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USP’s academic standards
PLEASE ALLOW ME TO RESPOND TO MALCOLM Saunders’ viewpoint entitled ‘USP’s Greater Problem’ (November 2009 edition). It is gratifying that Dr Saunders has such on-going concerns about improving academic standards at USP as he leaves the institution.
In this piece Saunders’ made the following points: 1. that universities are set up to achieve academic and not economic outcomes; 2. because of widespread plagiarism, and the pressure to pass students, USP’s academic quality is questionable; 3. that in my capacity as Pro-Vice Chancellor 15 years ago, I had angrily responded to Dr Berger’s claim that “copying and imitating were deeply entrenched in the cultures of the Pacific island countries”; 4. I had not denied that plagiarism was widespread but had said that the university had “adequate procedures to deal with plagiarism”. This was 15 years ago.
In making these points Saunders also claims that expatriates like himself were more concerned about the problem of plagiarism than ‘Indo-Fijian and Pacific Islander’ staff on the basis of a single November 2006 lunch-time seminar on student plagiarism. He suggests that the latter “have come to accept the problem and to live with it”.
This is akin to the earlier Berger claim that ‘copying and imitating’ was ingrained in Pacific cultures. Transferred to the academic arena , this insidious proposition suggests that the unethical and dishonest practice of plagiarism is cultural.
That those who are not first English language speakers have a natural cultural propensity to cheat and that staff who are graduates of USP are more likely to condone students plagiarising.
It is noteworthy and intriguing that Saunders like Berger before him has gone outside the confines of school, faculty and university avenues to air his seemingly genuine concerns about plagiarism and academic standards to the broader reading public on the eve of his departure from USP. Why did he wait till a month or so before his contract expires to take up an issue that he is obviously so concerned about?
USP has an ‘exit’ questionnaire for departing staff to complete so that issues that concern them can be brought to the attention of senior management colleagues. He concedes that only a handful of academics turned up to discuss plagiarism over a lunch-time meeting three years ago.
The absence of Indo-Fijian and Pacific Islander staff could have been due to their other commitments just as it may have been the case of most other expatriate staff who did not attend.
Saunders has sought to discredit regional staff and extol the virtues of expatriate colleagues in maintaining standards. This is grossly unfair and without substantive evidence (beyond the lunch-time seminar attendance by a ‘handful of expatriates’). All staff at USP are concerned about academic standards.
For his information, a requirement for appointment at USP at the lecturer level is a PhD and most regional staff appointed at this level have obtained their degrees from outside USP. These PhD qualifications are from some of the most prominent universities in Australasia, North America and Europe.
USP’s plagiarism policy is based on international practice. Far from an angry response to the Berger article by me, the statement that I made was a very deliberate and considered response from USP management at that time. I stand by that statement.
Besides making all students aware of plagiarism as dishonest and unethical during their orientation, every course has a precautionary blurb on plagiarism and penalties incurred if caught. Students caught plagiarising subjected to ‘three strikes out’ rule.
The first incident of plagiarism is punished by no marks for the assigned work and a stern warming. The second time offender is not awarded any marks and reported to the Head of School and Dean—and dealt with at this level. The third time offender is reported to the Student Discipline Committee and faces suspension and even expulsion. Each case is assessed by the seriousness of the offence.
As Dr Saunders knows, plagiarism is widespread and virtually all universities have regulations and penalties that proscribe it. Software such as ‘turnitin’ was designed in the US to address rampant plagiarism in universities there and the primary offenders were and are first language speakers of English. In north America, Europe and parts of Asia, students can purchase essays from private providers and submit these as their own. This practice has not emerged at USP.
Dr Saunders is absolutely correct in asserting that the primary goal of the university is to achieve quality academic outcomes. USP should continue to strive for higher academic standards producing graduates who are independent and creative thinkers, good communicators and leaders. To do this USP’s finances need to be in the black so quality people can be appointed and retained on a competitive basis.
However, he is quite wrong in identifying second language speaking Pacific islands students and regional staff as plagiarisers and condoners of plagiarism.
In making this suggestion together with the insinuation that in Australia, primarily foreign second language speakers of the English language plagiarise, he is exhibiting a dimension of Ango-Saxon racism. This should be a thing of the past—as some of the most proficient in the English language are those whose mother tongue is not English.
—Vijay Naidu
Suva,
FIJI
RAMSI not perfect
WHILE I KNOW BISHOP TERRY BROWN AND REspect him as a good man and a man that knows his stuff when it come to the Anglican religion, I feel Bishop Terry does not have his hand near the reality button when it comes to some matters. This is one such occasion.
The average men or women “on the streets” of the Solomon Islands do not want to see RAMSI pull out. I suggest the noisemakers have “other” reasons why they want RAMSI out.
While I admit RAMSI is not perfect, it is not the design of RAMSI that is wrong but the operation. I will give a few examples: The higher levels of RAMSI isolate themselves from the “business end” of the Solomons (we have our own information channels).
The “advisors” in the Solomons Government I thought were there to set/lead by example. Being in teahouses for extended breaks is not setting the right example.
While they may work at home or after hours, their job is to lead by example. The carrying of rifles I do feel is a bit of an overkill now. How about the issuing of side arm( [revolvers)?
—Phil Bradford
Honiara,
SOLOMON ISLANDS
Sea levels rising, but why?
I HAVE SPENT MORE THAN HALF OF MY LIFE IN THE tropics 25° north and 25° south of the equator, the area in which the earth is directly opposite in its orbit around the sun and makes it the hottest part of the planet.
This is the area that produces the most rain, has the rainforests that consume most of the world’s carbon dioxide and stores most of the water. At school, we were told the rainforests of the Amazon Basin received 34% of the world’s rainfall. I wonder what it is today?
One only has to travel to the tropics to be staggered by the amount of forests that have disappeared.
Throughout South America, the Caribbean, Africa, India, South-east Asia, the Philippines, Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands, most of the islands and coastlines are now denude of rainforest.
These areas have been clear felled and logs shipped off to countries that have already consumed most of their own timber reserves.
The rainforests not only consume carbon dioxide, but give shade to the earth, which in turn lowers the temperature allowing the earth to retain the water that is now raising sea levels, making the earth hotter which in turn diminishes our northern and southern ice caps.
A lot of these logs are only used for making cheap construction plywood, cardboard and brown paper, the majority of which could be replaced with fast growing soft woods grown further north and south of the equator.
—K Trueman
Port Vila,
VANUATU
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