Student Government passed legislation at Wednesday’s weekly Senate meeting to officially show its support in favor of Faculty Senate’s resolution to establish a task force for investigation and comparison of anti-plagiarism services within the University.
According to Faculty Senate Resolution 12-11, peer institutions like University of Florida in Gainesville and the University of Maryland subscribe to a service called Turnitin.com, a program that allows teachers to scan students’ essay submissions quickly to determine if there is any plagiarized content in the students’ work.
When College of Science Senator Nathan Herwig asked about the cost of implementing the program, Director of Academic Affairs Thomas Rodgers said SG could not request a price range until Faculty Senate decides to form a task force.
“There’s no official University push for this right now,” Rodgers said, “This would be the University going out and getting quotes.”
Rodgers said the University may look into having this program implemented on Moodle, if the resolution is passed, to allow students to check their work before submitting it.
The legislation was written by University College Center for Freshman Year Senator Elliot Thompson who said there is currently no “University-subscribed” program to determine if students are plagiarizing.
Many students still have difficulties understanding what constitutes plagiarism, Rodgers said, referring to conversations he’s had with professors in the past.
Thompson said the use of this program in classes is up to the discretion of the professors.
Speaker Pro Tempore Lane Pace supported the legislation, saying SG could determine if the services were good for students after the task force did the research on the programs.
Mallory Estopinal, School of Art and Design college council president, speaks to the Student Government Senate Wednesdsay, Nov. 7, 2012 in the Student Union Capital Chamber.
