Brown and White Vol. 118 no. 22

              Virtual teaching assistants raise academic questions
By JACKIE LYONS
It is unethical for students to have someone else write their academic papers, but is it unethical for profes­sors to have someone else grade papers?
The company EduMetry Inc.developed a program called Virtual-TA, which has a staff of individuals grade papers to relieve professors and teaching assistants of grading responsibilities.
The Virtual-TA combines the idea of a teaching assistant, who helps to grade papers and provide feedback, with a web-mediated dimension.
Virtual-TA allows faculty to focus on teaching and helping students achieve their academic goals, accord­ing to EduMetry’s Web site.
Yuping Zhang, assistant profes­sor of sociology, said her workload is heavy with teaching, research and service.
However, Zhang said she does not think it is ethical to outsource grad­ing and she would never consider using the company.
“How could those graders really understand what is covered in class, what are the requirements about the assignment, what are the reactions or degree of understanding of students to the lectures?” Zhang said.
EduMetry’s Web site also said there are a number of benefits for students.
Kim Osborn, ’11, said it is unethi­cal for professors to send papers to other countries to be graded.
“First of all, I think that it’s unfair when T.A.’s do not attend class and then grade papers -– they were not involved in class discussions to know what we talked about,” Osborn said. “I think it would be ridiculous to have professors sending papers to different countries that are different culturally and have a different per­spective that we do as students.”
Whether the service is ethical or not depends on the circumstances, Ziad Munson, associate professor of sociology, said.
EduMetry trains Master’s or PhD-qualified professionals to provide feedback and rubrics, and then as­signs them to work with the institu­tion’s teaching faculty.
According to the Web site, it is harder for institutions to provide in­dividualized attention.
“Faculty already outsource grading in lots of classes, including Lehigh classes, by having gradu­ate assistants do the grading work,” Munson said.
In addition to teaching at Lehigh, faculty conduct research, serve on panels and perform other university activities.
Though Munson said he would probably not use the service.
“The kinds of papers I assign do not easily lend themselves to being graded by those who are not familiar with the class.” Munson said.
B&W photos by MATT BREITEL
Using art, live music and dance, organic food and various demonstrations, Lehigh honored the 40th anniversary of Earth Day on the U.C. front lawn Wednesday, a day before the national celebration. Above, workers prepare for President Alice Gast to ceremoniously plant a tree. Left, a student surveys photographs taken by fellow students, as part of Lehigh’s third Earth Day Contest. The pictures, which were all related to the environment, were submitted under five categories: Urban Setting, Flora & Fauna, Environment at Lehigh, Landscapes and The Ugly Truth, which focused on pollution or contamination.
Having a green day
By ANDREW DANIELS
All 45 current members of Chi Phi fraternity were revoked of their active brother status Wednes­day morning after being found guilty of multiple charges, including a violation of Lehigh’s hazing policy.
In a verdict from the University Committee on Discipline, a panel including a representative from the Office of the Dean of Students, the brothers were given instant alumni status, meaning they are no lon­ger allowed to participate in chapter events or live in the fraternity house after this semester.
Despite their new statuses, the brothers can not participate in any Lehigh Greek alumni events for five years. However, Chi Phi will remain a chapter at Lehigh.
Chi Phi was ordered to suspend all activity on March 18 by the Office of Fraternity and Sorority Affairs. The suspension stemmed from allegations the fraternity had violated multiple codes of conduct.
According to a representative of the fraternity, a new member wrote an essay for one of his freshman classes describing activities he participated in during new member education for Chi Phi.
The professor of that class reported the details of the essay to the OFSA, which then contacted Chi Phi and told it to suspend all fraternity activities, includ­ing new member education, the representative said.
The fraternity was leveled with four counts of violating university conduct including hazing and giving a bid to a non-elligible member.
On Tuesday night, after more than a month of waiting in which all brothers were strictly prohib­ited from communicating with new members, the UCOD held a trial for Chi Phi. The fraternity sent five representatives to attend on its behalf, including two active brothers.
When the trial concluded early Wednesday morning, Chi Phi was faced with the reality of charg­ing ahead under new, uncertain circumstances.
The task of forming the next Chi Phi new mem­ber class for the spring of 2011 now falls on the chapter’s local alumni association and representa­tives from Chi Phi national headquarters.
“The panel thought our local alumni embody characteristics that would ensure a prosperous future for Chi Phi at Lehigh,” a junior fraternity member said.
Meanwhile, the new alumni whose active brother statuses were revoked will need to find new housing, excluding graduating seniors. Though rising sopho­mores are guaranteed on-campus housing by Lehigh, rising juniors are looking for a new place to live.
All 11 new members are no longer allowed to have any association with Chi Phi, but they may still become involved in the Lehigh Greek system.
Chi Phi is planning on appealing the decision, and has until Wednesday to do so.
“The Interfraternity Council will actively support Chi Phi as it rebuilds in the coming semesters. We look forward to the fraternity’s future contributions to the Greek community,” said Brian Casey, ’11, president of the Inter-Fraternity Council.
Found guilty of hazing, Chi Phi brothers kicked off Hill
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Vol. 118 No. 22
Friday, April 23, 2010
‘All the Lehigh News First’