Cheating should not be tolerated

In reading the article, "Cheaters beware: scanner can detect plagiarism",I found myself irritated by a disturbing trend in handling plagiarism.

While students must not be punished without clear evidence that cheatinghas occurred, it is preposterous that (as cited in the article) incidentsinvolving students who submit identical work are dismissed as "not(knowing) what constitutes as cheating (sic)."

One simply cannot accept this excuse from any student educated in theAmerican school system. Additionally, while many foreign culturesencourage group collaboration, constant use of this fact as a defensegrows tiresome. In each of my courses, my professors have made thedistinct point that sharing work is considered plagiarism.

This is a research institution; academic integrity should be paramount.By letting cheating issues slide, we teach students that dishonesty pays.

Furthermore, the value of any honest student's degree decreases. Themorale of students who do not cheat in competitive classes dropssignificantly; students who do not have the benefit of collaborativeeffort may well achieve lower grades than those who take the "easy wayout."

It is completely appropriate to expel students for plagiarism. If theUniversity is concerned about plagiarism awareness, it should requirestudents to sign a statement of academic integrity which details theexpectations of the institution. It is then clear that the responsibilityto operate under the rules of the system belongs to the student.

It is ridiculous to accept the excuse that students don't understand whatcheating is. Students know what they can get away with. If we need tomake students aware of what allowable academic behavior is, fine. Let'seducate them. We must stop accepting "I didn't know better" as anexcuse.

We're all grown-ups here.

Krista Bennett
Graduate Student

Jischke's freshman year was probably better than yours

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Cheating should not be tolerated

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