Navy Pier and North Pier

While exploring Chicago you will come across so many kinds of people: those of different cultures and different life styles. At Navy Pier we observed many tourists. We asked a few where they were from. Some came from as far as Venezuela, and others from China. We also noticed how commercialized Navy Pier was. Inside were many quaint shops selling Chicago gear, chain restaurants such as McDonalds and Starbucks, and stands selling little nick-knacks. There was plenty to keep visitors busy: theatre shows, musical shows, shopping, food, tours and sight-seeing (Lake Michigan), rides (ferris wheel), and even a Kids' Museum. It made you feel like you were still in the heart of the city although you were on the outskirts of Chicago because of all the people and surroundings around you.

North Pier was not as fascinating to me as was Navy Pier. Our group was out looking for another shopping mall like that of Navy Pier's off of the lake, and while searching for the location we came to discover that North Pier had been defunct and is now a condominium building as well as a newly established art exibit. When attempting to locate North Pier many had no clue as to where or what it was. Even tour guides were unfamiliar with it. When finally arriving to to the destination we found that there was much construction bordering the rusty colored building. Examining the surroundings of the building, we also noticed that which was facing the main street (Illinois Ave.) seemed to have been recently remodeled and that facing the water had been untouched. There were not nearly as many people in this area either.

Our group came to the conclusion that the true feeling of the "Windy City" lied in the downtown area, not in the outer-edges. Much of what inhibits the outer-edges has many tourist attractions and is meant soley for the public. We also came to the realization that no matter where you go in Chicago you will come across a wide diversity of people. In addition to the diversity, all of Chicago is a constantly changing city; always making improvements and updating itself.

Academic Dishonesty

It is impossible for someone to go through schooling without being guilty of, or at least witnessing, cheating. Academic dishonesty is taking credit for information or material that is not yours, or using certain resources when it is not appropriate. For a long time now, many educational institutions have made an effort by creating a honors system to cut down on the many forms of cheating, but have had little luck. There are too many temptations and stresses on students to make the act of cheating completely extinct. However, there are motions that can be taken to further decrease the amount of academic dishonesty in either a campus or high school.

As mentioned, every student has either taken part of or has been a bystander of some type of cheating. Some of those types of cheating are stealing papers or tests from a professor, buying papers online, plagerism, as well looking and copying off of your peers' test, quizzes, homework, etc. Many would go to say that the least serious, of the previously listed, would be copying homework, for the simple fact that most homework is worth few points and just "busy-work". But either way, cheating is cheating.

Some may also go to say that there are a few exceptions such as: borrowing old quizzes or exams to study off of from previous students of a shared course or unknowingly plagerizing (by using resources and not fully rewording the information). These are instances where I would agree that under these circumstances a person is not at fault of cheating.
Nowadays, schools have students agree to a honors system, but this measure has not been overly successful. There are further actions that need to be taken to minimize the cheating at these institutions. For example, if a school insists on a honors code, the expectations need to be clearly clarified and it needs to be fully enforced, even on first time offenses. Proctoring of exams, multiple versions of exams, professors and administrators speaking up when suspecting any type of academic dishonesty, using plagerism software, and/or more severe consequences once a student is found guilty are additional motions that can be taken.

Cheating is a serious hindrance, and something needs to be done to diminish the many occurances in all educational facilities. By acknowledging the different types of academic dishonesty, and then taking action, the numbers should decrease. Even if very slowly, it will have a positive effect on the student as well as the institutions in the long run. Students must also come to the realization the cheating has not one single benefit. Although it may seem much easier than doing work on one's own, it will only risk their education, their future job, their admission into a graduate/professional school. In the long run, it is truly not worth the gamble.

-Karly Callham