When you plagiarize, at least apologize

“A few members of the LeMoyne-Owen College faculty are calling for my resignation because they feel I plagiarized a sermon by [televangelist] Joel Osteen,” said Andrea Lewis Miller, president of the Memphis, Tenn. school in a statement, according to Inside Higher Ed. “The fact is I did use material from Joel Osteen within the boundaries of fair use, which means I may not photocopy or print text for distribution. In my notes, I have a statement giving credit to Pastor Osteen that I may have overlooked while delivering the speech. In that instance, it would be an oversight and does not constitute a serious breach of academic standards that would rise to level of review for faculty or students.”

And that statement doesn't rise to the level of an apology. —DM