesty: Professor Trades Grades for Cash, Students Hack Records

Abuse of Power

Professors and teachers are in positions of power when it comes to students, and unfortunately they occasionally abuse that power. Take the recent case of Elvin Escano, community college computer science instructor, who is currently charged with changing students’ grades in exchange for money and alcohol. Escano was charged with grand larceny, computer tampering, forgery and falsifying business records.

“In a statement, Brown said Escano used his position over a 29-month period as an instructor and lab technician at LaGuardia Community College to inflate student grades for courses and exams: In exchange for better grades, students gave him cash payments ranging from $200 to $2,500 or items such as wine and alcohol.

Authorities allege Escano tampered with computer records in LaGuardia’s registrar’s office to reflect the higher grades. The indictment also accused Escano of recruiting students to promote his scheme and generate more business for him, sometimes paying them with grade changes.”

However, the instructor has received only a slap on the wrist by being placed on a paid sabbatical by his employer, LaGuardia Community College in New York. Likely, they are attempted to be fair by waiting for the final verdict. If he is found guilty, he could spend up to seen years in prison!

Students Use Technology Skills to Change Grades

Instructors aren’t the only ones who’ve been caught in the act of changing grades lately: a senior at Cherry Hill High School in Philadelphia is accused of hacking into school computers to change grades for cash. At least five other students are also suspected of paying him to change the grades for them, and may also be expelled.

“A person familiar with the school district investigation said officials believed that a senior at the school obtained a privileged password to the school computer system and changed grades for at least five other students in exchange for money.”

This is particularly embarrassing for Cherry Hill High due to its prestigious reputation, high graduation rate (99%), and college attendance (98%) of its students. Now that reputation has been cast into doubt by a few unscrupulous students who may not have realized their actions will affect all their classmates as well. Ironically, interviewed students thought that the cheaters may have attempted to change grades due to the high competition to get into college.

Interviewed in the school parking lot, sophomore Dara Weinraub, 16, said: “Some kids act like a test is the end-all, be-all, and make it worse for themselves. There’s more to life.”

Brian Libes, a 16-year-old junior, said this about the idea of cheating: “They can, so why not?”

Zack Rosenblatt, a 16-year-old sophomore, said changing grades was unfair to other students. “Everybody else has to work hard for their grades, so why should these kids be any different?” Rosenblatt said.

“It’s dishonest; so wrong,” said senior Ellis DeGuzman, 17. “We go to a school that is tougher than most, so there is a lot of pressure to get into the Ivies.”

When students and teachers are academically dishonest, who suffers? In addition to themselves (whether or not they are caught), these incidents highlight the ugly side of education and compromise the experience of learning and achievement for everyone. While prison sentences and expulsion may seen harsh, it is important to have no tolerance for these acts of dishonesty in order to preserve the integrity of our educational system.

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