$12\mathrm{.}1$ Case Study: The Write Choice

Hach sernester, comarauniry college prafessor Julia Raminez requires her students to do a $10-$hour

community service project at a nonprofit agency of their choice and write a paper about the experience. In

the paper, they are to discuss their volunteer experience and incorposate concepts presented in class into this

reflection. This is the sixth semester that Proffsuor Ramirca has used this assignment, and she has always

received positive focdback about the benefits of the asifgameat from ber stadents and the noenprofiss.

The community college that Professor Ramirez worlas at is making an effort to be "green" and, in order to

car down on paper usage, requests that faculty and staff utiline online tools for giving and receiving

asnignments and providing fecdback to stradentx. Professor Ramirex takes advantage of these green

initiatives, requiting ber community learning pupers to all be turned in electronically at noos on the last

Friday before coums, Stue likes having the papers turned in electronically becauc it has significantly cat

down on late papen and it ls now very easy so check acudent work for plagiarism.

That day has arrived, and Professor Ramirez downloads her student papess from the class webpage and

begins to grade them. The pupers ane informal in nature, written in fins$-$person narrative as if the students

the paper written by weudent Kelly Declan. Kelly'a paper neads less like a personal narrative and more like a

brochure for the organixation where she volunteered. At fint, Profiesoer Ramirez is impresed with the

amount of detail that Kelly retained from volunteering, but after reading part of the paper, ahe becomes

suppicious. To be safe, Profeswor Ramiter decides to copy a pauage fnom Kelly's paper into her Internet

scarch engine to see if it matches any ocher published sumarce. It doess in fact, it is a direct match for an

online brochure of a imilar organization in a neightering isate. Profiswor Ramirex tesis a few more sectiens

from Kelly's paper and finds that $90\%$ of it was plagiarised from this one soures en the Iniernet.

Plagiarism is taken very seriouly at the college. Students aceused of plagiarism are reported to the student

review board, and if the board confirms that a student's work is not his or her own, the student is disminsed

from the college. Stutents who have boen dismissed for plagiarism are able to reapply to the college after

watuing ene extmester, and if they ate readmitted, they are placed on acalemile probution for a year.

Derpire the college"s policy. Profesor Raminex is conflicted about how to deal with this situation. She

Inows that Kelly had a very difficult semester. Her mother is ill with cancer, and during the semester, Kelly

drove twice a week to her hormetown two hears away to take her mother to doctor's appointments and

chemotherapy. Knowing this, Profissor Ramirex accommodated Kelly's schednle during the semoster so

that she did nes have to drop the couse. This is aloo Kelly's last semeter befoes gradazion, and she will be

the fira pervon in her family to graduate from college. Kelly aloo has a job lined up after graduation, for

which Professot Ramirez wrote her a letter of recomimendation, and if she does not graduate, she will mest.

likely lose the job. Losing the job will be certain if Kelly is ejected from the college.

Profewsor Ratritrex decides not to nepert the incident of plagiariam to the review beard right away. She

toones inatead to approach Kelly orie$-$on$-$one and will peoceced based on what Kelly has to say, Daring their

mecting, it is appasent to Professor Ramirez that Kelly did cotnplete the nequired service hours but was

overwhelmed when it came to writing the poper. Kelly had let the assignment go until the very end and

then when she had to write it$,$ she could only come up with one page rather than the three pages required.

She added the plagiar$$ed information to make the paper reach the required length. Kelly it genuainely

remotseful and admits ahe in tereified of the consequences.

In the end, Profiesar Ramiree gave Kelly a zero for the asignment, but she atill passed the class with a grade

of a B$.$ She did not feel that having Kelly kicked out of school would bencfit the college or Kelly. Despite

going against college policy, Profeswor Ramirex believes her behavior is consistent with her personal values of

acknowled ging that poople malke mistakes and deserve second chances She penonally felt that this behavior

I wouldn't have acted in this wav.

Questions

Even though Profesor Ramirex deviated from the college's policy teganding plagiarism, do you feel

that she acted ethically?

would you thisk the acted echically? Explain.

In Thabe $12\mathrm{.}1,$ the Six Pillass of Character are detailed. Which of these six pillars did Profecsor

Ramirez display in consideration for her student, and how?

Professor Ramincr's actions ultimately brought into question whether or not the ends justify the

Explai