The Waiting Room

So I have proved
Some things can't be moved
And here I wait
But my faith is weak
And the water is creeping up to my chin, and
I' m waiting for the tide to turn
Waiting for the tide to turn
Waiting, waiting for the tide
To take me away.

Waiting for the Tide, by Melanie Doane
From the CD Adam's Rib, Sony Music (1998).

Last night I received an email from a student which read:

Dear Professor:

I am disappointed with the C grade you gave me on my research paper. I am a good student and I work hard to maintain my 4.0 grade point average. I do not think that it is fair that you require your students to submit pre-project assignments. I know how to write a research paper. I should not be treated like I am in the second grade. I thought that the pre project assignments were extra credit. I did not think I had to do them. Because of this, my perfect grade point average is ruined. I think you are a great teacher, but your policy is wrong. I am taking this to the Dean. It's nothing personal.

Signed, Angry 4.0 Student

First, it clearly states in the research project that the pre-project assignments are part of the overall project grade. The due dates are given in the project and on the tracking calendar. So, there is no reason why someone would have thought that these assignments were extra credit, right?

Wrong! When I spoke to the DI about this, she said that the student recalls my saying that these were "free points". So she took that to mean extra credit. I am having trouble buying that argument. The students receive credit for submitting the pre-project assignments, even if there are mistakes. So I am spotting them 50 points out of 100 from the beginning. Does this sound like extra credit? I don't know. I am a little biased becausease it is my project...

But what irks me the most is the nerve of this student to send an email like that and say that it's nothing personal. I feel like she disrespected me. Why didn't she just come and talk to me face to face? I know I should not take it personally, but it is hard not to.

Incidentally, she earned a "B" in my law class.

And then, just when I thought it was safe, Plagiarism Case II.

Whenever I sense a case of plagiarism, I will engage in an exhaustive search until I find it. I am on a quest. I am a woman possessed. I will not stop until I find the source of the plagiarized material.

I spent a significant amount of time helping this student with her project during the course of the semester. I provided suggestion, reviewed research and gave her moral support. When she submitted her paper to me on Monday, she announced that she changed her topic at the last minute. That made the antenna go up. As I read the first page, I could tell that this was not her work. The paper read like a graduate student thesis. Plus, the cites were suspicious.

It took a while,.but I was able to figure out how she plagiarized. I must say, this student was slick. She dug deep into a webpage on the death penalty to copy the information. Buried deep in the article sectionof this website was the smoking guns. I found three instances where she copied the information, word for word. In one case, she even copied the tag marked "For more information, go to this website".

The student will fail my class as a result of the "F" grade on her paper. What makes matters worse is that as a result of the "F", she has reached her maximum time frame for financial aid. She can never return to school.

What hurts the most is that I spent a great amount of time helping this student. I was always available, ready and willing to provide help. Yet, she decided to take the bite of the forbidden fruit. It solved her problem for the short term. But the consequences are far greater. And most of all, I have lost any once of respect I had for her.

Why don't they use their skills for good instead of evil?