...a thousand words

Joe strikes again. This time a different professor example for students who are supposed to be true catches him and handles the academic crime in the same manner as the first professor.

The trend continues and Student Joe continues to run free without original thoughts and without punishment. To make matters worse,his classmate, Student Sally, spent three sleepless nights working on the same assignments, turned in original work and failed just the same.

Professors that do not follow the Academic Honesty Policy make themselves vulnerable to issues of favoritism, too. The policy does not judge popular students, involved students, student ath· letes or any other type of student that may be favored or disfavored. Professors, human and subjective, could treat a case for an athlete differently from a case involving a quiet commuter. Is the bias

and honest, yes.

Professors who ignore the Academic Honesty ished, considering the actual rules of the policy. following policy and failing to set a true and honest Policy by handling plagiarism cases in their own manner are disgracing the academic integrity of the college. Instead of following the policy set forth in the student handbook, which calls for confidentiali• ty' and measures to avoid conflict of interest, professors make deals under the table to save students.

The college must work to stop repeat offenders from cruising through four years of valuable education without original thoughts by enforcing the policy and punishing students equally and in an unbiased manner, case by case. If the college continues to ignore the issue, it will not only be cheating students who steal the work of others but students who struggle to find their own words honestly.

It is absolutely unfair for professors to enforce the Academic Honesty Policy based on their on discretion. Perhaps professors should be penalized for not following the rules, too.

Of course, this argument is moot if students avoid plagiarism in the first place. In no way will plagiarism benefit the future of students. If students giarized work but not submit the violation to the aca- decision the fault of the professor? For forming an cannot think on their own now, we hope that they demic affairs office. Joe escapes relatively unpun- opinion of a student based reputation, no. For not don't expect to be able to perform in the future editor in chief Richard Magda managing editor Sharvon Urbannavage news editor Vince DeFruscio news editor Leanne Pantone a&e editor Ryan Mulloy features editor Shannon King perspectives editor Catharine Hernson sports editor Alexis Strizziere sports editor Cheryl Wagstaff photo editor Katie Reing web/copy editor Paul Williams adviser Dr. Jerome Zurek

Staff Writers Mary Adam, Heather Dilalla, Melissa DiPietrantonio, Jana Fagotti. Andrew Findlay. Kelly Finlan. Jaclyn Freese, Lauren Gatto, Rosemarie Gonzalez, Jamie Knobler. Cristin Marcy, Antonio Masone. Lauren Mineo, Stephanie Moritz, Kendall Neil, Ryan Norris, Jermaine O'Neil. Gina Peracchia, Christina Piselli, Amanda Snow, Anne Marie White

Staff Photographers Mary Adam. Beth Beswick, /Jirry Chan. Kim Clayton. David Cloud, Kristina Cooper, Michelle Crowley, Kit Dewey, Jim Dianond, Jamie Knobler, Jenna Lewandowski. Stephanie Moritz. Kendall Neil, Ti ff any Platt