Skip to Content, Navigation, or Footer.
Support the IDS in College Media Madness! Donate here March 24 - April 8.
Thursday, March 28
The Indiana Daily Student

Out of cite, out of mind

Your professor wants an e-mail copy of that paper you turned in during class.\nMaybe the professor wants to sneak a peek while an assistant grades the paper, or make sure you're covered if the other copy gets lost.\nOr maybe they feel lonely without a full inbox.\nThink again.\nThey're probably checking for plagiarism.\nAs students find new ways to cheat with the Internet, professors are finding new ways to crack down with Internet searches and new software. On the University level, officials may create an internal program and subscribe to a commercial service to catch plagiarism.\nThe reason: Cases of academic dishonesty at IU have nearly tripled in the last five years, according to figures provided by the Dean of Students Office. Last year, there were 293 cases of academic dishonesty, compared to 102 for 1997-98. About half of the cases are for plagiarism.\nSo why the increase?\nDean of Students Richard McKaig says it's a combination of greater vigilance by professors and more cheating by students, both facilitated by the Internet.\n"I don't know if they're doing it with evil in their heart," McKaig said, "but they may not know how to document it."\nInvariably, plagiarism comes up on the first day of class as the professor reviews the syllabus.\nBut threats of failing grades fall on deaf ears as students rush to find out whether the prof takes attendance.\nThough some professors don't emphasize the consequences of plagiarism in class, many are turning to the Teaching and Learning Technology Lab.\nOne of the lab's current initiatives is to develop a pilot program for IU that would check papers for plagiarism, said TLTL Director David Goodrum. Some IU departments have started keeping files of student papers, while others simply Google search suspicious phrases.\n"It's just as easy for the faculty member to detect (plagiarism) on the Internet as it was for the student to find it," said Pam Freeman, associate dean of students.\nRude Awakening\nAbout 400 residents of Willkie Quad's North Tower got a rude awakening early Wednesday.\nA student accidently set off a sprinkler head by hanging clothes on it, flooding rooms and leading to the evacuation of about 400 students at 1:40 a.m.\nRPS officials said this incident and another flood, caused by a system malfunction, are valuable lessons for students and administrators as IU installs sprinkler systems in every dorm.\nCurrently, only Willkie and Eigenmann Center have sprinkler systems. In the next 10 to 15 years, though, the systems will be installed in every residence hall.\nThe safety feature is well-worth the $2 million price tag per dorm, considering three students were killed in a dormitory fire in 2000 at Seton Hall University in New Jersey.\nDespite the early morning hassle, it's good to know the system works.

Get stories like this in your inbox
Subscribe