Issue Of The Week L: Was A Nebraska Muslim Student Discriminated Against?

One of the things that stood out to me is that he requested lower sanctions that would have allowed him to finish his schooling and h was denied when others were given that privilege. I believe the article stated that those others were generally wite. That could begin to smell like racism. Just to play devil's advocate here, it is also possible that this case was worse than the ones who were offered lower sanctions and his just wan't worthy of a second chance. However, I would like to touch base on a thought I made in respons to another comment. I find it very difficult to believe that a third year LAW student suddenly forgot he needed to cite his sources or forgot how to. When I take into acount the following points:
1. Other students had been offered lower sanctions and allowed to continue their schooling
2. He was not told he was being being reported
3. The school is basing their judgment on a supposed confession that even they cannot prove since it wasn't recorded.
What I conclude is that something is fishy. Something isn't right. I don't know if it is race. I don't know if the student is completely lying about what happened. All I know is that it needs to be looked into thoroughly. I can't definitively say it is race, but I will say something is wrong.

I am on the fence with how I am evaluating this particular article. My first thought is that this entire situation arose as a result of Al-Turk's action in plagiarizing his paper. If you choose to plagiarize then you subject yourself to the consequences that result. The only issue that I personally have with this is the allegation that the same offense had resulted in lesser consequences for Caucasian students; however, the exact details of those cases are unknown. Overall in this situation I would have to say I do not think that racial and/or religious discrimination are at the root of this contraversy. As students we are aware of the expectations set forth by our universities, if we choose to deviate from those expectations we cannot expect to be treated the same as the person before. Plagiarism is not only unethical it is a crime. This article never stated that Mr. Al-Turk denied in his lawsuit that he in fact plagiarized, I feel he is fortunate to not have been charged criminally in addition to being dismissed from school.

After reading this article I find myself in a state of conflict. Yes I agree that something must be done to the student who plagiarized, self admitted. I am a firm believer that one must be honest and ethical in their daily endeavors. Al-Turk should be punished, but only as it reflects past practices. if it is a common practice minimize the punishment implemented, that it should be the same for Al-Turk. However, if the school rejects compromising with the student then there could be grounds for some form of bias. Whether the bias is racial, ethnic, or for some other reason then the school should be held accountable for their actions. I have always believed that if a rule or policy is in place that it should be enforced in all cases that meet the criteria. But, if the school has a history of working with students, they are in the wrong. No where in the article does it say that Al-Turk has been approached in the past for his actions, so why should the "book be thrown" at him. I believe that in the facts presented that the school has a hard fight ahead of them since there is a history of inconsistent disciplinary actions.

After reading the article I would have to say that I am conflicted. I understand where the student is coming from and why he feels he is being targeted because of his ethnicity and religion. From the reading and what the university presented, it doesn't seem like they were unrightfully accusing him, but at the same time I do know that racism is institutional. I feel that it will be very hard for the student to prove his case without adequate evidence to back up his claims.

I am not convinced on either side of the argument. I do think the school has the right to suspend someone for lying and plagiarism, most schools have the same policy. With the limited information given in this article I don't see the real proof of an issue of discrimination. If the plaintiffs proof is by the treatment of others, I don't think that is viable to use for himself. You can't claim discrimination based on the treatment of others. The fact that plagiarism is an issue raises attention. This is something that is serious not matter what ethnicity you are. If you get caught plagiarizing in a university there is no surprise of being kicked out. I guess we don't know fully all the details of how things happened that led to his dismissal from school, which is why it is hard to fully believe either side. I am curious to see how this turns out in court.

I also feel that the article had no where close to enough facts to determine whether or not this was a racially motivated charge. There are no contrasts or comparisons to other cases, except the variations in race. There are no sense of the demographics of those involved in any part of his defense or prosecution or whether there are any other circumstances in the decision that was made.
Plagiarism does go against the honor code in any respect, and I personally feel that schools should have a more specific means of determining individual punishments based on facts not arbitrary rulings that can be shifted around on the whims of those prosecuting. If each student was treated equally for such a violation regardless of anything, this whole situation would have been avoided. When it comes to such things as plagiarism, the only middle ground is whether or not it was deliberate and even that is hard to justify, there is no reason that any student should get a different punishment for doing such a thing.

I also feel that the article had no where close to enough facts to determine whether or not this was a racially motivated charge. There are no contrasts or comparisons to other cases, except the variations in race. There are no sense of the demographics of those involved in any part of his defense or prosecution or whether there are any other circumstances in the decision that was made.
Plagiarism does go against the honor code in any respect, and I personally feel that schools should have a more specific means of determining individual punishments based on facts not arbitrary rulings that can be shifted around on the whims of those prosecuting. If each student was treated equally for such a violation regardless of anything, this whole situation would have been avoided. When it comes to such things as plagiarism, the only middle ground is whether or not it was deliberate and even that is hard to justify, there is no reason that any student should get a different punishment for doing such a thing.

This article is surely lacking in sufficient evidence whereas I would be able to make a educated decision on whether UN of law was in the right or if the student has a plausible case. With regards to the race situation, it is undetermined from the article that UN if law made any religious or racial exceptions or deterrence’s when handling the incident. Although the article discussed previous issues regarding other disciplinary actions against Caucasian students it is in no shape or form that this incident is racial.

I honestly cannot agree with either side of the argument. The student is accusing the school of being discriminatory against him because he was dismissed for plagiarism when other students settled with an agreement, and yet, I do not buy is story of having computer malfunctions where he was unable to turn in his paper on time, and the fact that he did indeed plagiarized in his paper gets to me because it is written in school code that the students will receive disciplinary actions. However, at the same time, because there have been previous incidents that have happened and yet students were no dismissed, it does make me question why a student, in his third year, about to graduate, happened to be the one to be dismissed. If the student tried to negotiate with the prosecutor, it would have made more sense to give him alternative punishment, since he was so close to graduating. I feel as though kicking him out of school was a bit dramatic. However, I do not believe there is strong evidence present in this article to claim that the decision was made based on his race, that it was a discriminatory act.

It is amazing how quickly we (white people) are to dismiss claims of discrimination voiced by people of color. We have developed this thought pattern that says, "If one of them has lied about it, all of them could," and so we dismiss them as liars. However, there have been numerous white men who have murdered innocent people in schools, office buildings, homes, etc., but we don't dismiss every white man that claims innocence - he often gets the benefit of the doubt. When someone threatens our privilege, we are quick to dismiss them; even more so when that person is oppressed in relation to our privilege. This is the way that we maintain privilege.

When it comes to oppression and discrimination, people of color are the experts of their own situations. I will take Al-Turk at his word, that he was discriminated against, and allow the court process to determine the outcome.

The article does not give a lot of background, but I think this is just a bitter student! The student is mad because he wasn't offered a settlement? At most schools you automatically fail the class if caught plagiarizing if not worse. He then would have to retake the class before graduating anyways. Also, has he considered as a law student there is a strict moral code? How can we expect him to uphold the law if he doesn't uphold school rules. Good luck getting a job. The point is I think the school acted well within their rights with no prejudice intended. If he had not plagiarized he would never have been in this predicament. Point blank he violated the rules and is trying to pull the race card. Yes, I am a woman of color saying this. He is making it harder for those actually discriminated against.

I think it is all too easy to read an article like this and assume that this student is simply taking advantage of his racial disadvantage without even acknowledging the contradiction in that thought. It can be difficult to see for people who feel exempt from racial issues (caucasians) that racism is systematically integrated into almost every aspect of our society, including the educational realm. We assume that everyone starts on the same playing field and is expected to play by the same rules and any deviation from this is an anomaly, but realistically people of color are often treated differently and held to different standards than whites whether consciously or unconsciously. I think it is particularly important to note that this is taking place at a significant period in time when Arabic and Muslim (terms which most of America assume are synonymous) peoples are being depicted as terrorists. This label implies dishonesty, radical behavior, and violence.

I agree with majority of other people. I think the student is using his racial minority as well. The article did not offer details so there is something that I am not really sure about the situation; however, turning in the paper several days late, although the professor gave permission, does not sound that the student had the responsibility as a law student. I understand there is possibility for the student getting discrimination from UN, but there is barely any evidence that at least the white person had the same situation but got different treatment.

This is a very difficult case to weigh in on, primarily, as others have said, because of the lack of information made available. I think that with plagiarism cases, it is a very clear cut matter. If there are sentences, ideas, excerpts...that are uncited in the paper then yes it is plagiarism and I believe the school has taken appropriate measures. When attending a program as prestigious as law school, and at a well known university, plagiarism should be taken seriously. I know the terrible feeling of working for weeks on a paper, sifting through piles of sources and research, attempting to compile it all in a cohesive manner. But one of my primary duties during these month-long projects is to give credit where credit is due. If I ever publish something, I would be very upset to learn someone had plagiarized my work. I really worry that this student is using the race card to get out of making a terrible mistake.

I titled this post as such because that's what the court proceedings sound like to me thus far. Without any actual recorded conversations, there is no way of knowing whether the professor or student is telling the truth. Even if the student paper is up for court evidence, and he is found to have plagiarized, perhaps white/non-Muslim students have received less sever punishment for similar academic offenses. If so, then I believe that this student is experiencing oppression.

We all like to think that in respected universities, in this 21st century, racism or oppression of any kind is not tolerated. Unless one side is able to present more concrete evidence on the matter though there isn't much telling truth from lies. I would hate to be a juror on such a vague and sensitive case.

Plagiarism is always a sticky situation. I know people who have gotten zero's on paper's because the teacher's believe they plagiarized when they swear that they didn't. That student could have very well plagiarized, but it shouldn't have anything to do in regards with his race, culture, etc. If he gets in trouble for plagiarizing, it should be because he plagiarized and nothing else. Race, culture, religion should not even be brought up or an issue when it comes to education.

The student here in this situation is obviously being discriminated against for some thing. I'm not too sure it's soley based on his race or religious beliefs, but I thing that there should be a second hearing in his favor. That way he is not completely shut out from the future possibility of going to another or even the same educational institution such as NU. Computer problems happen to everyone...it shouldn't matter on the way they look or what they believe as to how you (professors and higher educators) handle the issue.

As a college student, I know that plagiarism is a serious offense. I have known many people who have had a variety of different consequences for their actions due to plagiarism, including getting kicked out of school. I think each situation can vary. In this case I do not believe this was a case of plagiarism but breaking the honor system. I think this student tried to find a loop hole in the system playing the discrimination card. I believe he is being punished as any other student would be in his situation no matter what their background is.