Professor Stephen Schoenthaler gave his students a difficult assignment, made it easy for them to cheat and then got the predictable outcome.

By fabricating results of a telephone poll, many of his students cheated. But this was no mere exercise in academia. Those enrolled in Criminology 3120 at California State University, Stanislaus, were compiling research that would be used by a judge to help determine whether Scott Peterson could get a fair trial in Stanislaus County. Peterson's life hangs in the balance, so a fair trial is of the highest necessity.

We believe Judge Al Girolami made the right decision in moving the trial from Modesto, no matter where it is eventually conducted. In addition to being exposed to massive publicity and the media circus around the case, thousands of Modesto area residents have a real or emotional connection to the families involved.

Nothing in the purported research by Schoenthaler's students alters that assessment.

Still, offering such unsubstantiated research to the court and public was outrageous. Schoenthaler and many of his students get a failing grade. Here's why:

Any professor who uses undergraduates to conduct research must be responsible for verifying the results before making them public. He did not.

Students often put off assignments until the last minute. Many used that excuse for deciding to fabricate their results. Others said duping some results was not really cheating, but simply taking a "shortcut." All of their rationalizations are unacceptable.

The student who decided to turn in only the results she obtained, taking a lower grade, was the only person interviewed by The Bee who did the right thing. It is likely some of the other students actually fulfilled the assignment, which is what should be expected.

Stan State administrators were right to launch an immediate investigation. In order to regain credibility, they must make public their findings and whatever action they will take to assure the reliability of future research projects. The university's reputation as a regional resource is at stake.