Seniors Accused of Using High-Tech Devices to Cheat on GRE

Two Columbia seniors were arrested yesterday on charges of third-degree burglary and unlawful duplication of computer material after they were allegedly discovered using wireless devices to cheat on the Graduate Record Exam, the Associated Press reported.
Bryan Laulicht, CC '03, and Sasha Bakhru, SEAS '03, were arrested at the Sylvan Learning Center in Garden City, N.Y. when an employee noticed Bakhru adjusting a wireless transmitter under a desk, the AP said.
Laulicht was outside in a van, allegedly receiving images of test questions on a laptop computer equipped with a wireless transmitter; on a previous visit to the testing center on Nov. 11, the two had switched roles, the AP quoted Det. Lt. Arthur McLoughlin as saying.
Police alleged that Bakhru and Laulicht also used walkie-talkies to communicate between the van and the private testing room Bakhru had specially requested at the Long Island testing facility, WNBC reported last night.
The pair did not enter pleas at their arraignment in the First District Court yesterday afternoon, the AP said, and were released until a court date scheduled for tomorrow.
It was undecided last night what the disciplinary response from Columbia administration would be; spokeswoman Eileen Murphy told the AP that the University was waiting for more information on the case before addressing these "clearly serious allegations."
The GRE is administered by Educational Testing Service and is the major entrance examination for graduate school. High scores on the exam can mean increased financial aid and scholarships.
Laulicht and Bakhru, who live in the same East Campus suite, did not answer telephone calls to their residence hall rooms late last night.

Tags: News, Nick Summers