[Nerull]

The subject says it all.

I am taking a COBOL class, and the final project was a group project. I worked on it with two guys who I had just met in class. One of them barely worked on the project (working full time and many church functions), while the other one is pretty much leaving town after this semester to go to San Diego. Which means, very simply, I wrote most of the program. I finished the rough program on 11/18/03, and sat down with the guy leaving for San Diego the next night and hammered out most of the final program (there were a few validation tests that we had problems working out). I forgot to bring a disk big enough to fit the new program (had a bunch of stuff on mine, and barely fit the rough program), so he put it on his disk, told me that he and the other guy would fix the stuff and finish the program with the other guy, and we would turn it in on due date (12/2/03). The next time I saw either guy was on the due date, where we printed our output and put with his disk to be turned in. I still to this day never got a copy of the program that I wrote.

Today, after taking my final, I was called over by the instructor, along with two members of another group. The reason is because we had identical projects! They pretty much turned in my code that I had written. The two of them were pretty clueless; they had barely worked on it themselves, and stated that the other two guys in their group did most of the work (I believe it, too; I could tell from the way they were describing things). The other two guys in the group are party buddies with the guy in my group that is leaving to San Diego (the one who had the disk). However, here I am having to tell the instructor that it was my code, and that I was clueless as to how it got to their group (the other group finished their stuff the day it was due). Of course, she spoke to all three of those other guys individually before we walked up, and they denied the whole thing. I think the instructor believes me when I stated that I did not have the code at all, and gave it to the other guy, but still it begs the question how my code got to these other guys who I do not even know.

But here I am being investigated for academic dishonesty; I have an MBA, and am working on my second bachelors, and never have I done such a thing. And worse, this is the SECOND time this has happened in a computer class with me (once again in a group project). At least the last time they got the girl to confess. I had to tell the instructor that (I just told her the truth on everything that happened).

It just really ticks me off that I can't trust anyone. I hope everything works out for the best, but potentially I could get screwed because this *#@% who is getting ready to take off to another part of the country had to give his buddies my work. Potentially, I can get expelled over this (I doubt it will happen, but I'd end up getting no credit for the course at the very least). But still, I already had little faith in others (after getting screwed repeatedly in the past), but to get burned like this pretty much makes me want to hunt this guy down and work off a little anger on him (I know better than that, but ten years ago I might have done just that).

Any suggestions on how to clear my name on this? It just really irks the hell out of me that I have to defend myself like this (this is the second time this week I got screwed; I got burned by a mechanic earlier this week (charged too much on labor) and my car still doesn't work right).

While I'm waiting for responses, I'll be playing my evil party in BG2 (the one I only play when I'm pissed off at the world).