Cheating is never a good idea.
Whether you're cheating on a test, your taxes or a lover, you're eventually bound to get caught.
It's this risk, as well as a tinge of basic human decency, that leads most people to avoid cheating in big ways. But in little ways?
We're all cheaters.
You used a few extra marks to turn your 10 points into 40 during that last game of Scrabble. You scraped a car as you pulled out of the parking lot and drove away without looking to see the damage you did - convinced that if you didn't see it, it wasn't there.
It's no surprise, then, that instructors are looking every day for new ways to prevent cheating on campus (Pages 8-9) - especially high-tech cheating.
The good news is that while human nature may have its "dark and twisty" side (to borrow a phrase from "Grey's Anatomy"), it has its light side as well.
For example, studies have shown that even if no one is watching them, people generally won't take food they know they're supposed to pay for. They'll leave the money, and also won't steal what's left by previous counters.
And then there's that little trait called altruism - something that very few species of creatures across the globe exhibit. We sacrifice our own needs and desires all the time for our friends, family and sometimes even complete strangers.
So you've probably glanced at someone's test in a lecture hall or typed formulas into your graphing calculator at some point in your life. But you've probably also volunteered at a nursing home or donated money to charity.
What does that mean? Just that you're human, like everyone else.
Happy holidays, and see you all next semester. If you miss SPM too much over break, don't hesitate to contact me at stephanie.m.berger@asu.edu - all questions and comments are welcome. And speaking of questions, you'll notice that this week's "You Asked For It" marks advice columnist Lisa Przystup's last hurrah at SPM. She's graduating and moving on to bigger and better things, which means that we're in need of a new advice giver. If you're interested in the gig, e-mail me.
