Most college students will soon be getting their fall term grades. The Ethicist at the Times gets letters from readers, looking for advice on ethical matters.  One reader recently wrote:

One of my grad students copied a term paper from the Internet, cutting and pasting from various uncredited sources. The university’s rules say expulsion or an F in the course is appropriate, but I proposed that she search out the several dozen articles she used to “compose” her paper and write each author an apology. I will mail the letters. My department chair thinks this is unethical – a cruel and unusual punishment. You?

Which do you think The Ethicist suggested, and which would you suggest?

A) That punishment is too easy.  Fail the student, but don’t expel him.

B) That’s a fine idea: fair and just.  He’ll learn his lesson this way.

B) That is cruel and unusual.  Make him do the paper again.  It’s not your role to teach ethics.

C) That’s a stupid idea.  Academic integrity is the only real currency of higher education.  Expel him.

Read this to find the answer, and let us know what you would have done.  What I would have done: Frankly, it depends on the academic culture of the school.  My inclination would be to expel the student, because this is the only act that demonstrates the seriousness of standards.  One could argue that cheating and plagiarism is so common because the punishments are so lenient (You might fail the paper, at most.  But you won’t fail the course, be expelled, or even be removed from the department).  But professors who attempt to expel students for these kinds of offenses often get their decisions reversed and get reprimanded in the process: too harsh, the poor kid doesn’t understand plagiarism, we must educate him, not kick him out, ad nauseum.  Alas, the professors rarely even get the final word.  Department heads, deans and presidents don’t want to lose students, and this leads to coddling.