Nearly every school in America has a no plagiarizing policy. Plagiarizing is the act of copying someone else's work or ideas and presenting it as if they were your own. Sometimes, when students are writing papers, they may not properly cite their references or forget to suitably paraphrase an idea from a book or article. When this happens, the student's instructor will inquire into why this plagiarism happened. If the university determines that the student has plagiarized purposely, or should have known better, they will usually sanction the student.

But what happens when plagiarism is done by a student, but well outside the bounds of the classroom? Recently, in May 2022, Duke University investigated an instance of supposed plagiarism during their commencement ceremony where a student's speech sounded very similar (if not exactly) to a Harvard University commencement speech from 2014.

The Boundaries of Plagiarism

While every school in America outlaws plagiarism, it generally encompasses plagiarism on academic assignments – like exams, quizzes, lab reports, and papers. But a speech, a tweet, or an Instagram caption are not usually academic assignments. At Duke University, “assignment” covers any work that is required or optional, which is submitted for academic credit and cannot be plagiarized. A speech for a commencement ceremony and a tweet does not really fall within the purview of the term “assignment.”

But, because students at Duke University, and really any university in the country, are upheld to such high ethical and moral standards while pursuing their degrees, it still feels like these actions should fall under academic dishonesty. For most university regulations, the question the investigators will ask is whether or not the action affected the learning environment in some way?

In the case of the commencement speech, the action did affect the learning environment in a negative way and thus could be construed as a sanctionable offense by the university.

How an Attorney-Advisor Can Help

When you go to college, you never imagine your credibility being questioned. The days are hard, and the nights are long; some students cannot keep up with all the requirements of undergraduate life. Things slip through the cracks, and accusations are made. For the student that plagiarized her commencement speech, she stated that she pulled the words from advice her family gave her without realizing it was from another commencement speech. If the university chose to punish her after their investigation, an attorney-advisor could work on her behalf to mitigate the worst possible consequences from coming to fruition.

Attorney Joseph D. Lento and Lento Law Firm have spent years helping students navigate complex allegations such as academic dishonesty, including cheating, plagiarism, and fabrication. They understand that every student deserves the right to due process and will ensure the university does not apply any unnecessary sanctions. Call 888-535-3686 today or schedule a consultation online.