I haven't had much inspiration about what to write here lately. I've been sad about Rudy, and busy with the semester's demands. I could write about Sam, I suppose, but I haven't had much to say about him, either. He's very cute. He's growing, but not that much. He is well-behaved, except when it comes to food (he is brutal). He now has free run of the house when we are not at home, and the "girls" are surviving.

But then the Albany Student Press hands me a topic, complete with whipped cream and a cherry. Yesterday, I was killing a little time as my class worked on a group discussion, and so I picked up the student newspaper. It is only the second time I have read it this semester. It is not a lot different than our paper was when I was an undergraduate, mostly poorly edited, with many articles about doing shots of booze, obscure music, events on campus, student government, and a sprinkling of not well-informed local, state and national politics. Anyway, it struck me as a little strange that there were a few copies of the prior week's edition in the rack, so I picked up both issues.

In last week's issue, I read this story and this editorial. Then, in this week's issue, I noticed this. (In the print edition, there were three other related things: a letter to the editor from the group criticized in the original editorial that pointed out the plagiarism, a brief, front page box that mentioned the mistake, and another more generic editorial, but none of these are online.) Here is the story in the Capital District Business Review from which it is plagiarized. (Sorry, you may have to register to read it, but it is a free site.)

I don't know what happened to the student who pulled this stunt - they don't say in the paper, and I guess it would be a violation of his privacy to reveal the outcome, but there are no stories by that author in the new issue. (I hope he was kicked out of school. Imagine! Not just a student, but a would-be journalist. And we wonder why the New York Times has been embroiled in scandals? Now about the editor - shouldn't he be removed from that position? I mean, did he even bother to review a front page story?) The response from the ASP seems rather weak to me. There isn't even a note on the electronic version of the original story. And there is nothing at all offered in terms of an apology (I realize that there is no way to explain) from the author in the most recent edition.

During class, I was shaking my head. Several of the students were aware of the scandal. I remarked, "and students wonder why I am so stern on this subject every semester?" What an embarrassment this incident was for the university!!