Lander, WY – All finals at Wyoming Catholic College this semester are at a distance and while that allows all students to take the finals from the comfort of their homes, there are a lot of problems with the school’s current plan for finals-by-mail. Although school officials like the school’s executive vice president Saul H. Ciwoknot argue that “mail in finals are just as rigorous and just like voting, there’s an exceptionally small chance of fraud. Students take their final, drop in their mailbox, and never even have to look back.”

But how come there’s no concern from anybody, again, everybody, about potential fraud, absolutely massive fraud that is? Anybody could fill out one of the finals that are being mailed to students, or a student could take it early, or open book, or with a friend, or, hey, there’s nothing to stop a professor, a graudate, or a student’s parent from taking the final for them. What about the post office losing the final on its way to the student? Or after they mail it back to the school? What about student’s raiding the school’s mailroom and intercepting finals before faculty can retrieve them?

What about all of this? They say its safe and fraud free. But its only “safe and fraud free” because its never been done before. People said, and still say, the same things about mail-in-voting being safe and secure.

What if a student’s accidentally get sent a copy of the answers to a final? Or what if they call their friends while taking the final? What if they photocopy a friend’s final and submit that instead of their own?

What if? What if?

WCC has said nothing to make me in any way confident at all about mail in finals, and they don’t show any intention of doing or so. And its not just be that’s concerned. Several dozen concerned students have already written letters to professors alongside me, urging them to find ways to add security to the finals process.. How about requiring ID’s to accompany finals? Or signatures? Or some kind of proof and tracking to ensure finals both reach every student and that only one final is returned from each student, the final they themselves properly filled out and completed.

What’s more concerning is how other colleges and universities seem to think mail-in-finals are a cure all to ensure the academic process continues in spite of concerns over the coronavirus and students being afraid to take their finals in person.

According to a biology professor, Dr. Lame Burrito at Harvard University, “all colleges need to consider going WCC’s route for finals. It’s the only just way to have students take them, besides also being the easiest way for them and their professors. Mail-in finals also benefit the struggling US Postal Service, and saves trees since students won’t be using school-supplied toilet paper and paper towels while they’re taking their finals.”

Fraud is going to be everywhere this finals season, and there’s nothing WCC officials seem to be doing to stop it. We can only just hope that this problem doesn’t spread further.