By Brittany Crow |Staff Writer|
Academic awareness was the hot topic of the week, where seven of the peer advising departments on campus offered events for students to learn about plagiarism and research ethics.
Four separate events throughout the week discussed plagiarism, how to cite citations, learning to use the Zotero management tool and how to avoid cheating.
The event on Wednesday, Oct. 16, consisted a panel of experts from the participating departments who focused on what plagiarism is, and how easy it is to steal someone’s work.
The panel included Dr. Carol Haviland, Professor of English, Dr. Jeffrey Thompson, dean of graduate studies, remarks made by CSUSB Provost Andrew Bodman, AVP/dean of undergraduate studies and Chief Diversity Officer Dr. Milton Clark and Vice President of Student Affairs Dr. Brian Haynes.
Academic integrity is all too familiar to college students. Whether you are required to write in MLA format or APA, knowing the correct way to cite a source in your paper is crucial to help avoid plagiarism.
Bodman was one of the many professors who spoke about plagiarism and emphasized its importance to avoid it at all costs.
Bodman said, “Plagiarism becomes an important element in this quality insurance system.”
He explained that this is specifically applicable to students, and the faculty is obligated to insure that we, as students, give the proper credit to the work of others.
He also indicated that it is vital for our faculty to educate students on academic integrity.
Bodman said the faculty wants to provide us with resources to help students avoid the Academic Dishonesty Act, which is why it has recently been showcased around campus.
When it comes to writing a paper and you are in a time crunch, the majority of the time we don’t focus on trying to avoid plagiarism or citing sources correctly.
Bodman suggested starting a month earlier than the due date to get help with proper citation and to organize your paper.
Student Conduct and Ethical Development Director Sandra Vasquez, said that putting together events like this is all about educating the students during their learning process. She emphasized how having opportunity and dialogues help students succeed.
Student Maria Echevarria felt that she learned about being academically honest and giving credit to those who deserve it from the events put on by the peer advising departments.
There are many resources to help us avoid these acts of dishonesty that we encounter on a regular basis as students.
Here on campus, we have two different types of writing centers ran by graduate students who are there to help. They are located in UH-387 and in the College of Education in room 311, use them avidly!
You can also use the office hours set aside by all professors so you can stay on track and always meet their expectations when it comes to academic integrity!
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