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ARI SHAPIRO, HOST: A cadet will not lie, cheat, steal or tolerate those who do. That is the honor code of the U.S. Military Academy known as West Point. This week, that code has been put to the test. Seventy-three cadets are accused of cheating on a remote calculus exam last spring. It s the biggest cheating scandal at West Point since the 1970s. Our next guest is a professor of law at the academy.
Professor Tim Bakken, welcome to ALL THINGS CONSIDERED.
TIM BAKKEN: Thank you, Ari. Good afternoon.
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Cadets were accused of cheating during an online exam in May.
• 4 min read
Over 70 West Point cadets accused of cheating
Of the cadets accused of cheating, 59 confessed, most of whom were enrolled in a six-month mentorship and rehabilitation program as a result.Andrew Lichtenstein/Corbis via Getty Images
Seventy-three cadets at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point were accused of cheating during a remote-learning exam held online in May, making it the worst such scandal in nearly 45 years, a spokesperson for the prestigious military academy told ABC News Monday evening.
More Than 70 West Point Cadets Accused Of Cheating In Academic Scandal
Monday, December 21, 2020
Army cadets make their way through campus at the U.S. Military Academy in West Point, N.Y., in 2007. This week, over 70 cadets were accused of cheating on an exam the worst academic scandal since 1976, instructors say.
Don Emmert / AFP via Getty Images
Updated at 9:33 p.m., Dec. 28, 2020
Seventy-three suspected cheaters, one critical mistake.
Instructors at the Army s premier training ground for officers revealed the academic scandal on Monday, saying it s the worst they ve seen since the 1970s.
So far, 59 cadets out of a suspected 73 have admitted to taking part in the scam in which the students shared answers and made the same mistakes, Lt. Col. Chris Ophardt, a West Point spokesman told NPR.
More than 70 West Point cadets accused of cheating on math test David Matthews
More than 70 cadets at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point have been accused of cheating on a math exam, according to USA Today.
So far, 58 cadets have admitted to cheating on the exam, which was administered during remote learning. Several of the cadets have resigned or face disciplinary hearings that will determine whether or not they are expelled. However, most of the cadets have been placed in a rehabilitation program and will be on probation until graduation.
Tim Bakken, a law professor at West Point, said the cheating constituted a national security concern because the academy’s graduates go on to senior leadership positions in the military and elsewhere, like Congress, after their service is completed.
Instructors at the Army s premier training ground for officers revealed the academic scandal on Monday, saying it s the worst they ve seen since the 1970s.
So far, 59 cadets out of a suspected 73 have admitted to taking part in the scam in which the students shared answers and made the same mistakes, Lt. Col. Chris Ophardt, a West Point spokesman told NPR.
The test was administered remotely due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Four cadets have resigned and another eight, who say they re innocent of any wrongdoing, will face a full hearing led by seniors at the academy. The cases against two others initially implicated in the scheme have been dismissed for lack of evidence.