Plagiarizing

who intentionally plagiarize or commit other serious academic violations should be expelled from their or college? Do you agree or disagree?
I disagree that students “ who intentionally plagiarize or commit should be expelled from their university or college”. The school’s tradition of expelling a student for violating its tradition is just harsh (Kinzie 159). While I agree that students who plagiarize should be punished, removing them from school and ruining their academic career for a single offense is just too much a punishment. This is not to defend plagiarism as an acceptable practice in school but kicking somebody out of school for a single offense of plagiarism is just too extreme.
I agree that plagiarism should be removed from student’s consciousness that they should always practice academic honesty. That is, they should always cite their sources and as much as possible, they should paraphrase the sources. Plagiarism , or “ the purloining of ideas or language from another source” is considered as literary theft (Silverman 152) and therefore a serious academic offense. But to end a student’s schooling for a single offense I believe is just too much and a little extreme. For all we know, the plagiarism may have been accidental or unintentional and this is not a remote possibility especially on topics that are considered as common knowledge. There is a chance that a point of view may have been already written by someone else and that may be construed as plagiarism albeit unintentional. And considering the University of Virginia’s Code of Honor , that is punishable by expulsion. Also, the plagiarism may have been just a case of a simple overlook. Writing long paper with a lot of sources has a danger of overlooking some sources and that simple overlook does not deserve to be punished by expulsion. Even if the student deliberately plagiarized, expulsion is still too much as a punishment.
The appropriate response for plagiarism is to fail the student for that subject plus a stern warning. If it happens again whether intentional or deliberate, the student will be suspended. On the third time, that is the only time that the student will have to be expelled. Giving a warning and graduated punishment to the student eliminates the possibility that the student may be punished for something that is accidental.
Failing a student for the subject that he or she plagiarized is already a heavy punishment. But it is an appropriate punishment. Expelling a student is excessive expulsion is tantamount to failing the student in all subjects including those that he or she did well. Worst, forfeiting would also mean forfeiting the credits that the student has already taken because he or she was dishonorably discharged from school.
Expulsion is just a very extreme punishment towards plagiarism which is why I disagree with it. The school must at least give a stern warning first, then suspend the student before finally expelling him or her.
Works Cited
Kinzie, Susan. Änd eduation in Danger of online research.” Cutlures in Contrast. Ed Myra Shulman. Ann Abor: U of Michigan P (2009)145-52. Print
Silverman, Gillian. Ït’s a bird, It’s a plane it’s a Plagiarism Buster!” Cutlures in Contrast ED. Mary Shulman. Ann Abrbor: U of Michican (2009)1 152-63 Print