Capital Scholar: Symposium

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Symposium:

Please reflect on the importance of service especially within the context of NSCS. Though NSCS is an Honor Society that values academic excellence, it also stresses the importance of community service. Why is service of the utmost importance? How does service play an integral role in the development of one's character and leadership abilities?

Below is a response from the VP of Service, Stephanie Frangos, to the 2006-2007 symposium:

A Patchwork Community: The Importance of Service

By Stephanie Frangos

Most human beings begin their lives being catered to, helplessly depending on having their every need fulfilled. Mature growth and development over the years then lead one to learn the fact that meaningful membership within a community depends on harmonious relationships with the surrounding people and environment. A variety of relationships can then be integrated to compose the patchwork quilt of society. As this patchwork quilt is produced, with different sized stitches and many types of threads, service within a community facilitates the relationships that help bring the quilt together, allowing people to reconcile their differences on a forum of common ground. In turn, community service is vital both early in life and throughout the later years, as it serves to keep the quilt fresh and expansive. As people are able to give back to their communities and fellow community members, more sectors of the world can become further intertwined and there emerges an increased value in the relationships that serve to better the pathway to an improved world.

Please reflect on the issues surrounding academic integrity specifically relating to plagiarism, considering the plethora of information available online, including pre-written papers, university preventive measures such as a mandatory Honor Tutorial, and professors' efforts to catch plagiarism via methods such as turnitin.com.

Below are the entries and responses to the 2005-2006 symposium:

Marisol Vilasuso:
Honor, what does it mean? It is defined as a “strong moral character or strength, and adherence to ethical principles.” I believe it is a crucial aspect of any institution to have faith in the honor of its constituents. I think that Georgetown makes a good attempt at emphasizing the importance of honor for the stability of the university as an institution. However, I do not believe that all of its attempts are successful. For example, I honestly do not think that the Honor Tutorial does anything for the maintenance of honor at Georgetown. If anyone were to be asked what was on that tutorial, I am sure no one would remember. Perhaps, they would remember the basics such as plagiarism is wrong and can be punished by a failing grade or suspension; but I do not believed they learned this from the tutorial. I think the tutorial was a waste of time. I do not think it taught anything, nor did it entice anyone to follow the code. I believe that the mandatory Honor Tutorial should be done away with.

This section will be particularly unique to Capital Scholar and expressive of the distinctive character of the publication. Each issue, this section will revolve around a new theme that somehow encapsulates various aspects of Georgetown life and education, as well as their influence over our personal experiences here. The previous issue's theme looked at Georgetown's Catholic and Jesuit identity today and what role (if any) it plays in distinguishing Georgetown from other universities. This issue's theme focuses on academic integrtity. (Please see above.) Submissions to this section may be of an editorial, scholarly or reflective nature and may be of any length. However, we recommend submissions be between 1000 and 4000 words. Please e-mail submissions to rpt3@georgetown.edu. Submissions will be accepted through the end of the academic year. All submissions will be posted except for those with grossly inappropriate material.