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Opinion
THE BATTALION
5B
Tuesday, April 16, 2002
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EDITORIAL
For Academic
Integrity
JUniversity President Dr. Ray M. Bowen is setting a negative prece-
■nt by exonerating tenured professor Dr. Mary Zey despite accu-
)osed on a montai sations against her of plagiarism and scientific misconduct. Bowen
ant slogans and-Mould not have overturned the decision of Provost Ron Douglas,
ung World TradeCsl|e University's chief academic officer. By giving Zey a second
Bance after she was found guilty of plagiarism by an internal inves-
■ation committee, Bowen is giving the impression that Texas A&M
is not a place where academic integrity is truly valued, and has cre
ated a double standard between faculty and students.
Jlf Zey was wrongly accused, reinstatement is the proper course of
aciion. However, it is disturbing to read that the University President
laintains that Zey is guilty and judges that it is not a "most offen-
Ive of egregious action" that merits dismissal.
■Bowen agreed with the investigation's charge of Zey's guilt, but
Is actions to allow her to continue to teach undermine the weight
Bhis words and the serious nature of plagiarism, an offense most
■culty consider the highest level of academic malpractice. A&M
man in the vide fcdemic standards are cheapened when plagiarism charges are
our hijackers on [ pot taken seriously in all cases.
ylvania. | When students are found guilty of plagiarism, there are dire con-
i isover. Itistime®q uences to ^ ace / expulsion among them. However, Bowen is
eir children, and :] 3 ' )W ' n § a tenure d faculty member to remain despite agreeing with
Tied as the hijackerB 1 ^ 0 ? 5 that label her guilty of such an offense,
shirt and a blac J^ our, H guilty- 3 student, even one who maintains his or her inno-
ore an iniaeeof t -l ence ' muc H as ^ e Y Has maintained hers, receives an 'F' in the
idded to the back' y ourse ar, H' s subject to expulsion.
■ The Zey case sends troubling signals to students and faculty,
ast Will and aca demic community in is one that has made great strides
Martyrs "The title* 1 recent decades, and has ambition to improve Texas A&M's
y ' deputation and academic standing among American public uni-
h\ Qatar's wmsiP 5 ' 1 ' 65 " i m Pli cat i° n ^ rom this case is that improperly using
, L ... T. j,''. mother scholar's work may not result in the expected discipli-
^ tary action. Aside from dampening the working environment,
™ lowen's actions foster an atmosphere of disregard and disre-
. , tpectfor the intellectual property of others,
dcast exclusive comm jyt ee found Zey passed off the work of other professors
ei ’ a . s0 airecla ' i “ as her own, and then engaged in an attempt to cover up the theft
al-Qaida leaderapie. 0 f anc j p rose Along with spurning academic integrity, this deci-
atlacks. 5 j on j s a double standard of the highest order. Most students found
in videotape, uifi® g U j|ty 0 f cheating in this manner would never register for another
; made, but binuw p c | assat a&m. Anything less for those whom students are supposed
le around that® to look toward for guidance and inspiration should be an outrage.
line but
than 35
abusi
pof*
ipport to the bisli
ory said Saturdi. 1
ilted States,"
THE BATTALION
Managing Editor
Opinion Editor
News Editor
EDITORIAL BOARD
Editor in Chief Mariano CASTILLO
Brian Ruff Member
Cayla Carr Member
Sommer Bunge Member
News Editor Brandie Liffick
Melissa Bedsole
Jonathan Jones
Jennifer Lozano
Member Kelln Zimmer
The Battalion encourages letters to the editor. Letters must be 200 words or less
"d include the author's name, class and phone number. The opinion editor reserves
he right to edit letters for length, style and accuracy. Letters may be submitted in per-
wiatOM Reed McDonald with a valid student ID. Letters also may be mailed to: 014
’ e ed McDonald, MS 1111, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843-1111. Fax:
979) 845-2647 Email: mailcall@thebatt.com
AX ox*
IG
ITY
Theatre
not gua
jciety.
ranteed
Aggie Code of
!°nor ignored
j|At a University that encourages
r students to live by the Aggie
lode of Honor, "Aggies do not
| e -cheat or steal," how can high
lyadministration, in good con-
,| len ce, keep an accused pla-
: admitted witbo u |arist as a professor? Dr. Mary
e V was found guilty of plagia-
" Srn and recommendations
' er e made that she be terminat-
|o- Through an appeal process,
fS Was found not guilty.
1 °w can two committees
Knu^h an 0 PP 0S > te decision?
if u| d it be because the sepa-
hearing committee, who
gpund her not guilty, included
B lessors at this University who
■f^pathized with her situation
| because of some backdoor
■ 'tics that are not known.
t ; n Wen c ites that her "contribu-
, ns to sociology ... entitles her
I B a . second chance." What
■ ot 01156 we Have that this is
■ a repeated offense or that
( live Wl " not this again? On
^ ^ syllabus that is handed out
hw C *u SS an H further emphasized
-*f y the Professor, it states that
MAIL CALL
cheating
their
should
there will be no tolerance for pla
giarism. What type of precedent
is Bowen setting for students
who receive a zero on a test for
ig and appeal? Given
past academic record,
they be exonerated?
Many consider Bowen a lame
duck since his announcement of
resignation as president. In all
political arenas, a lame duck
attempts to pass final legislation
or pardons before one's last day
in office.
Like Bowen's pardon of Zey,
Clinton in his last days pardoned
Marc Rich. Clinton has since
admitted that hindsight is 2020
and he should not have par-
Rich. Similar to
political mistake,
uwwv... ^ decision will have
repercussions on the integrity of
this University. This is a mockery
of all the faculty members and
students who have honestly and
ethically achieved their status.
In the near future will this deci
sion by Bowen be detrimental to
the value of our degree and insti
tution? Students think so.
Marci McClellan
Class of 2002
doned
Clinton's
Bowen's
CONSIDER THE FIRE
Fate of Bonfire must be on next president's agenda
v —
MATTHEW MADDOX
'oter apathy has been
cited as a failure of
modern American
democracy. Voters who do not
feel they have anything at stake
often shy away from the polls.
Several millenniums ago, Pericles said, “Just because you do
not take an interest in politics doesn’t mean politics won’t take
an interest in you.” However, just the opposite could be said of
today’s Aggies. In January, nearly 10,000 Aggies voted on an
issue, some of whom had no firsthand experience with. More
This burning desire for the continuance
of Aggie Bonfire has persisted despite
its absence, and the decision of its fate
rests equally with students and the
next University president.
than 90 percent of those who voted in the Student Bonfire
Survey said they wanted Bonfire to return to the A&M campus.
This burning desire for the continuance of Aggie Bonfire
has persisted despite its absence, and the decision of
its fate rests equally with students and the next
University president.
On Feb. 4, A&M President Dr. Ray M.
Bowen ended the hopes of many in the Aggie
family by cancelling any further University
progress toward a Bonfire in 2002. While this
eliminated any chance of a University-sanc
tioned Bonfire next fall. Aggies should not
allow their disappointment to overshadow
reality. In the February press conference,
Bowen made public his realization that
future plans for Bonfire still occupy the
hearts of many. “My decision only speaks to
2002. I will not be president of A&M after this
June, and it is natural that I will not do anything
today to take away options for the future.”
This declaration only passes the
buck to the next presidency,
which is the key to the
next University-sanc
tioned Bonfire.
Recently-elected
Student Body
President Zac
Coventry appears
to be a positive
choice for those who favor the return of Bonfire. Campaigning
on his hope for the future of the tradition, Coventry described his
vision of its return as a series of small victories to be won. He
also made clear his desire to work alongside the next administra
tion in this pursuit. Coventry undoubtedly will face an uphill bat
tle against the current status quo but promised to deliver the stu
dents' will to the administration.
Student and former student groups already have taken
measures to ensure success of Bonfire. The Bonfire Coalition,
an organization co-chaired by current and former students,
aims to work with the next president to bring Bonfire back to
campus. Marc Barringer, a board member in Bonfire Coalition
and Class of 1992, cited A&M’s lack of camaraderie and unity
as the need for the return of the tradition. Barringer also said
more than half of the applications to the group have come
from the current freshman and sophomore classes. Meanwhile,
other groups have continued to work outside the political
arena of University relations. The University’s apathy turned
on itself with several “renegade” bonfires popping up across
the state. The people behind these fires are not anti-Aggie.
More accurately, they are Aggies who simply have not surren
dered their tradition as readily as University politics and
University lawyers demand.
Bonfire always has been renegade, a symbol
and custom misunderstood by the rest of the
world nor wholly sanctioned by this school’s
administration.
Whether Bonfire happens in the near or
distant future will be a function of student
determination and the next administra
tion’s attitude. Whoever A&M’s new pres
ident turns out to be, he or she must come
to Aggieland with a dedication to work
with these students and the resolve to
understand their passion. The Aggie spirit
is a force to be reckoned with and will be
felt. Who listens will depend on the next
A&M president.
Matthew Maddox is a sophomore
business administration major.
Wealth should be redistributed
DHARMARAJ INDURTHY
T he Texas school system is riddled
with problem this much is undeni
able. The Robin Hood plan, enact
ed in 1995, has been inadequate to com
bat disparities between school districts
or the capacity issues raised by a grow
ing student population. The Joint Select
Committee on Public School Finance,
led by Sen. Teel Bivins, has begun to
explore these issues. Texas desperately
needs new tax measures and a new sys
tem of resource allocation to fairly
accommodate the demands on public
education.
Under the Robin Hood plan, there is
some effort to distribute money to
schools equally. Schools are funded
mostly from local property taxes and the
state. Districts pay a certain portion of
their property tax revenue to the state for
redistribution, and there is an established
minimum “floor” of funding the state
guarantees. More wealthy districts with
revenue equal to or above this minimum
may receive no state funding, and excep
tionally wealthy districts with resources
exceeding a certain “ceiling” have to
return surplus to the state.
Unfortunately, Texas still is plagued
with disparities and lags behind the
national average of funding per student.
A report by the Center for Public Policy
Priorities notes that while most schools
have per pupil funding between $4,000
and $8,000, the total range is $3,643 to
as much as $20,859. Pam Hoimuth, a
lead researcher of the report, concludes,
“The resulting inequities in resources,
performance and student achievement
hurt all Texans in the long run.”
That the Robin Hood plan largely
fails does not imply that redistribution
is inherently a bad idea. To the con
trary, one only can conclude that the.
degree of redistribution is insufficient.
In almost any city in Texas, it will be
easy to distinguish the more affluent
schools from the poorer ones. One must
wonder how such gaps could exist in a
public system of education. How hard
is it to distribute funds so the spending
per student is equal? Perhaps this is a
naive picture of funding, but certainly
this should be the vision.
Some critics suggest that people
should not have to devote tax money to
schools miles away. Since when has this
been a rule? An individual’s tax money
often is spent on roads he or she will
never drive on, programs he or she will
never use and salaries of people he or
she will never know. In fact, it is almost
intrinsic in the idea of taxation that the
money be used for the general welfare,
not individual welfare. Otherwise, what
is the point in taxing at all? Perhaps
some schools will have to give up junior
high violin lessons or rent out their
indoor swimming pools, but that is a
harm one ought to be able to live with.
But even homogenous distribution
cannot solve the capacity problems and
a general lack of funding. The student
body in Texas increases yearly, and
only more funding can cope with it.
Despite the fact that it is an election
year, legislators have to be brave and
propose new taxes or tax reforms. Some
solutions are extending property tax
maximums, imposing new forms of tax
ation or shifting the burden to the state
and businesses. Legislators have to dare
to inflame popular opinion or find a
way to siphon the necessary funds out
of the complex bureaucracy.
A well-informed and educated public
is fundamental to democracy. It is this
premise that warrants mandatory educa
tion and the establishment of public
schools. It is important to provide a
homogenous public school system that
favors no one. It is equally unjust for a
public school student to be rewarded for
his or her parents’ financial successes as
it is for a student to be penalized for his
or her parents’ hardships.
Dharmaraj Indurthy is a senior
physics major.