[EricH]

Originally Posted by firstbots195

These trips are a time for students to build character values such as being responsible and following a simple curfew. If we are taped inside of hotel rooms then we learn none of these values. We will simply become lunatics at every instance we are trusted and given freedom.

Unfortunately, there are those who don't "become lunatics" when given freedom. I would say that there are teams out there that have "troublemakers" on them. These kids may not need to deliberately do stupid things to get into trouble (i.e. they just do them without thinking). Any trouble is then blamed on the group. So the tape will enable the group to figure out who caused trouble or might have done so. Are these trips a time to build character? Yes. But I can understand why tape is used; the team/group doesn't want to run the risk of "Hey, you guys did xyz, don't come back ever again" when it was one or two students that were AWOL from their rooms at night.

What one student does affects the whole team. "One bad apple spoils the barrel."