I reported several students for cheating, will anything ever be done by the math dept? There was an elaborate scheme to cheat on an in-class final exam a couple of semesters ago.  Students in the back of the room set up an exam-swapping strategy: circle a problem that you didn't know how to do, and pass it along to someone who may be able to solve / prove it for you, and hand it back over to you.

I sat in the first row, so I had no clue about this until the end of the (very tricky and very long) exam.  The very old professor, charming, still very sharp, and very great at teaching, was busy grading algebra final exams from his other section of class that he taught that semester.  He was probably completely oblivious to the activity around the back of the classroom.

So, these students bragged with lots of chuckles and smiles, and I had told one person that he must report this; his answer was simply, "no, I can't, because I was in on it, too."

I met with the professor, whom I have a good relationship with, and he simply said thank you and that he'll report it to the Department.

He focused a bit more on his belief that "those students eventually won't be able to deliver the goods" and to "believe in karma, they will get theirs."

Is there any way the Department could have looked into this and done something about it?  I am at peace with what has happened, and I have moved on, but I am also curious about the internal workings of a respected math department, and how it deals with elaborate cheating schemes.
If you're curious how your department dealt with your report, here are some things you can do:


Ask this elderly professor what was done.  Ask him how many proctors he now brings with him to exams.
Observe exams given by this elderly professor at the end of this semester, to see if anything has changed.
Ask your department what they do to prevent cheating.  But first, familiarize yourself with your university's academic integrity policy.


Note that it is not too late to report your observation directly to your department.  Ask them to use a larger room, spread the students out, and bring proctors to the exam, to prevent problems.