An Uncovered Plagiarist PDF

Preview

Summary

Download An Uncovered Plagiarist PDF

Description

Running Head: An Uncovered Plagiarist

An Uncovered Plagiarist Sydney Rowles Sheridan College

Page 1

An Uncovered Plagiarist

Page 2

An Uncovered Plagiarist

It is a common fact that nobody is perfect. Everyone makes mistakes, even honest ones. Many people claim that an honest mistake is an exception for everything. Yet there are mistakes that are more serious than others. Apologizing for bumping into someone or cussing in front of a parent may be sufficient, but when it comes to plagiarism, a simple sorry does not cover it. Emma Teitel, a third year student at Dalhousie University, believes she was treated unfairly and should not have been punished for unknowingly plagiarizing. Emma’s professor was correct in citing her for plagiarism because it explains clearly in the school policy that ignorance is never an exception, they have to treat every student fairly, and asking for pity is frowned upon.

Whether it’s accepting facebook’s new terms of service, wanting to use expired coupons at the local superstore, or signing a waiver to go on a school trip, nobody seems to take the time to read the fine print. The same applies to plagiarism policies in schools today. One could argue that the policies are too long or are too hard to understand, but that does not give them the excuse to abuse the policy since it is still their choice that they did not decide to read it fully and carefully. Teitel makes a fair point of how in universities today, ‘honesty…has nothing to do with a large number of errors that qualify as academic plagiarism’ (Teitel, 2011, p.2) and that ‘it should be full of intent’ (Teitel, 2011, p.2). Unfortunately, to counteract Emma’s beliefs, Sheridan’s Academic Integrity Policy states that ‘a lack of awareness of the Academic Integrity policy and/or Procedure is not an acceptable explanation for a breach under this policy’ (Academic Integrity Policy, 2016, p.2). Therefore, it does not matter if there was intent or not, the information was still copied over.

An Uncovered Plagiarist

Page 3

Teitel might have thought the information she was accused of plagiarising was common knowledge, but all students must be treated fairly and given the same punishment, whether the mistake was intentional or not. In her specific case, ‘it was determined that [she] would attend a 90-minute session on intellectual property, as well as fail the assignment’ (Teitel, 2011, p.2) which in most minds, sounds fair. Yet she was consistently complaining about how it was a complete waste of time and how she intensely prepared herself for a simple two minute meeting. If she truly wanted to challenge the authorities about this issue, these complaints should not even be included and used as a argument. It clearly states that ‘all members of the Sheridan community including Faculty, Staff and Students are required to follow the Academic Integrity Policy and Procedure in the event that there is a suspected breach of academic integrity by a Student.’ (Academic Integrity Policy, 2016, p.1) in Sheridan’s Policy. She is not the only person being affected by these rules and regulations.

Although Emma seems to have accepted the punishment she was given by her professors, she nevertheless uses an extreme example to show how students at other schools can be unfairly punished for plagiarising to help her case. The story of Allison Routman, ‘a college student who was taking the University of Virginia’s “Semester at Sea” course, …was convicted of plagiarism, immediately expelled from the program and then abandoned at the next port.’ (Teitel, 2011, p.3), does show how there are schools who may take the policy a little too far, but that school has its own plagiarism policy and should not be used to plead for pity. Teitel is a third year college student and should have known better not to plagiarize and simply accept the consequences, rather than challenge them. To further this statement, Sheridan’s Academic Integrity Policy says:

An Uncovered Plagiarist

Page 4

‘a finding that a breach of academic integrity has occurred will lead to the imposition of a range of sanctions as detailed in the supporting Academic Integrity Procedure. [This policy] promot[es] an environment of academic integrity that values honesty, trust, fairness, respect, responsibility, and courage’ (Academic Integrity Policy, 2016, p.2). This means that the policy affects everyone equally; it does not target specific people and give them worse punishments than others.

In conclusion, Emma Teitel was rightfully accused for plagiarizing by her professor. Even though it was an honest mistake and she did not intend to abuse the policy, ignorance is never an excuse. She should have read over the policy before hand, and after being accused, she should have taken full responsibility for her actions and accepted all consequences. Challenging the authorities is never a good idea and plagiarizing is a very serious offence. People who further test the limits of the policy might begin to persuade the board of governors to change and tighten the existing laws to be more strict.

References

An Uncovered Plagiarist

Page 5

Academic Integrity Policy. (September 1, 2016). The Sheridan College Institute of Technology and Advanced Learning. Pages 1-6. Teitel, Emma. (November 8, 2011). I was a Plagiarist. Maclean’s. Pages 1-3....