Fuqua moves up in the rankings?

Saw this article on Adpulp today. Looks like MBA students at Kellogg got a little out of hand during a party at the Field Museum. The night of drunk debauchery included vomiting in the museum, spitting on fellow party-goers and throwing things at Sue, the T-Rex. It's all fun and games until the dinosaur gets pissed.

The complete story from the Chicago Tribune is here.

Now, Fuqua students liked to party with the rest of them, but I don't recall anything quite as scandalous as what the Kellogg students did. At least when we partied this hard, it was usually in a parking lot, camping out for basketball tickets. Maybe I just didn't hang out with the right crowd.

I wonder what this will due for the MBA rankings? If Fuqua moves up, do I get a raise?

Peer Pressure

This past weekend, Scott and I had dinner with several of my Fuqua friends. There were a total of four couples that went out to dinner - all four of the couples met through Fuqua and we're all still in town.

One of the couples already has a nine month old baby. So we were asking how the baby was doing, since this couple just recently moved back into the area. And then the big announcement came - one of the Fuqua friends is nine weeks pregnant. There were claps and cheers as the sonogram picture was passed around. And then the second big announcement came - the other Fuqua friend is nineteen weeks pregnant. Everyone hugged. And then everyone looked at us.

This is one eggo that is not preggo.

It's very strange that just one of my college friends has a baby and no one is even pregnant, but several of my Fuqua friends are already pregnant. I wonder if it has to do with where we all are in life - my Fuqua friends are all at a similar stage: advanced degree, settled, good jobs; whereas my college friends are all at different stages: some are back in school, others are changing jobs, some aren't married, so there's less congruency in terms of having a baby.

It's amazing the peer pressure that these pregnant women exert on non-pregnant women. Whether it's explicitly asking when we're going to have a baby or talking with other pregnant women about day care and matters-of-the-belly (a conversation to which I can contribute nothing), there's this constant pressure to join the "club."

In school, you learn about how to resist peer pressure when it comes to smoking, drugs and drinking. About how to say "no" when you feel peer pressure to have sex. But no one tells you about the peer pressure you feel ten years later when these mothers try to get you to have a baby.

I am (we are) just not ready for a baby now. I admit it - I'm selfish and can't imagine sharing what I have with anyone else. But this peer pressure will get to you.

I'm staying strong.

Finished!

I've done it! I've graduated from Duke and officially have my Masters!

The ceremony was yesterday and my family and in-laws came in to help us celebrate. The ceremony was really nice and then we had a little get-together at our place with our family and friends. It was a nice to way to cap off two years of hard work.

I'm also a bit sad that it's all over. I came to school a bit insecure and doubtful of how I would do among so many talented people. There were some low points during the first year, when I struggled to understand concepts and do well. Looking back now, I think I surprised myself. I'm happy with how I did and feel I learned a lot. I got involved in many activities and am proud of my accomplishments, even though they were small.

Most of all, I'm sad to leave so many friends behind. We're going to scatter ourselves across the country and it's sad to close another chapter and move on, with the hope that we'll all keep in touch. So I'm excited to be done and to start back into the real world, but I'm also a little blue. I guess that's normal, right?

Cheers to all my fellow Duke MBA graduates this weekend, and to all the other graduates who are ready to close one chapter and move on to the next!

Cipro? Check. Chloroquin? Check. Bug Spray with 25% DEET? Check. Cost Rica, here we come!

Happy May Day!

Enough about Fuqua and cheating. That's old news. Let's move on to something more important and exciting....

We leave in the morning for Costa Rica! Scott and I have done a great job of packing a week's worth of clothing, toiletries, and other necessities into less-than-25-pound-bags. I even broke out my back-packing gear that I haven't used since my European trekking after college graduation. We're packed, medicated, Ti-Voed and ready to go!

Of course, I didn't forget my camera. I plan on taking lots of - what else? - monkey pictures to post on the blog! We're very excited and can't wait to share all our adventures and pictures with you. If I can make it to a cybercafe while I'm there, I'll be sure to share stories!

Until next week...

A little something to talk about

A few boards have gotten some chatter about the Fuqua cheating incident and a few papers have picked up the story. But only the facts of the case are being published, while non-students speculate about the integrity and reputation of Fuqua. So I feel compelled to clarify my thoughts and feelings on the situation.

Fuqua is brave. As some people have pointed out, cheating surely happens at all universities and business schools. But Fuqua has taken a stand about cheating. They could have swept this incident under the rug and no one would have been the wiser. But instead, they had the courage and integrity to do the right thing, regardless of the negative publicity it may have caused. That speaks volumes about the character of the institution and its students.

Fuqua fosters integrity and teamwork. The actions of a few do not reflect the character of the whole. We are a school that supports one another, whether it be helping fellow classmates find jobs, understand an assignment, or comforting them through a difficult time. It's part of our culture and is what makes us unique and our alumni network strong. What's more, we value teamwork in the context of honor and integrity. This means while we are a support system, we also are careful not to cross ethical boundaries, especially when it comes to cheating. This incident has shaken our foundation, and that is why it is not being tolerated by Fuqua. The actions of a few have violated our trust, but it will not violate what we stand for.

Fuqua is compassionate. We all make mistakes. It's actually part of our culture and is what, in my opinion, makes the United States great. We can fail, learn from our failures, and then rise up to succeed and be applauded for it. As I mentioned before, business school is a training ground, and better to make these mistakes now then when it hurts even more people. If those students who were suspended for a year choose to return to Fuqua, I'm sure they will be treated with the same respect and given the same opportunities as any other student. While cheating will not be tolerated at our school, a second chance will be given.

I love Fuqua. It was the best decision I could ever had made for business school. Not only have I learned so much, but I have made incredible friends, met incredible people and have a support system I can count on for the rest of my life. This incident has actually confirmed my passion for Fuqua, because I know that the school lives by its honor code; it's not just a plaque on a wall. And that means that the students it brings in will also live by that code. There will be exceptions every once in a while, but when that happens, I know that the school will take steps to make things right.

That's powerful. And maybe, just what the business world needs.

Here we go again

Last year, Duke made headlines, thanks to the men's lacrosse team. As I had blogged earlier (see post labels), this incident never really affected our business school community, since we were well-insulated from the antics of the undergrads. But now, this incident has hit a bit closer to home. Duke is in the news again, and this time, it's the business school students with the antics.

I've posted the article from the Durham Herald-Sun below. Hopefully this won't make quite the same headlines as the lacross scandal. I think this has hit us hard because Fuqua is a tight-knit commuity and most of us value the honor and integrity not only of each other and our school, but also of business itself. Business school is the training ground for (hopefully) leaders of tomorrow, and if we don't build an ethical foundation now, then we'll be sure to have more Enrons and WorldComs in the future.

I believe in celebrating different cultures, and I also believe that when you're in Rome, you do as the Romans due. And while there are shades of gray across cultures, there are some philosophies that remain constant. I believe ethics is one of them.

Last week, there were police officers tramping around Fuqua's campus. I went up to one and asked why they were there...after all, there are never police officers around our campus. They told me that the Dean had to tell some bad news to some students (the honor code violations) and, in light of the recent events at Virginia Tech, the Dean wanted the police there as a security measure. Anyway you look at this incident, I guess no one is insulated from the world anymore.

Fuqua students may face expulsion
BY BRIANNE DOPART
The Herald-Sun
April 27, 2007
Nine students at Duke University's Fuqua School of Business could be expelled for cheating on a take-home exam, according to Mike Hemmerich, the school's associate dean for strategy and institutional research.

Thirty-eight daytime business students at the school were accused of honor violations in 22 separate cases heard by the school's judicial board over the past several weeks. All but one of the 38 were accused of cheating in a third quarter class while one was charged with "a lying offense."

The charges stemmed from the outcome of a single take-home test taken by 410 of the first-year class's 411 students, Hemmerich said. Friday, the university's judicial board announced it found nine students guilty of "extremely severe offenses" while 15 were found guilty of "severe offenses" and 10 were found guilty of "minor offenses," he said.

Four students were found not guilty of violating the honor code.

The honor code, the preamble of which is posted in "any classroom at Fuqua" according to a statement released Friday by Douglas T. Breeden, dean of the school, is distributed to all students who enter Fuqua. Violations of the code include lying, cheating, stealing and failing to report those offenses.

The school's decision was explained to Fuqua students at a Friday afternoon session. Some students said they felt the punishment for the cheating students was not harsh enough, but at least one student said cultural differences might have confused some of those taking the test and therefore the punishment was too severe.

That student was putting up a poster, which read: "9 EXPULSION is all we need??????? PUNISHMENT OR EDUCATION?????" It also bore a statistic stemming from Duke's own Center for Academic Integrity that says 56 percent of American MBA students reported having cheated in a 2002-2004 survey.

Hemmerich declined to comment on reports that the majority of those charged with the offense were international students. The university is bound by law to keep the identity of the charges against students private, he said, and identifying the charged students as international students could "identify" some of them.

He said that international students do attend a summer program before entering the school that addresses the cultural differences between the U.S. and their respective countries of origin.
Erwin Chan, a second-year student who believes the expulsions were well warranted, said the school's decision to take action against the alleged cheaters spoke to Fuqua's commitment to integrity.

"I think you should see [the expulsions] as a sign we do take integrity very seriously," he said, adding that the school's decision to welcome back those found guilty of less offenses was a testament to his school's compassion.

According to the study performed by the Center for Academic Integrity, which polled 5,300 students, MBA students were more likely to cheat than their engineering, law and education student counterparts -- a finding that led the author of the study, Donald McCabe, to urge business schools to address their significant problem with cheating last fall.

"The type of student attracted to business is exceedingly decisive and often will substitute expediency for ethics," said the center's executive director Tim Dodd.

Hemmerich said the school's new fall curriculum will offer a class called "Global Institute" that will address the issues of leadership and ethics in business.

For the nine guilty of extremely severe offenses, the punishment will be expulsion and a notation that will appear on their transcript for four years.

The 15 guilty of severe offenses received a lesser punishment of a one-year suspension, an F in the related course and a notation that will appear on their transcript for three years. The punishment was similar for the 10 guilty of minor offenses, but the notation on those students' transcripts will appear for only one year.

The single student charged with lying received a zero grade on the take-home test and will have a notation on his or her transcript for three months.