Eugene's Dilemma

Eugene Meltsner's first day in the computer department at Campbell Community College comes with a surprise: his new assistant is Nicholas, an eleven-year-old genius from the state orphanage who will be sent back if the college's program fails. Then a routine check turns up trouble... a student's F has quietly become an A. Eugene digs in and uncovers the scheme - students all over campus are paying Richard Maxwell to fix their grades, and Maxwell has been forcing Nicholas to do it by threatening to have him shipped back to the orphanage. Instead of turning Nicholas in, Eugene stays late to secretly restore every grade - and gets caught in the act. Hauled before the College Board of Inquiry, Eugene refuses to defend himself rather than sink Nicholas, until the boy bursts in and tells the board everything. Maxwell is expelled, Nicholas gets to stay, and Eugene loses his job - only to be welcomed back to Whit's End by Whit himself, who has seen exactly what kind of person Eugene is.

Found on Daring Deeds, Sinister Schemes Album 05 · 12 episodes

The run See every episode

1 of 2 0070 The Return of Harley A bored boy who craves real-life adventure gets his wish when a motorcycle ride with an old friend leads him to something he was never meant to see.

2 of 2 0071 The Return of Harley A boy nobody believes and a missing motorcycle cop become the loose threads that could unravel a criminal operation hidden in the hills above Odyssey.

0072 An Encounter with Mrs. Hooper A nervous girl on a church visit is assigned the one resident of the Odyssey Retirement Hall that everyone warns her about - a bitter old woman who wants no friends.

0073 A Bite of Applesauce When curiosity collides with a secret room at Whit's End, one forbidden computer program proves too tempting to leave alone.

1 of 2 0074 Connie Goes to Camp A new camp counselor's already-chaotic first week at Camp What-A-Nut takes a frightening turn when a stormy overnight campout brings missing campers and strange shadows outside the tent.

2 of 2 0075 Connie Goes to Camp At Camp What A Nut, counselor Connie must deal with two runaway campers, a cabin quarrel over annoying habits, and a boys-versus-girls competition that brings out the worst in everyone.

0076 Eugene's Dilemma A young genius's first day at his new college computer job takes a dark turn when a routine grade check uncovers tampering that someone close to him would rather keep buried.

1 of 2 0077 The Nemesis A smooth-talking newcomer petitions the Odyssey Town Council to open a children's amusement house, while Connie agonizes over whether she can face Whit again after being fired.

2 of 2 0078 The Nemesis A job interview with a too-charming stranger and a mysteriously arranged meeting set Odyssey's fate in motion on the day of a pivotal town council vote.

0079 Our Best Vacation Ever! When the family budget rules out a summer trip, the Barclays discover that a real vacation might not require going anywhere at all.

0080 A Prisoner for Christ Hiding out at Whit's End after ruining Eugene's college project, Nicholas takes a test ride in the Imagination Station and lands in ancient Rome, where he's swept into the flight of a runaway slave with a slave catcher hot on their heels.

0081 Good Business When a coveted dress proves too expensive for her allowance, Robyn sets out to find a way to make lots of money without actually working for it.

0082 Heatwave During a sweltering Odyssey heat wave, a self-styled kid detective in a trench coat drags his reluctant sidekick into investigating a mysterious boy who disappears into the woods every day with an armload of lumber.

Featured characters

Minor characters & crew 3 more roles

3 supporting roles

Mr. Burglemeister Parley Baer Thomas Grayson Parley Baer Ralph Harris Steve Harris

Made by

Chris Anthony Host Paul McCusker Writer · Director Bob Luttrell Sound Designer · Producer Chuck Bolte Executive Producer

The story

Read the full synopsis 3 min

Eugene Meltsner has landed a new job in the computer department at Campbell Community College, and his boss, Mr. Burglemeister, walks him through the building on his first day. The tour ends at a locked room that houses the computer security division, where the college keeps its financial records and every student's grades. Sitting quietly at one of the terminals is Nicholas Adamsworth, an eleven-year-old who can report his own age down to the minute. Nicholas is part of a test program the college has started for children with unusually high intelligence, and he will be working for Eugene.

Nicholas explains that the program was created for children from the state orphanage, where he has lived since his parents died. If he fails, the college will shut the program down and send him and the other children back. He admits that he has never been sure he fits in anywhere, and that being tucked away in the computer room is simply what the college does when it does not know what else to do with him. Eugene, who began his own college studies at thirteen, understands more than he lets on.

Burglemeister asks Eugene to run a random check of student grades to be certain they have been entered correctly, and the check turns up something strange. Kenneth Ellis has an F on the paper report and an A on the screen, even though nobody was supposed to touch the record after it was filed. Nicholas suggests a bug, or a coincidence, and urges Eugene not to think too hard about it. Eugene keeps thinking anyway. He also meets Richard Maxwell, a smooth-talking student who serves as Nicholas's counselor, works with computers, calls himself a renaissance man, and cheerfully informs Eugene that he had been in line for Eugene's job first.

That night Eugene realizes the computer keeps a record of everything, right down to the day and minute a change was made. The printout shows the grades were altered inside the locked room itself, and before Eugene can check the log, Nicholas confesses. He changed them. Maxwell arrives moments later and admits the whole scheme is his: students across campus have been paying to have their grades fixed, and Nicholas has been the boy with the access. Nicholas obeyed because Maxwell, as his counselor, threatened to write a bad report and have him sent back to the orphanage. Now Maxwell offers Eugene the same bargain. Speak up, and Nicholas is finished.

Eugene stays late, thinking, and finds a third path. Rather than reporting or staying silent, he has Nicholas write down every name and every original grade so the two of them can quietly put the records back the way they belong. It is, Eugene tells him, a way of making amends. What Eugene does not know is that Burglemeister has begun monitoring the department, and the report shows a great deal of activity late that night. Summoned to the office, Eugene is asked what he was doing. Changing grades, he answers, and offers nothing more.

Before the College Board of Inquiry, which can expel him or have him arrested, Eugene again refuses to defend himself, saying only that the department was his responsibility. One board member, John Avery Whittaker, has been reading the dates on page seven. The grade changing began almost two months ago, and until a little over a month ago Eugene was still working for Whit, which means Eugene cannot possibly be behind all of it. Pressed for the truth, Eugene will not give it up, because it is not only his future at stake. Then Nicholas comes running in, declares he does not care if they send him back, and tells the board everything.

Maxwell is expelled and leaves unrepentant, boasting that he has a better job lined up anyway. Nicholas is placed on indefinite probation and, to his enormous relief, is allowed to stay. Eugene is relieved of his college position and transferred into the care of a trustee - Whit himself, who invites him back to Whit's End, having watched him behave sacrificially all day and decided he has learned his lesson very well. Eugene begins an elaborate acceptance speech and is gently asked to just say yes. He does.