the
Falcon’s Eye
Pfeiffer University http://media.pfeiffer.edu/falconseye/May13.pdf
May 2013
Plagued by Plagiarism By Jane Meyer
Copy and paste: a task that our generation has become pretty familiar with. But this simple act could be academically dangerous. This semester, there has been a dramatic increase in the number of plagiarism cases here at Pfeiffer. There was even a campus-wide email sent out to students warning of the consequences if they are caught. Why the recent increase? “There have been about fourteen cases in the past few weeks,” Dr. Jim Gulledge, Coordinator of the Honor Board, said. “In more than ten years, I have never seen a pattern like this before. These cases have been both individuals and groups. They are not limited to a particular discipline. We are not seeing students that are unaware of what they are doing. They admitted to cheating. I don’t know any legitimate reason for [the cases], but the consequences are terrible.” Pfeiffer’s Honor Code specifically states that plagiarism is a direct violation, and is a form of cheating. The student handbook defines plagiarism as “the appropriation and passing off as one’s own writings or ideas of another”. Some professors require their students to sign an Honor Pledge at the beginning of the semester stating that they have neither given nor received unauthorized help on any submitted work. “When students cut corners in life, it creates cracks for future circumstances,” Gulledge continued. “I worry about these students developing bad habits of dishonesty.
It can destroy your life. We want to confront students now and try to stop these behaviors.” Students are expected to submit work that is only their own, and always cite outside sources. Failure to do so may result in receiving a failing grade for a class, or even suspension from the University. The Honor Code also states that it is a student’s personal responsibility to report any violations of this code. Dr. Ashley Oliphant is one of several professors who has dealt with student plagiarism at Pfeiffer.
“Plagiarism is never worth the risk,” Oliphant said. “College is a place to learn about giving proper credit to sources, and the faculty at Pfeiffer is committed to helping students learn how to develop these skills. I would much rather answer student questions about citations and formatting than charge a student with a violation. Students with questions should always ask ahead of time.” A Pfeiffer freshman, who wished
continued on page 2