Chaffi n strikes a pose in the Duffer Plaza.
Photo by Ashley S. Wright
Campus
N
ews
5
November 17, 2004
The Se� ler
Tamel Harris
Senior Reporter
Plagiarism is a problem on college
campuses.
Most students do not realize they
plagiarize. It is due to a lack of skills on
documenting sources within papers,
but not to worry the professors at Vol
State are here to help.
Mandy McDougal, Assistant
Professor of English, said “Our focus
is on teaching student’s skills and
enhancing abilities so plagiarism is not
an option of choice.”
The English Department and
instructors at Vol State have access to
plagiarism detection so� ware called
Eve2, but there were about 4,000
that showed up on google.com. The
others can be used at the instructor’s
discretion.
He a� racted a lot of a� ention from
major college basketball programs
such as Marque� e and Louisville at an
AAU tournament during the summer
of 2003.
He applied to Marque� e and
Louisville, but his ACT score did not
meet their admissions requirements.
Yet, he was not discouraged. A� er
graduating, he enrolled at Vol State.
When asked why he decided to a� end
Vol State, he mentioned, “I saw Vol
State as a step to get to where I want
to go.” He added, “I wanted to get
away from the crime and negative
atmosphere at home. I like the
environment here. It’s in a rural area,
nice and quiet.”
He plans to apply to Louisville next
summer and hopes to be a part of Rick
Pitino’s run and gun off ense. Currently,
though, Chaffi n plans to make the best
of his time with the Vol State basketball
team and feels very confi dent about
his defensive basketball skills. He
considers himself the “show-stopper ”,
relishing any opportunity to shut
down opposing off enses that come his
way. “I want to do whatever I can to
help this team out and fulfi ll any role
that I have,” he said.
Like most players who want to
succeed at the college level, Chaffi n
values team chemistry. He admi� ed
that the team had some inner confl ict
and were distracted by the a� ention
from the Sept. 16th photo. At the same
time though, he stressed that they had
to be focused. “90% of the game is
mental, the other 10% is physical”, he
commented. He looks up to Dwayne
Others may include, but not limited
to Plagiarism-Finder and the Gla�
Plagiarism Services. Eve2 was part
of the material that was added to the
package when the English Department
ordered the ENGL 1010 texts and The
Bedford Handbook.
“Not many students accidentally
plagiarize from the internet. Most
unintentional plagiarism occurs as a
result of incorrect documentation of
sources,” explained McDougal.
The risk of plagiarizing is failure of
the class and will not be tolerated in
the classroom as many professors say
in their syllabi.
“Personally, I am off ended when
someone plagiarizes in one of my
classes; as well, I feel it is an insult
to the diligent students who work
hard for their grades,” commented
McDougal.
Wade, who a� ended Marque� e and
currently plays for the Miami Heat,
because of his all-around skills on
off ense and defense.
Though the Pioneers have not
played their fi rst regular season game
of the season, they have participated
in preseason basketball tournaments.
Chaffi n has been eff ective in those
games. In a preseason tournament
game in Indiana, he scored 15 points
in one half. He feels confi dent that he
can carry that type of performance
throughout the regular season. “The
key is staying consistent. The more
consistent you are, the be� er person
you will be,” he said.
Chaffi n credits his high school
coach, Robert Newman, for developing
such an a� itude and being the person
he is today. He recalls how his coach
always reminded him to put business
before pleasure and stayed on him
to succeed. In fact, in an age where
college players are leaving school
early to play professional basketball,
Demario plans to fi nish his education.
“Education comes fi rst. My mother
would want to see me with a degree.
You have to plan for the unexpected,”
he said. At the same time, he said that
he would be a “lost soul” without the
game of basketball.
From what I gathered, this young
man knows what he wants and where
he wants to go. He is determined
to do whatever it takes to succeed.
From what he’s experienced, he can
confi dently tell anyone, “If you stay
focused, you can beat any type of
obstacle.”
continued from front page
Scoring around the bias
War on cheaters rages
Plagiarism doesn't give you hairy palms, but it can get you
fl unked. Why cheating is harder in the information age.
