Accidental cheaters

We might not be cheaters at heart, but chances are, many of us have committed the ethical wrongdoing of plagiarism.\nAs students, we know the struggles of late night paper-writing. We do it all: essays, research compositions, articles.\nMultiple pages.\nAn abundance of stress.\nMaking sure we've included our works cited, bibliographies and attributions takes time, and it's usually time we don't have.\nHave no doubt, plagiarism is an extreme offense. Passing off someone else's hard work as your own is completely and ethically wrong. According to the IU Code of Student Rights and Responsibilities, section III, A-3 states, "A student must not adopt or reproduce ideas, words, or statements of another person without appropriate acknowledgment."\nA few simple minutes is all it takes to make mention of the names and locations of your sources to avoid academic disciplinary action.\nThe category of plagiarism in the code is open to interpretation, and in turn, every professor is likely to have his or her own level of stringency. While all students should be made acutely aware of the severity of plagiarizing, the general definition and description and varying class rules make it difficult for one to know where each line is drawn.\nWhen professors distribute their syllabi, they might extend the offer to discuss matters of plagiarism in office hours, but how many students have honestly taken the time to schedule an appointment to discuss an issue they believe they'll never have to face?\nThe University can't assume every student had the same English education prior to arrival on campus, or that everyone knows the differences between MLA, APA or AMA citations. Or that they even exist.\nIf students are so educated on the matter, why did the IDS report that the number of plagiarism cases on campus has increased each year since 1999, while 150 cases were reported to the Department of Student Ethics in 2002-03? Why did Sally Jones, Department of Student Advocacy Director, tell the IDS that in nearly 40 percent of IU cases, the student in question is shocked that his or her action was considered theft ("Lack of citations could be trouble," Oct. 3)?\nAs it's one of the worst offenses in academia, doesn't the steady increase indicate that incoming students need to be properly and formally educated about plagiarism here on campus? \nWithout universally applied guidelines, students often don't deal with the issue until called out when they unknowingly commit the act.\nFor one class, an essay might contain paraphrased information with an implied source resulting in the situation going unnoticed -- but when the same student repeats the action in another class, a professor might seek disciplinary action.\nIf the University wishes to see the first decline in plagiarism cases in nearly four years, it should make the code guidelines more strict and require that professors seek the same level of disciplinary action while effectively educating the student body on this ethically corrupt act.