ML20207C623

Staff Exhibit S-1,consisting of Summary of IE 810811 Investigation Rept HQS-81-003 Re Alleged Cheating on Operator Licensing Exams,Conducted on 810724-31

ML20207C623
Person / Time
Site:	Three Mile Island
Issue date:	06/25/1986
From:	Baci P, Gilbert E, Rich Smith NRC OFFICE OF INSPECTION & ENFORCEMENT (IE REGION I), NRC OFFICE OF INSPECTION & ENFORCEMENT (IE)
To:
References
CH-S-001, CH-S-1, NUDOCS 8607210405
Download: ML20207C623 (4)

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• Aub .1 00 m . . . . . =' uniic" REPORT OF INVESTIGATION I M.17 A9:21 TITLE:

Three Mile Island Nuclear Gemcating Station, Unit 1/ Investigation of A119@W6:ehin$n .

Operator Licensing Examinations BRANCH CASE NUMBER: HQS-81-003 SUPPLEMENTAL: Docket Number 50-289 PERIOD OF INVESTIGATION: July 24-31, 1981 STATUS OF INVESTIGATION: Closed

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INVESTIGATORS: Chd C mci $ /i, / tl Edward C. Gilbert, Staff Investigator Investigations Branch, EI Staff ,

Office of Inspection and Enforcement .

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EI Staff, Region I Office of Inspection and Enforcement 8607210405 860625 PDR G ADOCK 05000289 PDR l

TEPORT REVIEWED BY: /r // r///

N Gfiam J. Warg Chief

Investigationf Branch, EI Staff

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Fmn Office of Inspection and Enforcement Elis'l'Yt kt& - -

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SPECIAL HANDLING INSTRUCTIONS

.he Director,e.0ffice of Inspecticn and Enforcement has detemined that public release of this report would be clearly invasive of the personal privacy of persons named herein. Accordingly, this document is exempt -

from public disclosure in accordance with exemption 7(C) Freedom of Infomation Act.

This report may not be reproduced or publicly released without the approval of the Director, Office of Inspection and Enforcement or his designee.

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SN?ARY Se ween April 21 and 24, 1981, the NRC variously administered reactor operator (RO) and senior reactor operator (SRO) examinations to a total of 36 individuals seeking NRC licensing in connection with the proposed restart of the Three Mile lsland (TMI) Unit 1. During the grading and review of the examination results in July 1981, marked similarities indicative of cheating were discerned in the e:;say-style answers submitted by two of the examinees.

Accordingly, an investigation was conducted to ascertain 'whether cheating and/ ,

! or collusion occurred between these two individuals, and to establish whether there was evidence of similar improprieties by other individuals who took the examinations.

A thorough analysis and comparison of the RO and SRO exams submitted by the two suspected individuals confirmed the existence of numerous examples of blatant similarities in their written responses which clearly indicated they had conspired to cheat on both exams. A comprehensive review of the other R0 and SRO examinations administered between April 21 and 24,1981 revealed no evidence of additional irregularities / cheating by the remaining examinees.

Further, an analysis of mock" RO and SRO examinations administered on April 2 and 3,1951 disclosed additional similarities in the answers furnished by the two individuals in question. However, no improprieties were surfaced in the essay answers prepared by the other examinees.

During two initial interviews, both suspected individuals acknowledg'ed they ,

had sat next to each other at the same table on the RO and SRO examinations administered on April 23 and 24,1981, respectively. However, both denied knowledge of or participation in cheating in these or any other examinations.

rther, after being shown examples cf their answers, they conceded the presence obvious and distinct similarities for which they we.re unable to provide logical explanations.

Interviews of the NRC Resident Inspector at TMI who assisted in the monitoring of the exams and 11 of the remaining 34 individuals who took the exams revealed no information indicative of involvement in or knowle'dge of cheating during 'the RO and/or SRO exams. However, several of these individuals admitted the opportunity for cheating existed in some of the classrooms since NRC proctors were reportedly inattentive and/or absent for extended periods of time. In this regard, however, inquiries disclosed the examination sessions attended by the two suspected individ-uals received virtually 100 percent coverage by the proctors. Further, investi-gative efforts produced no evidence to indicate that the utility either knowingly attempted to facilitate cheating by any of its employees or had knowledge and/or suspicion of cheating prior to being apprised by the NRC.

During a subsequent interview, one of the suspected individuals provided a signed sworn statement wherein he admitted copying from the other suspected individual's answer sheets in both the " mock" RO and SRO exams and the NRC administered RO and j

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'.- ,SKQExalus. % esk.ned tQt in all exan6 the othet <rdvidgl us nted him by celiberately making his answer sheets available to him. Further, he stated that during the April 23 and 24, 1981 exams, they orally exchanged arswers and in one instance he passed a piece of scrap paper containing an answer to the other individual.

I a subsequent interview, the other suspected individual submitted a signed I arn statement in which he admitted being aware that the othef fediYidu?.I in question hade.. reached over and taken his answer sheets during both NRC administered R0 and SRO exams. However, he denied knowing whether the other individual actually copied from his answer sheets. Further, he continued -

to maintain that he, himself, had not cheated on these or any other examinations.

Based upon the information gathered during this investigation, the Director, Enforcement and Investigations Staff. IE:HQ, determined an enforcement decision could be made, and no additional investigative effort was warranted. Accordingly, this investigation is closed.

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