Case Study On A Matter Of Honor

It is vital to comprehend the similarities and differences between copyright infringement and plagiarism. Even though, copyright infringement and plagiarism have many overlaps, the two aspects also have critical disparities that student and other content creators need to comprehend. The paper discusses issues regarding copyright infringement and plagiarism and the mode of application of related rules on students.
In the student’s case, he could not be charged with copyright infringement because she did not violate any of the copyright laws. The action she indulged in had no legal bearing. It was purely ethical in the sense that she deliberately made someone’s work hers without acknowledging the author of the work. The University of St. Thomas outlines a clear policy regarding plagiarism. According the academic integrity policy, plagiarism is the reproduction or adoption of statements, ideas, words of another individual as one’s own without acknowledgement of the author (Student Policies, 2014). In other words, one commits plagiarism whenever he or she uses a source of information without indicating so.
The principle does not have the responsibility to recommend that the plagiarism policy be rescinded. Plagiarism is a grievous activity of misconduct and, therefore, the decision to rescind or to uphold the policy governing plagiarism cannot be a matter that is determined by a single individual. Besides, the policy plays an important role in ensuring that students do not become lazy. It ensures that students read extensively and appreciate the work of other scholars. In the university, the policy gives a disciplinary committee the authority to reverse the decision on plagiarism but not the principle. Once the instructor has administered appropriate punishment, the dean decides to apply additional punishment or not. The dean too, cannot reverse the policy on plagiarism. Therefore, plagiarism is a serious matter that the principle cannot rescind because it plays a role in ensuring originality among the student.
Sheila’s cumulative record of a student should be relevant to the magnitude of punishment that she receives. The past of every individual, usually, defines one's character. A negative history speaks volumes about the character of an individual and his or her likelihood of committing a similar mistake in the future. A student with a tainted record deserves an intensive punishment than a student who indulges in a mistake for the first time.
As a principle, embracing open-mindedness and neutrality when addressing matters of plagiarism would be a priority. Knowing that teachers are not always right in their judgments, It is fair to always give both the student and tutors a chance to present their cases side by side. After that, an independent decision based on evaluation of the circumstances can then be made. In the case where the teacher acts so harshly on the student, he or she should consider pardoning the student after consultations are made in support of the same idea. Therefore, teachers and instructors must embrace rationality and act as though; every human being has a weakness. Students too are human beings and can make accidental mistakes once in a while even if there are rules that advise against the same.
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