To tell, or not to tell?
Q.I’m a college senior. I know my roommate plagiarized on a paper that’s 40 percent of our grade. She submitted her older brother’s paper in its entirety. He aced this class five years ago. I was certain the professor would notice but he’s in and out of class due to health issues and the TA is clueless. Knowing the truth is tough, especially when the TA called on my roommate to read excerpts of the paper as an example of excellence. The college expels for plagiarism, so turning her in is a choice with huge ramifications. I’m to be her maid of honor in the fall. If I tell, I’m pretty sure I’ll lose her friendship. If I don’t tell, I feel complicit. Help?
– Former student still needs help
Mary Jo’s response: You face a true ethical dilemma – a choice between two options, both of which have serious ramifications. You articulate the problem well. Your decision to reveal the plagiarism may end a friendship; your silence condones an act you believe is wrong.
As an educator and a college professor, my own feelings about plagiarism are strong. It is unethical, in my opinion, because it is a theft. The person who plagiarizes is stealing the words and thoughts of another. The act is compounded by the plagiarizer benefiting from the theft by taking grades or praise due another.
Education is about learning and growing. By dodging an assignment and using another person’s work, the student only learns how to lie and get away with it. Plagiarism is common on college campuses. Some polls state up to 70 percent of students admit to plagiarism at some point in their college career.
While I have firm, clear rules about plagiarizing stated in my class rubric, I also am cognizant of the reasons students plagiarize. Some truly don’t realize the implications, or even that it is wrong. Others submit plagiarized work under extreme pressure and with a great deal of anxiety. To me, there’s a moral difference between cutting and pasting from an online site like Wikipedia and submitting an entire paper written by another. While both are wrong, the first violation suggests laziness more than intent to harm.
One question you might ask deals with how much the plagiarism hurt others. My thoughts on this are also strong. As soon as a person appropriates someone’s work, creates the impression it is their own, and takes credit for it, dishonesty rules. Most schools have a zero tolerance for plagiarism – in the long run, it hurts not only other students competing for class position, but the person who plagiarizes. The real world will require honest work and original writing; plagiarism in the work force could ruin a career.
It appears your friend’s actions weren’t discovered. I feel my role isn’t to tell you what to do, but rather help you think. To that end, have you considered?
1. Talking with your friend. I doubt she’d be willing to self-disclose; if you’re truly good friends, she should know how much you know. You could also listen to her reasons for submitting her brother’s paper. Listening to her side might help ease your dilemma.
2. Discussing plagiarism with a college adviser. Speaking to someone on campus, keeping your friend’s name anonymous, and sharing your angst, might help. I sense your anxiety is high.
3. Consider your already-changed friendship. Even if you do not reveal the plagiarism, think about the current state of your friendship. Your friend’s plagiarism is weighing heavily on your mind. You did not choose to be dishonest, she did. I ponder how close your friendship will remain at this point, even if you don’t tell.
Weighing the loss of a friendship with doing the right thing is never easy. Doing the right thing is an important life choice. I admire your moral compass and wish you luck with this challenging decision.
Peer Educator response: You need to make a judgment call. Either tell on her and ruin your friendship or don’t tell and try to pretend you don’t know. Follow your heart. You might also ask yourself these questions: Was the paper particularly long or involved or difficult? Did others spend a significant amount of time and energy on it, stress over it, and give their best. Is it a hard class, necessary for people’s major requirements? Is it unfair to the other students that she cheated? Do you think she’ll use the same methods to get ahead in the future? If your answers are yes to most of these, it would be best to turn her in. Did your friend try really hard for the first part of class and do honest work? Did she help out others in class? Has she had a lot of stressful classes that made her feel she needed to do this? Has she been having a hard time lately? If you answer yes to most of these, it might be less bad not to turn her in.
Ultimately, some of us would lean toward minding our business, even though it’s wrong. Giving your own personal best effort will help you go far in life. Do your own work and speak your truth. If people cheat, in the long run they only hurt themselves.