Education: Honor in North Carolina

A solemn group of students stood last fortnight in the office of President Frank Porter Graham of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. A freshman had told an upperclassman and the upperclassman had told them and they were there to tell President Graham that the University’s honor system had been widely, shockingly violated. Small, affable President Graham heard their story of organized cheating on examinations. Then to Rufus Adolphus (“Jack”) Pool, president of the student body, and to the other solemn student leaders, he gave full authority to discover and punish the offenders. In the next ten days the students of North Carolina vindicated the honor system with a ruthlessness and gallantry which left Tarheels wondering whether the system would survive the shock. First the investigators asked North Carolina’s Attorney General A. A. F. Seawell whether they could legally raid the quarters of a suspect. The Attorney General said no. Regardless, they appealed to the police chief of Chapel Hill, got a warrant, staged a night raid on the apartment of tall, slight Douglas Cartland, graduate in the class of 1934, Phi Beta Kappa, potent ping pong player. Caught with evidence of his work, Cartland typed out a confession, reeled off a list of his clients. Brilliant, with a phenomenal memory, Cartland had supported himself and widowed mother through his cheating service. With the aid of pass keys and confederates he had pirated many an examination from professors’ rooms, sold questions and answers at fixed prices. Failing this, he stationed himself in a toilet near the examination room. Students took their questions to him there, bought answers. Early last week, with evidence in hand, Student President Jack Pool and seven fellow investigators retired to a dormitory room, locked the door, drew the shades. While the campus buzzed with rumor, they worked day & night checking 98 cheating cases with University records. Four days after the first raid all was ready. Lest Cartland be mobbed by his angry clients he was sent out of town. Then Jack Pool summoned his student council, presented it with the 98 cases. In secret session the council went through the evidence case by case, in two days suspended 40 students from college.

One victim retaliated by charging several councilmen, including Jack Pool, with cheating. On the third day, after a grilling, he withdrew all charges. Suddenly President Pool rose, took a deep breath, announced that, along with all the members of a French class, he had cheated during his freshman year. Well aware that freshman cheating is not ordinarily cause for suspension, he demanded that he be made an exception. In shocked silence the council voted unanimously to suspend Jack Pool.