University of Virginia Library

'Team Paper Research'

Service Violates Honor Code

By SCOTT TOLLEFSEN

A new service to students,
Term Paper Research, is being
offered at the University by a
group from Washington, D.C.

As explained in a direct
mailing to students, the
company is offering papers at a
price of $4.00 per page.

Honor Violations

According to Honor
Committee Chairman Gordon
Peerman, any student who
submits such a term paper in a
class is committing a violation
of the Honor Code.

"The Honor Committee
interprets a student's turning in
of a paper produced by
someone other than himself as
cheating," said Mr. Peerman.

After admitting to Michael
Leech, Program Director of
WTJU radio, that he was aware
that student use of the
company's papers was in
violation of the University's
Honor System, a Term Paper
Research spokesman explained
how his firm's operation
worked.

"Our official policy is that
we sell the papers as research
tools," the spokesman said.
"What the student does with
the paper after he receives it is
his own responsibility."

The mailing is not the first
attempt of such term paper
firms to advertise in
Charlottesville. Last spring, an
ad for one of these firms was
run in the Daily Progress; it
was, however, discontinued at
the request of the Honor
Committee.

'Student Need'

According to the
spokesman's estimates, Term
Paper Research controls 5% of
the term paper-producing
business in the country. The
biggest demand for papers
seems to be from Washington,
Boston, and California.

"There is a great need for
our type of business, especially
in urban schools where many
students have jobs," the
spokesman asserted. "Their
homework time is limited; they
don't have time to prepare
papers."

"Term papers are just b–s–
anyway," he continued.
"Students just rehash the work
of other researchers; the kid
doesn't learn anything new
unless he knows nothing about
the subject to begin with."

Prohibitive Laws

He said that many more
term paper firms were in
operation last year, but that
several states – notably New
York and Maryland – have
recently passed prohibitive
legislation outlawing the
companies from their states.

"When Gov. Marvin Mandel
signed the Maryland law,
we were forced to move from
Silver Springs to Washington,"
the spokesman pointed out.

The spokesman believed that
any cases taken to court
involving the prohibitive laws
would be shown to be
unconstitutional. "We can
write and print whatever we
care to," said the spokesman.
"These laws violate our
freedoms of speech and the
press."

Mr. Peerman noted that no
cases involving the use of such
commercially- produced term
papers have come before the
Honor Committee; he further
noted that it is difficult to
prove when a student is using
such a paper.