I signed this very Pro-American petition

[Rose Immortal]

Plagiarism can be a sign of very serious ethical problems of other kinds.

While I've not personally seen the evidence, a professor claimed there was some flagrant plagiarism among my own classmates in grad school. I am inclined to believe it because among any large body of students you're likely to get at least one who thinks that's acceptable. But the OTHER reason I believe it is because I have seen students in my class, in public presentations, suggest it's OK to lie in job interviews to make yourself look like someone you're not, and I also saw some quotes from an anonymous survey of the class that showed a shocking lack of regard for business ethics in general. I am convinced that there is at least one future Kenneth Lay or Jeff Skilling in my class, if not a few.

The plagiarism was just the tip of the iceberg with my class. And this may help to explain why I can't trust a word Ward Churchill says, because at least anecdotally, I've seen how plagiarism can be a sign of bigger ethical trouble--much like animal abuse can be a sign of the ability to abuse and kill humans later on, if unchecked.

 

[pek1]

Reba and Rose,

Last year I was attending Minnesota State University-Moorhead and a student wrote a letter to the editor of the student newspaper saying that his own rights were being violated if he had to submit his work to the professor through a website that checked for plagiarism. To an extent, I agree, but at the same time, his work should not be copied by those who check him for the sole reason of collecting new information and claim it as their own.

On the other hand, especially with regard to testing...I'm at a different university now and the professors come in with their TA's and assign seats. When I go to the Access Center for testing, supposedly there is a camera on me while testing, but I don't bring anything with me to the test. My cell is turned off and left in their office and I have no other papers with me.

With regard to testing, I have thought of ways to combat the cheating. One way is to have the professor or TA approach the student while testing and take the exam away from them on the spot and declare, "you're through!" The other one is to watch for the student when he/she brings it up when completed and rip it in half in front of student, signifying a failed exam. This university has taken beatings because of the Twin City campus because a woman employee down there helped quite a number of the athletes do their school work, including taking exams and papers for classes. The athletic department paid her to do it.

 

[Reba]

Very sad situation.

 

[Dennis S.]

Reba and Rose,

Last year I was attending Minnesota State University-Moorhead and a student wrote a letter to the editor of the student newspaper saying that his own rights were being violated if he had to submit his work to the professor through a website that checked for plagiarism. To an extent, I agree, but at the same time, his work should not be copied by those who check him for the sole reason of collecting new information and claim it as their own.

On the other hand, especially with regard to testing...I'm at a different university now and the professors come in with their TA's and assign seats. When I go to the Access Center for testing, supposedly there is a camera on me while testing, but I don't bring anything with me to the test. My cell is turned off and left in their office and I have no other papers with me.

With regard to testing, I have thought of ways to combat the cheating. One way is to have the professor or TA approach the student while testing and take the exam away from them on the spot and declare, "you're through!" The other one is to watch for the student when he/she brings it up when completed and rip it in half in front of student, signifying a failed exam. This university has taken beatings because of the Twin City campus because a woman employee down there helped quite a number of the athletes do their school work, including taking exams and papers for classes. The athletic department paid her to do it.

In your example above, I don't see how a student's rights could be violated. You say you agree with him, when all he's doing is having an automated system check to ensure that his paper isn't on a list of plagarized papers. His rights have nothing to do with his paper, he's not going to be arrested or fined. He probably had to sign something upon entrance to the university that plagarism would get him expelled or an automatic fail. So what's the problem?

I don't see how your proposals to combat the cheating will work. Cheating is not ususally something that is detected during the time of taking the test. It's pretty much always AFTER the test is completed that cheating can be detected. So why bother to tear up the test or take it away?

The current system I have seen in place today is what works -- detect the cheating by whatever reasonable and appropriate means necessary, and expel or fail the perpetrators after investigation.

 

[pek1]

In your example above, I don't see how a student's rights could be violated. You say you agree with him, when all he's doing is having an automated system check to ensure that his paper isn't on a list of plagarized papers. His rights have nothing to do with his paper, he's not going to be arrested or fined. He probably had to sign something upon entrance to the university that plagarism would get him expelled or an automatic fail. So what's the problem?

I don't see how your proposals to combat the cheating will work. Cheating is not ususally something that is detected during the time of taking the test. It's pretty much always AFTER the test is completed that cheating can be detected. So why bother to tear up the test or take it away?

The current system I have seen in place today is what works -- detect the cheating by whatever reasonable and appropriate means necessary, and expel or fail the perpetrators after investigation.

His own "artistic" rights in a paper, whatever that means.