Monday, August 25, 2008

Student Athlete Offers Payment for Writing His Paper

The penalty for a University of Buffalo basketball star placing a Facebook ad offering $30-40 for reading and writing about a book assigned in a course is a three-game suspension. The Buffalo (NY) News covers this story in its August 23, 2008 edition and features a quote from the "solicitation of academic fraud" Facebook request by University at Buffalo senior guard Andy Robinson (UB’s Robinson Suspended 3 Games). Another University of Buffalo student found the listing on Facebook and notified the student newspaper. Robinson "violated UB’s policies regarding academic integrity." However, he served the team well last season as the top scoring player.

Discussion Questions:
  1. Was Robinson's punishment sufficient for his academic integrity infraction? Why or why not?
  2. Do you think athletes get preferential treatment if they break campus rules?
  3. If he wasn't the team's top scorer, would he receive a more severe penalty?

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