Now that Rand Paul is back in the news, this time for plagiarism that really is plagiarism, despite his denial.
“We borrowed the plot lines from Gattaca. It’s a movie,” Paul said. “I gave credit to the people who wrote the movie... Nothing I said was not given attribution to where it came from.”
Well that's a lie. The words he said were not from the movie, but from the Wikipedia page about the movie, which he plagiarized. The details about this and at least one other occurrence are treated well in
this diary.
I want to revisit his story from a few weeks ago about taking tests in medical school.
Jump
In a speech to medical students, when asked about preparing for a test, he said this.
"I never, ever cheated. I don't condone cheating. But I would sometimes spread misinformation. This is a great tactic. Misinformation can be very important."
He went on to describe studying for a pathology test with friends in the library. "We spread the rumor that we knew what was on the test and it was definitely going to be all about the liver," he said. "We tried to trick all of our competing students into over-studying for the liver" and not studying much else.
"So, that's my advice," he concluded. "Misinformation works."
I was reading the Honor Code for the institution where I teach, and it has a statement that says this under the definition of "academic fraud and dishonesty:"
Obtaining Unfair Advantage: a) gaining or providing access to examination materials prior to the time authorized by an instructor; b) stealing, defacing, or destroying library or research materials which can deprive others of their use; c) unauthorized collaboration on an academic assignment; d) retaining, possessing, or circulating previously used examination materials without the instructor's permission; e) obstructing or interfering with another student's academic work; or f) engaging in any activity designed to obtain an unfair advantage over another student in the same course.
Whether his behavior violated e may be fuzzy, but it is hard to deny that it violated f.
Of course, Sen. Paul did not go to school where I teach. He attended medical school at Duke University, so I checked their honor code. There is no way for me to know what it said when he was a student there, but here is what their "Duke Community Standard" says now:
- I will not lie, cheat, or steal in my academic endeavors;
- I will conduct myself honorably in all my endeavors; and
- I will act if the Standard is compromised.
Looks like a violation to me, but that was long ago, so the question that matters now is, would you ever trust this guy with anything?
I actually believe his denials and his cluelessness. He has no idea what honest and honorable behavior is.