Note-able laziness

Rolling out of bed in the morning. Getting dressed. Walking to class. The mornings of a typical college student are nothing if not demanding. And by the time you actually get to class, paying attention and taking notes is often just out of the question.\nThis is the golden rule of laziness off of which three enterprising IU sophomores hope to capitalize. IUNotes.com is a new note-taking service that sells the notes of “screened” student employees to their classmates, and the site says it offers clear and concise versions of the often confusing lectures some professors seem to delight in giving.\nThe service is useful to a point. Some students are poor auditory learners and cannot keep up with the class’s pace. Others need an extra boost of clarification that comes from being exposed to another student’s interpretation of the classroom materials.\nIn these special cases, a note-taking service is a beneficial supplementary tool. However, we are fairly sure the inventive minds that came up with IUNotes, while well-intentioned, realize their brainchild has a wide potential for abuse.\nAnd for the service’s founders, that’s where the real money is. Why would a student bother coming to class if he or she can see a copy of someone else’s interpretation of the social implications of Tolstoy’s political deconstruction in “War and Peace”? As long as students are paying the professors’ salaries, why should lecturers care if their students show up or pay attention? The fact that students can now buy sets of notes prepares them for post-graduation – the reality in the outside world is there are very few things that a few well-placed dollars can’t buy.\nAs far as the ethics of this situation go, this is not the first time students have used questionable means to avoid having to learn for themselves. Recall, if you will, the fifth-grade playground bully who would give the class brainiac a wedgie if he or she refused to do the bully’s homework.\nAcademic shortcuts are none too novel, but students are missing out if they misuse this service. The only way to understand a concept well is to make it your own. By relying on someone else’s understanding, you are staunching the development of this crucial skill. If you merely want to regurgitate them, and you have the money to spare, that’s your choice. But realize there will not always be someone available to break things down for you, and someday your laziness will likely catch up with you.\nIt goes without saying that the real winner in this situation is IUNotes. Regardless of how students choose to use it, the service’s founders have a surefire way to turn a profit, whether from well-intentioned scholars or from slackers who cringe at the thought of lifting a finger.\nProps to you, IUNotes, for knowing your student body: Motivated? Sometimes. Passionate about learning? Eh. Willing to drop a few bucks for an A? You bet!