Plagiarism Will Continue Without Harsh Punishment

How would Larry Tribe treat a student who plagiarized a paper and used that material in his own thesis or term paper News, “Prof Admits to Misusing Source,” Sept. 27)? My guess would be pretty severely. Now that the tables are turned, I have a question: should Larry Tribe be treated the same as he would treat a student? It’s pretty discouraging when students plagiarize material and use it, but it is even more disgraceful when a well-known person such as Tribe does it and then expects there would be no repercussions.

Harvard has placed a pretty hefty stake in people like Tribe and even though this will be “ancient history” in a matter of days, the practice of plagiarizing material will continue for as long as it is allowed. It should be stopped, now and not allowed to recur.

COLIN MCCAULEY

Leominster, Mass.

September 28