I'd like to thank The Post for their piece, High Honors
that appeared last Friday. As a member of the Student Academic Honor Council for the Russ College of Engineering, I would welcome input from The Post as to what steps they feel would be appropriate to show the importance of integrity in the engineering profession. I have been an engineer for more than 20 years and am a licensed professional engineer in the state of Texas. I am aware that the signing of this document is symbolic in nature and doesn't mean that we have fixed all problems arising from the plagiarism scandal, but a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. (Confucius, 551-479 BC). If our actions stop at the signing of an honor code, then we would deserve The Post's contempt, but I and my compatriots are going to continue to look for ways and means of impressing the importance of an ethical basis on those who pursue the profession of engineering.
The Post's editorial says we should punish the plagiarists and I'm interested to know what method would be recommended. Waterboarding, the rack, a concentration camp? Does The Post suggest that these plagiarists should be thrown into outer darkness where there is wailing and gnashing of teeth? In cases where plagiarism is a mistake and not a conscious choice of thievery, then there must be a path to redemption. I don't know if the way chosen by the Dean of Engineering is the correct one, but he must act with the best interests of the individuals and the Russ College in mind.
Engineers have to rely on the teaching of our engineering schools for our young engineers and the work of our State Board of Professional Engineers to keep our practitioners on the proper path. We welcome commentary and helpful suggestions, but it seems hard to print an editorial criticizing us before we've even implemented the honor code.- 17
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