Editor's Note: This is the fifth day of a two-week series highlighting remarkable Ohio University undergraduates. The 25 selected students come from the nominations of students, faculty, staff, administrators and Post staff.
When a plagiarism scandal erupted last spring in the Russ College of Engineering and Technology, senior Jesse Megenhardt entered the spotlight, but not for the same reason as some Russ College graduates.
For a quarter, he was the sole undergraduate representative on the Academic Honesty Hearing Committee, charged with deciding if prosecution was necessary in cases of alleged plagiarism.
But his term on the committee didn't even last through Fall Quarter. He was removed, told that if the committee was presented with a lawsuit, the university would not be able to provide any legal counsel to an active student serving on the committee.
I was a little upset that a student voice couldn't be heard
couldn't play a valid part in the decision process Megenhardt said. It all worked out well in the end but I wish I could have maintained my part on the committee.
David Ingram, chair of the committee, said other factors beyond possible litigation informed the decision to remove him and graduate student Melissa Broeckelman.
Faculty are the ones who recommended degrees be granted in the first place
so it seemed appropriate that the faculty G? be the ones to remove the degree
he said.
That it all worked out well for Megenhardt ' who has since been awarded the Provost Undergraduate Research Fund and an outstanding senior award ' is no coincidence, nor was it easy. As the first member of his family to attend college, he enrolled at Ohio University as an undecided major in 2001. After two quarters, he was dismissed for poor academic performance with a 1.3 GPA.
After a stint at Hocking College, Megenhardt came back to OU as an undecided major and entered the Russ College in 2003 as an industrial technology major.
Four years later, Megenhardt has completed his job hunt by finding employment with Actaris Metering Systems in Kentucky. During the hunt, he encountered no questions about the scandal, an indication of recent steps to prevent the problem in the future, he said.
I think we're turning a bad thing into a good thing
he said.
Broeckelman, the communication studies graduate student removed from the committee and now the Russ College's academic honesty adviser, said one of those good things has been a 10-student Academic Honesty Council in the college.
(Academic honesty) has been taken really seriously
she said. A lot of good things have been coming out of it.
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Jessica Holbrook
