PRESSURED BY the need to perform well academically, many students seek out assistance from others by joining study groups or doing peer tutoring sessions. However, when the going gets tough and they find themselves unable to comply, the idea of paying someone else to do their work can become a tempting offer for some.
Leveraging on the anonymity and broad networks provided by social media, a number of students offer their assistance to fellow students online—albeit for a price. Commissioned to do school requirements, these students become part of a widespread online market that continues to trouble educators.
While the implications that these academic commissions have on the education system are concerning, the reasons why students are willing to avail of or provide them are just as troubling. Most notably, worsening financial concerns pressure students to rely on sources of income that subvert academic rules on honesty and integrity.
Despite the University’s strict prohibition on plagiarism, several Loyola Schools (LS) students have resorted to this practice of selling their intellectual labor to fellow students who are willing to pay their way to a passing grade.
Head for hire
With the return to onsite classes, advertisements for academic services began appearing as stickers on campus with QR codes that redirect clients to a website. To avail of the service, they simply need to make an online account and submit an order form.
While others advertise these services in physical and online spaces, Malcolm*, an LS student, discreetly draws his clients from his network of former senior high school classmates.
Given his reputation as an essay-writing adept, Malcolm has a hefty price tag for his skills. He shares that the rates for 1,000-word essays usually range from Php 860 to 1,250, depending on their difficulty. He also does online discussion boards for a price of Php 300 to 500, and digital artworks or infographics for a minimum of Php 300. He claims to rake in Php 10,000 to 15,000 on a monthly basis from these commissions alone.
He shares that the majority of his clients commission him for works that they deem unrelated to their degree programs, such as those from core curriculum subjects or electives.
While he sympathizes with his clients who hope to ease their workload, he believes that they are still responsible for the consequences of their actions.
“It’s in their own volition na kung ano ‘yung mangyayari sa kanila. (What happens to them is because of their own volition.) ‘Cause they’re aware of the sanctions, they’re aware of the consequences.” he says.
To his benefit, Malcolm feels that there are not enough LS policies that punish students like him. However, he still takes precautions by only taking clients from other universities to evade the Ateneo’s jurisdiction.
Serving sanctions
While plagiarism is understood as stealing someone else’s work without giving proper credit, it also takes the form of having one’s work done by someone else. Thus, the act of availing academic commissions is—by definition—plagiarism.
Unlike in other cases of plagiarism, students like Malcolm consent to being plagiarized. This makes such cases of academic dishonesty difficult to detect, but University authorities assure that they remain resolute to uphold academic integrity in the academe.
The LS Code of Academic Integrity gives instructors the discretion to handle plagiarism cases accordingly. One option is to give a student a failing grade—an F—on either the requirement or the course itself. However, instructors may also refuse to give a final grade while the case remains unresolved.
In handling cases of academic misconduct, the Office of Student Discipline is the administrative body in charge of initiating the preliminary investigation, after which the Committee on Discipline facilitates the succeeding disciplinary hearing. As violations are treated on a case-to-case basis, sanctions are given depending on the Committee’s deliberation. These may include community service, suspension, or even expulsion from the University.
While the student accepting the commission and doing the work of others is technically the victim of plagiarism, Associate Dean for Student Affairs Rene Salvador San Andres says they are still guilty of academic dishonesty. Specifically, they are guilty of misrepresentation according to Section III Article E of the Code of Conduct.
He adds that taking commissions is essentially aiding others in committing the offense and therefore also constitutes academic misconduct according to Section III Article D.
Inculcated incapability
Despite such punitive measures, academic commission services remain rampant online.
The continued persistence of academic commissions can be linked to its lucrative gains for students like Malcolm, whom educators such as Communication Department Lecturer Jasmine Rombaoa sympathize with. As a former teacher at a tutoring business, she understands that these students provide such services to make ends meet.
However, she hopes for better alternatives to earning money that do not violate any rules and still uphold University values. These include creating presentation layouts, proofreading, and tutoring services as examples, as these services offer help instead of taking full—or even partial—responsibility for a task one is not involved in.
She also holds that this practice goes against certain values of the University such as magis, or the Jesuit value of “doing more.”
“Dishonesty runs counter to the very essence of the Ateneo de Manila University as an educational institution. It hits the very soul of our institution as a Filipino Jesuit Catholic Institution,” San Andres shares.
Furthermore, these services also compromise students’ integrity and learning. With students simply commissioning others to do their work for them, there is no definitive way of evaluating the development of a student’s commitment to the University’s core principles. These include the value of upholding justice in order to form professionals, especially one who acts in service of others.
Unfortunately, such dishonesty in the classroom may not only translate to incompetence in the workplace but also to corruption in positions of power. San Andres views college students, especially Ateneans, as the future leaders of the country. Thus, their intellectual and moral formation and development will have huge implications on how the country will be run in the future.
However, beyond personal convenience, San Andres acknowledges that external factors such as financial difficulties may also exacerbate the prevalence of academic commissions.
For financially burdened students, San Andres says that compassion must be extended by giving them an ethical source of income. “If they can offer such services, that means that they’re talented. Harness their talent for something more positive,” he suggests.
Ultimately, San Andres believes that effort must go into re-educating offenders instead of simply relying on enforcing punitive measures against academic dishonesty. He mentions that offenders are typically encouraged to take compulsory counseling sessions, care of the Loyola Schools Office of Guidance and Counseling.
“As long as I am an administrator in Ateneo, as long as I am an educator, this is my contribution to nation-building: I will run after those who cannot be reformed, and I will be as fatherly and friendly to those who commit mistakes,” he says.
Aside from educators, policy-makers have also taken notice of the practice of academic commissions.
Still, more must be done to solve this problem. As long as cumbersome academic workloads continue to kill the desire to learn, and financial desperation continues to pressure students to compromise their morals to make a living, academic commissions may still stay in business.
*Editor’s Note: The name of an interviewee was changed to protect their identity and privacy.
