The Hopes of IP

I had such hope. At what point do we let our own integrity shift because there is no way to insist on right? If someone does something that is deemed wrong, it is our responsibility to stop it, or so we might think. But, what if someone does something deemed wrong, but in the fight for justice the battle is long and draining and ultimately ends in the death of justice?

In my groups, in this MBA, I have more than once been confronted by someone submitting work to me for editing that was clearly not their own. What is the correct course of action? Do you bring it to their attention that you are aware of their plagiarism, or try to bring it to the attention of the higher authorities. That ties in to the impotence of post secondary institutions involving their ability to deal with academic misconduct. To accuse someone of cheating, or copying, holds grave consequences, and the act of bringing down the hammer is now no simple as that.

To accuse someone of any academic crime is to incite a lawsuit against yourself and your institution. It is in that way that Universities have put their ethics away in a secret place and only try to prevent academic crimes when it is convenient. The good professors will do everything they can to prevent these such actions, because if they do occur those professors will be forced to try and bring punitive action. Better to prevent than to punish.

That brings me to my predicament... I am not backed by the University. Should I discover blatant plagiarism I should let the infractor know and give them a chance to rectify the situation. Is there no punishment for that crime? Had I not known I could be facing the hammer as a single person's academic misconduct could have us all thrown out of University.

My hopes for academic integrity dwindle. As I discover these actions I rectify the situation without rectifying the cause. I submit the work and I pass, but the infractor will in infract again... and again...

My integrity is resolute in my behaviour... but broken in the bahaviours of others...