u- me 1VTcicgan Daily - Tuesday, April 19, 1994 Plagiarism case shows problems in judiciar rocess By HOPE CALATI DAILY STAFF REPORTER The mad dash. The final paper leaps off the disk, into the printer and flies into the professor's mailbox. The harried student breathes a sigh of relief. But can a student's stress level drop once the paper is safely tucked away in a box or on a desk? Political science major Sanjay Sunder would say the stress could just be beginning. After Sunder handed in his final paper in Poli Sci 428, his teaching assistant told him a fellow student handed in a paper remarkably similar to his. This example of plagiarism is one of 16 cases heard by the LSA academic judiciary board last academic year. Sunder said his paper was the original - complete with full citations. His classmate, Derek Brantley, handed in a similar paper, minus the citations. The teaching assistant said Brantey handed in his paper before Sunder. Sunder said this was impossible. The aca- demic review board came to an impasse and declared that someone did something wrong, but it could not decide which student. Neither student was punished, but Sunder had to wait more than a year to get his grade changed so he would receive credit for the course. Sunder has taken steps to modify the LSA academic judicial system. After his lawyer wrote the University, officials asked Sunder to aid in a review of the academic judiciary system."I want to make sure this doesn't happen to anyone else," Sunder said. An LSA student-faculty committee is also trying to fine tune the academic judiciary process . The committee claimed in a meeting last week that few faculty use the process. The committee recommended that academic standards be widely distributed to explain academic dishonesty at the University. LSA's Office of Academic Actions currently handles the nuts and bolts of academic misconduct cases through hearing boards. In the 1992-93 school year, 44 cases of academic mis- conduct were reported to Academic Actions. Half of these students were found guilty. An average of 23 students a year have been found guilty in the past decade. If the hearing board determines plagiarism or cheating is flagrant, the student will receive a one-semester suspen- sion. The student can apply for clemency. If the offense is less serious, the student may receive a notation on the transcript, be required to earn more credit hours before graduation or work hours of community service. The College of Engineering stands apart from other colleges with its student-enforced honor code. Plagiarism is avoidable, said Todd Gernes, a lecturer in the English Compostion Board. He said he has a strategy for avoiding plagiarism in his classes that seems to reflect some of the recommendations of the LSA student-faculty com- mittee. "A lot of the potential for cheating has to do with the way you teach and assign writing for your students. If you present writing in a way to promote collaboration, plagia- rism can be avoided," Gernes said. He asks his students to write several drafts of apaper. By the time a paper is handed in, it contains original thought - regardless of the origin of the original draft. "I think it is very important to teach what plagiarism is to students very specifically. Students come in very unsure about how to use their colleagues," Gernes said. "A lot of responsibility falls with the teacher." I'LL GIVE YOU A RING SACUA plans review of Office of Student Affairs By LISA DINES DAILY STAFF REPORTER As Chair Henry Griffin stepped down from his Senate Assembly post yesterday, the fac- ulty wrapped up another semester and planned for the future. The Senate Assembly -the faculty gover- nance board for the University - discussed a planned evaluation of the Office of Student Af- fairs. The assembly also received an update concerning the status of flexible benefits and faculty governance. U.. Yesterday, Maureen A. Hartford, vice presi- dent for student affairs, explained to the assem- bly the complexity of her office and suggested several possible methods for conducting the future review. Hartford noted that the office includes 1,251 regular staff members and 2,000 part-time stu- dent employees. The office includes the Housing Division, University Health Services and the Office of the Dean of Students. She said a review of all aspects of student affairs would take between 18 months and two years. Hartford urged the assembly to choose only one aspect to explore or to join the office in its current internal evaluation process. "I think we are learning a lot and giving ourselves a lot of feedback," she said. The assembly has not announced on which aspects of the office it will focus its review. U .. Griffin informed the assembly that the administration's committee to study flexible benefits - a proposed change in the health care provided to faculty and staff -- would make its report soon. He said the discussion with the committee at he last Senate Advisory Committee on Univer- ity Affairs (SACUA) meeting provided little isight into the controversial issue. SACUA is waiting for a report from the ssembly sub-committee studying the issue be- >re making its recommendation to the adminis- ration on behalf of the faculty. The assembly passed a motion to create aculty communication networks within each :hool at the University. The groups will meettwo to four times a year n order to discuss faculty concerns such as the urrent debate over flexible benefits. They will so communicate via e-mail. Senate Assembly member George Brewer aid there was a consensus among faculty to mprove the communication within the schools. le said the plan is flexible "so a school orcollege an do its improving in the way it sees fit." The communication groups are designed to eep the Senate Assembly in touch with the aculty in the schools that they represent. "The conclusion here does not add more )vernment but it adds an improved communi- ation system ... so central faculty governance an really stay in touch with what is going on in he schools and colleges," Brewer said. U.. In a final speech before the assembly, Griffin aged the members to try to work with the Iministration. "The Senate Assembly and SACUA should ot be constantly second-guessing the adminis- ation," he said. He added that the assembly needs to stay in ich with the faculty members it represents. Afterhis farewell remarks, Griffin passed the vel to the new ChairJean Loup, who closed the eeting. Rinpoche's inspiration for his own work in the United States comes from his personal relationship to the Dalai Lama. Despite his actual blood relation to the previous Dalai Lama, Rinpoche says he is "related to the Dalai Lama simply be- cause I am one of the Tibetans." He says that His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama has been instrumental in uniting Tibet as a family committed to the non-aggressive struggle for freedom. Thursday, April 21 at 7:30 PM at CrislerArena-Dalai Lama gives accep- tance speech upon receiving the Raoul Wallenberg humanitarian award. U. Friday, April 22, 1994 from 12 to 9 p.m. in the Michigan Union Ballroom - Tibetan carpet making, butter sculp- tures, wood carvings, Thangka painting, and nine square foot sand mandala. Tradi- tional Tibetan food will be available. Admission is free. Sunday, April 24,199411-1 p.m. in the Michigan Union Ballroom - Gelek Rinpoche, spiritual directorofJewel Heart, will give a public teaching expanding on the WhiteTara meditation practice. Ad- mission Free. Betty Williams, who works at CRISP, orders a 1994 class ring for her daughter from the Jostens jeweler in the basement of the Union. ..,. LAMA Continued from page 1 Americans through weekly lessons on the basic Buddhist principles of self-lib- eration, altruism, and quest for wisdom. "You don't have to shave your head or wear funny robes, or carry a Buddhist card to incorporate Buddhist principles into your life," he adds. Rinpoche believes that American sup- port is essential for the rebirth of Tibet as an independent nation. "Our nation is un- der duress," Rinpoche stated, explaining that Tibet has been an occupied nation since the Chinese invasion in 1950. "Tibet is obviously an independent nation in and of itself." The history of China's occupation of Tibet dates back to 1904, when the Chi- nese urged Tibet to "join" the Chinese Republic. In 1951, the Chinese govern- ment defeated the small Tibetan army and implemented a "17-point agreement" which abolished Tibet's right to an army and denied them social and political liber- ties. In 1959, the Tibetans revolted. Since then, more than 100,000 Tibetans have fled seeking safe havens in countries such as India, Switzerland, Canada and the United States. The passage to India is deadly in the winter, but many Tibetans fear that remaining in Chinese-occupied Tibet is even more dangerous. "We did not have a choice," Rinpoche remembers. "If we went backward, the Chinese would shoot, and if we went for- ward, the Indians might shoot." But India embraced the influx of refu- gees and lent the Tibetan nation-in-exile religious and social support. Sino-Tibetan tensions reached a breaking point in 1959, when China's cultural revolution outlawed all religion. His Holiness The Dalai Lama was forced into exile in Dharmsala, India creating a home for the Tibetan spiritual community away from their homeland. The Dalai Lama's Government-in-ex- ile, which represents 130,000 expatriates, is devoted to the liberation of Tibet through non-violent means. The peaceful liberation of Tibet will also be among the subjects His Holiness will discuss when he accepts the University's Raoul Wallenberg award for humanitarianism. The Dalai Lama's peaceful approach has garnered him national acclaim and attention, including the 1989 Nobel Peace Prize. Many nations recognize the Dalai Lama's efforts and condemn the Chinese occupation. Since the invasion, the U.N. has passed three resolutions calling atten- tion to human rights abuses occurring in Tibet. Despite high-profile world atten- tion, the situation in Tibet remains dismal. Rinpoche has not returned to Tibet since he fled in 1959, yet his commitment to improve conditions for his Tibetan brethren remains strong. Despite restricted access to Tibet, Jewel Heart has established schools for secular and religious education and re- stored deteriorating monasteries. In conjunction with the Dalai Lama's visit, Jewel Heart is sponsoring Ann Arbor's first Tibetan Arts Festival to show- case some Tibetan Buddhist traditions. Exhibits will include the butter sculptures of artist Soman Dhargay, as well as three 9 square-foot sand mandala "paintings." Proceeds from sales will fund more edu- cation efforts within Tibet. p rf your summr ;: {:}:. .flit {i ti. , 1 \!!" , '2 of1 j as a masochist. r tti"'"= : _:, r''" ii5}'". c h fi Ia1 weoesker Seb a!; at the University Club in the Michigan Union Saturday, April 30 9am-4pm Adults $13.95 Children 10 & under $5.95 Reservations recommended (313)763-4648 Call 8:30am-4:30pm, Monday-Friday SWWrter masochiW. Anyone considering giving up even a nanosecond of their summer to take a class must enjoy pain, right? But picking up credits (not to mention knowledge) when you have time on your hands makes sense. It makes even more sense to do it at Grand Valley State University. You can choose from over 1,000 class sections and three west Michigan loca- tions-Grand Rapids, Holland or Muskegon-and return to campus in the fall with a definite edge. But hurry, you only have until May 12 to register. And remember: No pain, no gain. 1,000 class sections. Three locations. Six and 12-week sessions. For more information about spring/summer class selection, campus locations and choice of sessions, call the GVSU Admissions Office. Confirm with vour unversity that all credits will transfer *fom"44 1 A$ CO INS. Co)e' 7