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At Southwest Prep, a 9–12 day school in a suburban area of Phoenix, an Honor Council of students has been in place for several years. These students are selected by their peers to hear and consider disciplinary cases, and then make recommendations to the head of school. Sophomores, juniors, and seniors can serve on the council, which is composed typically of eight to ten students. The council considers a range of cases that could merit suspension as the most severe consequence, but it is not responsible for expulsion cases. Students selected for the council represent a wide spectrum of groups within the student body; in other words, they are not predominantly “the popular kids” or “the bookworms.” These students share the common traits of thoughtfulness and the ability to think clearly and articulate ideas capably.
It’s the beginning of the second semester of school. During the first semester, the Honor Council dealt with two plagiarism cases, and it is now confronted with another. Plagiarism is not rampant at their school, but it has been an ongoing concern among the faculty and administration. For the most part, teachers consistently explain definitions of plagiarism and the “dos and don’ts” of information gathering, especially from the Internet. They often revisit these ideas for particular assignments, as was the case recently in Nathan Trask’s U.S. History class for juniors. In that class, he assigned a research paper to start the semester, with a preliminary draft due two weeks into the term. Trask assigns four research papers for second semester U.S. History students, which means that almost every week, they’re working on some phase of the research process.
Lydia Webb is Trask’s most reserved student. Her records indicate a learning disability, which may account for why she rarely participates in class. Her grades last semester were adequate, but her writing skills need improvement. Consequently, Trask made a special point of speaking with her after the class during which he made the initial assignment two weeks ago. He wanted to be sure Lydia knew that he was available for help if she needed, and he wanted to confirm that she understood the assignment as well as the two-week time frame for producing the first draft. This explains why Trask was particularly dismayed when his TurnItIn software found large chunks of text in Lydia’s paper that had been taken directly from Internet sources. Upholding the school’s process, Trask reported the plagiarism to the Honor Council and informed Lydia that she would have to appear before them.
Lydia’s story is different from the two cases the Honor Council heard last semester. She is contrite about her plagiarism but explains that due to her learning disability, a family friend, Lucas Jacobs, frequently helps her with her schoolwork in an informal tutoring arrangement. Jacobs is a former college professor who has been involved in Lydia’s education since she started high school. She says that he frequently provides ideas and language for her writing, and that she has learned and improved under his tutelage. Lydia swears that she would never have cheated knowingly, and that she is grateful to Jacobs for his support. She admits as well that she got a late start on the assignment, and that this may have contributed to the problem. She composed much of the first draft the night before it was due, with significant “help” from Jacobs. Lydia is very concerned about “plagiarism” appearing on her college record. She does not feel that would be fair, since she had no idea that Jacobs had plagiarized.
The Honor Council believes that this is not a clear-cut case of deliberate plagiarism. It sees that Lydia thought she was doing right, even if Jacobs’ behavior was clearly wrong. Often, a “wrong act” will impose on someone else a right-versus-right dilemma. In this regard, the Honor Council recognizes that, on the one hand, it may be right to honor Lydia’s position and show lenience. On the other hand, it may be equally right to consider the larger community of students held accountable for this kind of cheating. Lydia has a learning disability that necessitates extra support on her behalf; moreover, she is an earnest student who wants to succeed. Is the council prepared to permit this innocent transgression to impact her future negatively? Clearly, if someone “gets help” from a fellow student next month and the material is similarly plagiarized, will the council display the same sympathy and provide the same response it has for Lydia? This feels like a slippery slope.
Consider these questions:
- Will the greatest good be served by sympathizing with Lydia or by discouraging others to cheat in this way?
- Which guiding principle is the one to invoke in this case? Which kind of precedent would be best to establish for future cases?
- If you were Lydia, what would you want the Honor Council’s decision to be?
Ultimately, the Honor Council decides that it must stick to the standard established for plagiarism despite the consequences for Lydia. They insist that she receive an “F” on the research draft and repeat the assignment, and that the incident be reflected in her record. In the view of the council, this provides the most good to the greatest number of people by deterring future infractions, and it sets the right precedent for future plagiarism cases. The council points out to Lydia that no matter where she gets her information, she must always express ideas in her own words.
Yet compassion prompts the council to seek a further set of consequences to address Lydia’s disability. The members suspect that she has a hard time approaching teachers for help and thus feels more comfortable with the “home tutoring” situation. They feel strongly that she is overly dependent on her tutor and must shift to sources of support that mirror more closely the resources on which she must rely in college. The Honor Council mandates that Lydia collaborate with her teacher on the repeat draft process, an action that is to be accomplished by meeting with Trask after school in a series of writing sessions. The council hopes this will help Lydia learn to meet deadlines, do her own work, and reach out to teachers for support in future.
© 2009 Institute for Global Ethics (IGE). All future rights reserved.