"Word for word, new service checks student work for plagiarism"

To the satisfaction of some faculty and the concern of others, UB is now cracking down on copy-and-paste-happy students.

At a Faculty Senate Executive Committee meeting this Wednesday, board members discussed, among other topics, the current methods being used to catch plagiarism at UB.

In response to faculty demand for technology to detect plagiarism, UB is now spending $10,000 to $20,000 per year for a subscription to "Turnitin." The anti-plagiarism service allows papers to be checked against a database including Internet sites, academic journals and previously submitted student papers.

The database exists completely free from the university's influence, therefore placing student papers entirely in the hands of Turnitin.

While Turnitin may seem like a dream come true for teachers, the program has already raised questions about student rights in court.

"There is a question as to whether this procedure violates rights students have in their own work," said John Ringland, Chair of the Faculty Senate Computer Services Committee. "(At McMaster University) in Canada, a student successfully sued to not have his work submitted."

As a result of the lawsuit, students at McMaster can now refuse to have their work submitted to Turnitin without being penalized. While this case occurred in Canada, a comparable fate is a realistic concern here in the U.S.

"I don't know if the U.S. courts will take a similar position on that or not, but it certainly is a possibility." Ringland said.

Ringland believes that protecting student privacy is an important subject that could have negative repercussions if not dealt with properly.

"There is enormous potential for accident and abuse in the creation of a permanent, central, data-minable repository of everything every student ever writes," he said.

From Ringland's point of view, the data could be for any present or future government to monitor students' behaviors and opinions. For example, a drug reference, strong political opinion or anything else that raises a red flag could be immediately pinned to the student and used against them.

"Any such release, whether deliberate or accidental, could have serious negative consequences for students' lives," he said.

Along with legalities, opponents fear that students will engage in self-censorship, knowing that their work would be submitted to a large database.

Ringland said it was ironic that professors were the ones who brought the need for the system in the first place, when, according to him, faculty should be the ones protecting students' freedom.

"Personally, the threat to freedom of thought and expression is by far the most important of the involved issues here," Ringland said. "I feel that we in academia should be the first line of defense against threats to these things.

Dr. William Baumer, a philosophy professor, supports the program. Baumer, who catches an average of two to three students plagiarizing every year, participated in a test run of the program held in fall 2005 and spring 2006.

"There are several ways you can get a document in (Turnitin)," he said. "One of the ways is to have a student submit it and have the document come back to the student with notations of anything problematic."

"Problematic" can mean anything from citing a quote to needing a footnote. Baumer also pointed out that there is no requirement for names, though if not submitted through a student account, the paper would be traceable back to the instructor.

Other faculty members at the meeting were not sure a program was needed.

"I have some concerns about starting with the assumption that students are cheaters," said one faculty member. "I think all of us actually can sense plagiarism when it happens. I like to start a class with the assumption that if I am respectful to students they will be respectful back. This is a little too 'big brother' to me."

The FSEC meeting also included a discussion on wellness led by Larry Labinski, chair of the professional staff senate, concerning the combination of the faculty and professional staff senate to coordinate a wellness plan for all employees. A committee will be formed whose goal is to report back by February on events to take place in the spring promoting wellness. There was a unanimous decision for the FSEC to participate in the wellness committee with the professional staff senate.

Also on the agenda was the participation status in the UB alumni association. Currently, the number of paid members stands at 6500, with twenty domestic and twelve international chapters. FSEC chair Peter A. Nickerson was pleased with the changes.

"It's going in the right direction," Nickerson said "It really is interesting that, compared to a year or so ago, there is an increase in the number of chapters."

One faculty member cited room for growth.

"There are 6500 paid members...I think there is a long way to go if there are 180,000 graduates from the University of Buffalo."