Origins of the "Socialism at Texas Tech" story?

[7over]

By now, you've probably all seen the 'story':
When my dad attended Texas Tech, he had an economics professor that said he had never failed a single student before but had, once, failed an entire class. That class had insisted that socialism worked and that no one would be poor and no one would be rich, a great equalizer. The professor then said ok, we will have an experiment in this class on socialism.

All grades would be averaged and everyone would receive the same grade so no one would fail and no one would receive an A. After the first test the grades were averaged and everyone got a B. The students who studied hard were upset and the students who studied little were happy. But, as the second test rolled around, the students who studied little had studied even less and the ones who studied hard decided they wanted a free ride too; so they studied little. The second Test average was a D! No one was happy. When the 3rd test rolled around the average was an F.

It sounds plausible and it pretty well illustrates the effects of socialism, but I'm having trouble locating the origin of this story so I can determine whether it really happened or not. It would be much stronger if it really happened. It's just an interesting theoretical story if it did not.

Specifically, what I want to know is:
What was the name of the professor?
What year did this happen?
Who's the 'dad' in the story?
Who's the son or daughter writing the story?

facts, facts, facts..... where are the facts?

[LoneStarHero]

I've never heard the story and the whole thing sounds like a stinking pile of BS that rightwingers forward to eachother.

[Long Island Bob]

the story has been circulating on the Internet for years.

I doubt there is any truth to it.

Texas tech has only 13 full-time professors of econ though, so, if youare truly interested, it would be easy enough to check it out by emailing each of them.

http://www.depts.ttu.edu/economicsandgeography/econFaculty.php

[LoneStarHero]

the story has been circulating on the Internet for years.

I doubt there is any truth to it.

Texas tech has only 13 full-time professors of econ though, so, if youare truly interested, it would be easy enough to check it out by emailing each of them.

http://www.depts.ttu.edu/economicsandgeography/econFaculty.php

Only 13!?

That seems like a rather big department to me. Then again my basis for comparison, TCU and the University of Houston aren't economic powerhouses.

[Long Island Bob]

Only 13!?

That seems like a rather big department to me. Then again my basis for comparison, TCU and the University of Houston aren't economic powerhouses.


Whether 13 is a large or a small number they could all be emailed in under 30 minutes.

(btw
I studied econ at Penn State, 27 professors on their main campus alone.)

[OIVORY]

This has to be an urban legend.

If it had a Professor's name it could be easily verified. I am surprised it references a particular school rather than a University in Texas.

[cowboy]

This story has been floating around college campuses a long time.

[rgpizza]

By now, you've probably all seen the 'story':
When my dad attended Texas Tech, he had an economics professor that said he had never failed a single student before but had, once, failed an entire class. That class had insisted that socialism worked and that no one would be poor and no one would be rich, a great equalizer. The professor then said ok, we will have an experiment in this class on socialism.

All grades would be averaged and everyone would receive the same grade so no one would fail and no one would receive an A. After the first test the grades were averaged and everyone got a B. The students who studied hard were upset and the students who studied little were happy. But, as the second test rolled around, the students who studied little had studied even less and the ones who studied hard decided they wanted a free ride too; so they studied little. The second Test average was a D! No one was happy. When the 3rd test rolled around the average was an F.
It sounds plausible and it pretty well illustrates the effects of socialism, but I'm having trouble locating the origin of this story so I can determine whether it really happened or not. It would be much stronger if it really happened. It's just an interesting theoretical story if it did not.

Specifically, what I want to know is:
What was the name of the professor?
What year did this happen?
Who's the 'dad' in the story?
Who's the son or daughter writing the story?

facts, facts, facts..... where are the facts?

i'm sick of people comparing socalism to liberalism. First off our country always has and always will be a mix of capitalism and socalism.

Second liberals do not want everything to be redistributed equally. Liberals want everyone to have access to equal opportunity so that they can suceed if they work hard and earn it.

Aliberal proffesor would never pass/fail a class alltogether because liberals believe the students who studied and worked hard to earn an a should get an a and the lazy students who did not study should get an F. However a liberal proffesor would believe that each and every student should have access to all the same opportunites that were avaliable in order to maximize sucess. For example if some of the students were unable to afford the booksneeded to study for the test then acces to the book should be made avaliable to them.

[willieb3]

As an educator at an institution of higher learning, I can tell you that to change the grading rubric for any class you would have to first get the consent of ALL the students. Even if that happened, I doubt that it would get past the administration.
I agree with rgpizza on a couple of points. First, our educational system is competitive by nature, normalizing grades is inconsistent with the prevailing educational paradigm in this country, regardless of grade level. Second, this country is, and has always been, a combination of captialism and socialism. I can't think of a country where this is not the case. It is, therefore, not a question of either/or that defines a country's financial structure, but the degree to which they embrace a given philosophy.
It is hard for many to not equate liberalism with socialism when it is the liberal left that is pushing for what many would consider a socialist agenda. An $819 billion dollar "economic recovery" package laden with special projects for individual districts throughout the country, a new 3.6 TRILLION dollar budget that, most famously, seeks to create a government run health care system, coupled with increased governmental control over previously private concerns (General Motors and AIG leap to mind) all seem to be moving in a decidedly socialist direction. I could go on with more examples, but I would be here for hours. Even european leaders, whose economies are far more socialist oriented than ours, are reluctant to embrace the push by the Obama administration for infusing more money into the private sector.

[PhantomPholly]

First off our country always has and always will be a mix of capitalism and socalism.

...this country is, and has always been, a combination of captialism and socialism.

(bold mine)

Wow, what a surprise - two brand-new-to-the-site liberals posting a phony history of the United States. Never would have seen that coming...

Of course, they MIGHT not be intentionally lying - maybe they are just both young and have only read the distorted histories written by other Liberals.

For those of you out there who truly do not know that Socialism is a recent phenomenon in the United States, and that before it we were not only happy but vastly richer than those people in other countries, I recommend you read the Constitution. Pay particular attention to the fact that the Constitution specifically prohibits any action (and, by extension, any budget from tax monies) not SPECIFICALLY granted by that document. Transference of wealth from one group to another is NOT a power so granted in that document.

The document has not changed in that regards - what has changed is that unethical Socialist legislators have tested the waters over time and discovered that no one is stopping them from breaking the rules (at least not consistently). In turn they have sought out Chief Justices who are willing to turn a blind eye to their insatiable desire to extend the powers of government.

[armylifer]

Liberals, socialist and conservatives....non-biased teachings right here. http://www.snopes.com/college/exam/socialism.asp

Truth be told, if socialism worked then why are all the sociaist countries residents struggling? Why are those that are able doing everything they can to come to the USA? It isn't beause of the political scenery....