Students must hold instructors accountable for what they teach

Editor,

We, as students, are held to a rigorous standard of academic honesty when performing our coursework, and by that standard, the merits of our work are made unique. The question that every student should begin to ask, however, is to what academic standard of integrity are our instructors held, and how is it enforced and acted upon?

When we submit coursework, it can be scrutinized at so many levels to determine whether there is a modicum of plagiarism, if we have falsified results or if in any way we have provided material that is of lesser integrity than the standard requires. However, when instructors provide data in classrooms, it falls upon us to determine not only the veracity of the information that we are given but also to call our instructors into account at times we feel academic honesty has been violated by them. Particularly, in such cases, an exam is given in which the correct answers do not match up with the information that was given in class.

In a recent case, we were given a set of information in one of my classes that was specifically tested upon at a later time. Unfortunately, I have no proof of the information that was given in the classroom to provide to either the instructor or any suitable chair of authority over that instructor. And since I have no proof, I have no way to call into account the behavior of this instructor. For this cause, I encourage students of all disciplines to find methods to take and share notes on instructor materials, in particular to make efforts to record the lectures. It falls upon us not only to pay our school bills but also to hold our employees responsible as they make efforts to instruct us in our disciplines. This type of error should not be tolerated by those of us who are financially responsible for our education. Students, remember that the instructors of this organization, no matter how respected or revered they may be, are your employees and ought to be subject to you as their customers. Demand a superior product for the price that you pay. Furthermore, I respectfully insist that instructors in this institution prepare for their classes well in advance, specifically to ensure that your exams are prepared before you've lectured on a subject. In this way, you can compare your daily lectures against what is being tested on the exam.

If you fail to do this, you are, at best, engaging in academic negligence, but your integrity and reputation is at stake. Be prepared to be held accountable for the information you disseminate.

Sheldon G. Perkins

UNM student