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Harvard’s Cheating Scandal

Haven’t you always wondered why people cheat?  It’s a trait unexpectedly common in the most brilliant and ambitious of people.  There was a recent cheating scandal at Harvard University where over 100 students were caught cheating on the Government 1310: Introduction to Congress take-home final exam.  The fact that the cheaters consisted of dozens of varsity athletes some of which were part of the basketball team that ranked among the top 25 of the nation only augmented the gravity of the matter.  These men had the most to lose and the most to gain if they were to pass the exam.  This is best observed by the idea of game theory.

While it is difficult for athletes to be academically successful when they are devoting 40 hours per week or more, they are required to maintain good academic standing to be eligible to play their sports and be in school.  So, by collaborating with other people and cheating on the final exam, they have a higher likelihood of passing the course.  This can be observed from the model below:

Student 1/2
Cheat Not Cheat
Cheat 70,70 70,40
Not Cheat 40,70 40,40

Looking at this hypothetical situation where the students are the athletes and the possible scores they would receive from the exam if they cheat versus not cheating, it is obvious that if they cheat they would at least be receiving a passing score versus not cheating and they do not receive a perfect score.  The Nash equilibrium is determined to be where both students would cheat and they receive a passing score.

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/09/19/sports/ncaabasketball/harvard-cheating-scandal-revives-debate-over-athletics.html?pagewanted=all

-mrv28

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