May 21, 2005

More Noted Things ...

by Cliopatria

In case you missed the streaming video, our colleague, Chris Bray, and Ann Chernis were married last night in Las Vegas, Nevada. At Historiblogography, Michael Benson and Sameer provide slightly irreverent commentary on the ceremony. Congratulations, Chris and Ann. We wish you many happy years together!

On 19 May in the year 2005 of the common era, the Commonwealth of Massachusetts repealed a law adopted in 1675 that banned the entry of native Americans into the city of Boston.

Sheila Brennan, who is an expert on museums and the internet, recommends this guide to 478 historical museums throughout the United States. Often, she says, the most important museums have a limited presence on the net. Here, she recommends seven on-line exhibits that are rich in content, interactive, user friendly, and give visitors a unique experience.

Hiram Hover has been following the case of Nichole Krogman, a senior American Studies major at Wells College. Found guilty of journalistic plagiarism by a college court last fall, Krogman was ordered to take a non-credit independent study in journalistic ethics this spring. When she failed to complete work for it on time, Krogman was told that she would not be allowed to take"incompletes" in two classes she was taking for credit and was subject to a year's suspension. She then issued a press release, charging that she was being punished for being the most visible conservative student at Wells, and secured the assistance of a local Republican attorney. Krogman's case has subsequently been taken up by the wingers at Free Republic, David Horowitz's Students for Academic Freedom, Hannity & Colmes at Fox News, and Morton Blackwell of the"Leadership Institute". Without acknowledging the little matter of plagiarism that led to this, they are demanding that Krogman be allowed to graduate with her class on 28 May. Sounds like another good case of David Horowitz b**l s**t to me!

More Comments:

Hiram Hover - 5/21/2005

I've done a new post linking to a Syracuse news story, which--if correct--indicates that Krogman was guilty of a pretty egregious (if typical) case of plagiarism.

(The URL for that news report is here; if that doesn't work, you can get it at my blog).

As to the sequence of events: my understanding parallels John Lederer's, but Ralph Luker is right that it's hard to sort out, given the self serving and misleading info that Krogman and her defenders have put out:

1. she was found guilty of plagiarism by a student-faculty community court and required to do a tutorial in journalism ethics as a result;

2. she failed to complete that tutorial on time and was suspended;

3. the suspension meant that she couldn't complete her courses for this term (surprise--that's what suspension means). On the basis of the work she had done to that point, she apparently has received (or will receive) failing grades in at least two of those courses.

4. Those failures, in turn, mean she's on academic suspension for the next year as well.

Ralph E. Luker - 5/21/2005

John, That may be the case, but I'd recommend that you check the links that I suggested or there may be more reliable information elsewhere on the net. The administration is limited by law in what it can say. The "conservative" sources make no reference to the original plagiarism allegation.

John H. Lederer - 5/21/2005

"When she failed to complete work for it on time, Krogman was told that she would not be allowed to take "incompletes" in two classes she was taking for credit and was subject to a year's suspension"

Was the sequence that she was suspended, thus preventing her from completing the work for the two courses, and told she could not receive incompletes in them?