The recent scandal involving famed historian Stephen Ambrose and Penn History Professor Thomas Childers has brought the issue of integrity to the attention of the academic community. It is important, however, not to reduce this incident to merely assigning blame.
While no one is in a position to determine whether Ambrose's plagiarism was intentional or not, either way the consequences are severe.
In recent days, it has been suggested that while student penalties for plagiarism are harsh, academics often get away with little more than a slap on the wrist.
We challenge this notion. By virtue of the differences between students and professors, the sanctions could never be the same. Whereas a student is subject to the policies of his or her institution, there is no comparable authority that regulates the professional realm.
Rather, academics derive their credibility from the judgment of their peers. In lieu of the formal sanctions that are imposed on student plagiarists, professionals instead face the criticism of their colleagues. Discredit of this magnitude is not soon forgotten, and Ambrose will surely suffer professional consequences on par with the sanctions imposed on plagiarizing students.
That said, there are important lessons to be garnered from Ambrose's mistake. Situations similar to that surrounding Ambrose can and do arise at Penn. The Ambrose incident is illustrative of the need for students to be diligent in certifying work as their own.
Simply manipulating the wording of another's ideas does not eliminate the need for a proper citation. It is certainly not acceptable to rely totally on the ideas of others in academic exposition, and the best advice is to always err on the side of caution.
On an even broader scale, this incident demonstrates that personal integrity should not be confined to our four years at Penn. At some point in our lives, each of us will be faced with circumstances that directly challenge our personal integrity. While academic integrity is a crucial component, there is a great deal more to personal integrity.
Upon founding the University of Pennsylvania, Benjamin Franklin declared its mission to be "education for citizenship." Franklin sought to generate not only a community of scholars, but also a community of leaders. He recognized that we need to prepare for life after Penn.
The University Honor Council and the University Conduct Council will immediately start to broaden the scope of our initiatives to include more than just the important -- but rather narrow -- focus of academic integrity. Academic Integrity Week, our major annual event will be renamed Integrity Week, and will encompass a wider discussion, as well as facilitate events that will impact the student community beyond their academic years.
These changes will affect our other undertakings, as well. The New Student Orientation workshop on academic integrity will be reevaluated and revamped to be more interactive and informative than in past years. In addition, we will continue to sponsor speakers, such as Erin Brockovich, who demonstrate the necessity for personal and professional integrity.
The Ambrose incident has proven that academic integrity and personal integrity are intimately linked. The University Honor Council will actively seek to bring this to the attention of the community and to make it a cornerstone of the Penn educational experience.
Kelly Lynch is a junior Economics and Political Science major from Hingham, Mass. Dennis Tupper is a junior Finance concentrator from Springfield, N.J.
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