Thursday, November 17, 2011
THURSDAY’S CHILD
Director Martin Scorsese and actor Danny DeVito turn 69 and 67 today, respectively. Letʼs hope these two goodfellas have a sunny day.
TODAY IN HISTORY
On this day in 1973, President Nixon told a group of reporters “Iʼm not a crook” in the midst of the infamous Watergate scandal.
QUOTE OF THE WEEK
“I shouldnʼt have showered with those kids.” Jerry Sandusky, former Penn State football coach, claiming that while heʼs innocent of sex abuse charges, he did “horse around” and touch children
Plagiarism During Finals: What Students Needs to Know
By JULIE CANDIO SEKEL Staff Writer As final papers and exams are quickly approaching, students are increasingly concerned about being able to designate enough time to end-of-semester assignments. For many professors, finals serve as a culmination of all the materials students have learned in their courses and an opportunity for students to exhibit their newfound knowledge. While students deal with the stress of a heavy workload, some professors are experiencing a different type of anxiety: the concern over student plagiarism. With an increase in technology, students have access to a broader range of information and can even purchase full academic papers online. But the Internet also provides resources for professors to detect plagiarism through paper submission websites like turnitin.com. Professor Cherie Ann Sherman uses turnitin.com in her Ethics and Business and Computer Law and Ethics classes. She said the site is “very effective” because it ensures “that students are submitting their own work.”
It is important students submit original work and learn the rules of plagiarism now, Sherman explained, because when students enter the workforce, the consequences for plagiarism will be even more severe. “Plagiarism at work might lead to an individual being fired or prosecuted legally,” she said. But few students know that academic dishonesty cases in college can be grounds for legal matters. These consequences are discussed in the College Catalog, posted on the Ramapo website, under the “Academic Policies” section. Legal rights provide only one example of what current students may not be aware of regarding the College’s policies on academic integrity. With this in mind, students may want to ask themselves how much they know about Ramapo’s rules on plagiarism.
Did You Know… … Faculty members are responsible for instructing students on plagiarism? According to Ramapo’s academic policies, faculty mem-
bers “are responsible for educating their students about the importance of academic integrity and for communicating to students their expectations with respect to academic integrity in course work.”
…You cannot submit a paper to more than one class without both professors’ consent? The school’s regulations state that academic misconduct includes “submitting written work (in whole or in significant part) to fulfill the requirements of more than one course without the explicit permission of both instructors.”
… The college expects full disclosure of any knowledge you have regarding classmates who plagiarized? As the website reads, “To ensure due process, any member of the Ramapo community who is aware of violations of the College’s academic integrity policy is expected to report the
Relay for Life Kicks Off Fundraising Efforts with a ‘Blitz’
By ALEXIS LOPEZ Staff Writer Ramapo College’s Relay for Life committee held its first “Blitz Week” celebration, beginning Monday, to raise awareness about cancer, provide information, and get participants signed up for the March event. In past years, the committee has only organized a one-day event, called “Kick-Off,” but this year’s festivities have been expanded to a weeklong series of events on campus in order to reach out to as many students as possible. “With the extended week of events, we are trying to show the students of Ramapo College all the facets of Relay itself: games, survivors, fundraising, purple, and a whole lot of fun,” said senior Alexis Salim, spirit sub-committee chair for Relay for Life. “With only the one-day Kick-Off event, we weren’t able to try and capture the attention of the whole student body, whereas with events all week all throughout campus, we are able to get the word out to more people,” she said. Senior Brendan Flanagan, publicity sub-committee chair for Relay, agrees, and said he is looking forward to seeing how the added events will help the committee reach its future goals. “Moving from just a day of Kick-Off to Blitz Week has definitely given us a better chance to celebrate our victories as well as further our new goals,” he said. Blitz Week isn’t just about getting people signed up for Relay, however, according to committee members. They have many other important goals in mind that they are hoping to achieve, including getting the word out about Relay and the American Cancer Society, said Flanagan. “Yes, we hope that people sign up for Relay, but we also hope people take something away from Blitz Week, whether that is a new understanding of how Relay contributes to the fight against cancer or even a greater understanding of what life with cancer is like,” he said. Other Relay committee members have their own goals for this year’s event. One of the committee chairs, senior Jackie Katz, said her hope is to “expand Relay spirit even more than it has been in the past, get people pumped for Relay, and make Relay a part of Ramapo culture.” “Blitz Week” started with “Kick-Off” in the Student
photo by Joshua Wanger
In years past, the Relay for Life committe has held a one-day fundraising event. With a full-fledged “Blitz Week” this year, the goal is set to $75,000.
Center, where information was passed out to students and professors about the event, and a special Relay late-night at The Birch Tree Inn. At both events, computers were also set up, which allowed students to register for the event online and join a team. According to Flanagan, Tuesday’s “Mission Relay” and “An Evening with Cancer” events were more about raising awareness of the disease itself than spreading information about the College’s Relay. At “An Evening with Cancer,” Margaret Valenti, an oncology nurse, spoke about her experiences with cancer patients,
see PLAGIARISM on page 5
and a panel of three cancer survivors gave insight, answered questions and shared their personal experiences with the disease. Maggie Rogers, senior and sub-committee chair for survivorship, and cancer survivor herself, supported this event’s cause. “Besides the handful of student survivors on campus, most students forget how lucky they are to be healthy,” she said. Blitz Week concluded with a Team Captain Recognition Dinner took place yesterday night, and tonight’s annual “Smash the Habit” volleyball tournament, sponsored by Colleges Against Cancer. All of the proceeds from the tournament will also go to the American Cancer Society. “We tried to appeal to different student’s interests by incorporating a sporting event, as well as a late-night and speaker,” said Christina Urciuoli of Blitz Week, the team development sub-committee chair for Relay for Life. All of these interactive Blitz Week events are just a preface to the actual Relay for Life event that will take place on March 30 to 31. Relay is an all-night event dedicated to celebrating survivors of cancer and their caregivers and remembering and honoring those who lost the fight. Last year, Relay for Life surpassed their goal of $69,000 and raised $72,000 in total for the American Cancer Society. This year’s goal has been set at $75,000. The committee has just announced the event’s Olympic theme this year, and members are hopeful that with the continued success of Blitz Week, this year’s Relay for Life will be better than in years past. “We work hard each year to make Relay bigger and better than the year before,” said junior Ashley Beaton, mission sub-committee chair and president of Colleges Against Cancer. “With all of the enthusiasm and passion amongst the 75 or so of us on committee, it would be impossible for this year’s Relay to be anything but spectacular.” Salim is adamant that working together is the only way to face this disease. “Although Relay is in the name, the only race we are running is the one against cancer, which we can only beat by working together,” she said. alopez3@ramapo.edu