If this isn't a case of lack of institutional control, I don't know what is. The president and others are attempting to minimize the magnitude of the problem by blaming a "rogue tutor" and an incompetent instructor. I find it impossible to believe that a woman with a Ph.D. would suddenly become so stupid and so cavalier about cheating in this one class. The environment had to be so loose with rules and oversight that it actually seemed like a good thing to do. There's no way that she would think she could get away with cheating on such a grand scale unless she had been doing it for some time on a smaller scale. To believe this is isolated to this tutor and this class is just naive. I doubt we have heard the last of the infractions at this point.

I happen to be pretty familiar with policies and practices related to academic integrity at UF and in the UAA. Although cheating certainly is and always will be possible, I know that UF and the UAA go to great lengths to prevent it. The UAA provides its tutors with extensive and regular training about NCAA guidelines and academic honesty. Tutors sign an agreement acknowledging their understanding of the rules and expectations. Tutoring occurs in a public location, where cheating would be difficult, if not impossible, to hide. Discrepancies or inconsistencies in grades are investigated on a regular basis, not just when an infraction has been reported. No UAA tutor would think throwing around answers to a test like the one at fsu did was likely to go unreported. Like I said, cheating can happen, and sadly I'm sure that it does from time to time, but something as widespread as what is being uncovered in Tallahassee would be impossible at UF.

In the TT thread BBG linked below, one nole said, "FSU established new protocols/programs for how agents interact with players following the Footlocker episode -- I believe its the model that most schools follow today. I suspect/hope we will respond similarly to this situation regarding online courses and develop a program to reduce the likelihood of this kind of crap happening in the future."

Gosh, we also have the Deion Sanders rule because fsu broke new ground in cheating there, as well. Do you see a pattern here? New rules, new "protocols" are established on a regular basis in response to new ways of cheating that fsu keeps uncovering. The thing that keeps popping in my head is this: these are only the things that have gotten them caught--what else is going on in Tallahassee??

I have complained here before about repeated instances in which student-athletes that we deemed as academically unqualified were admitted to fsu. I have spoken to several of these guys when they visited UF, and could not fathom any university accepting them. And as I expected, after the admissions office finished their reviews, they were crossed off UF's recruiting lists, yet fsu has on several occasions accepted them. If you admit students who can't do the work and you want them to remain eligible, someone has to do the work for them. There's absolutely no way to avoid cheating if you want to keep those guys eligible. They are setting themselves up for this kind of nonsense as soon as they get these guys on campus. This is, in my opinion, the root of the LOIC issue--that success in athletics is valued more than high quality education, at least by those in a position to do something about it. I am sure there are many fsu alums who would love to see their university get its priorities straight.

As a resident and tax payer in the State of Florida, I am ashamed that my tax dollars continue to support a program so chronically out of control. It may be fun to point and laugh at fsu's ongoing hardships, but this one isn't funny. It's embarrassing to the whole state. All of this is likely to reflect poorly on all of us in the eyes of the rest of the country in much the way the rest of the state can't escape the embarrassment of the butterfly ballots and hanging chads of Palm Beach and Broward Counties. That we have a system of higher education in our state that allows a university president as unqualified as TK Wetherall to be hired in the first place is appalling.

This whole thing reminds me of how so many other schools just throw up their hands and say "it's impossible to control" in reference to fans rushing the court or rushing the field. UF has found ways to control it and it simply does not happen here. That's not to say it couldn't happen, but it doesn't.

If you think something like academic integrity is important and it's worth making the effort to prevent cheating and control tutors, it is absolutely possible. It's a choice, and fsu has consistently made the wrong choice with regard to student-athletes and academics.