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Harassment from a Slowlane in Education

Topics related to Slowlane, Scripted mainstream dogma

Michael Raphael

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So some of you may have read my other post regarding the failures of educators in the system. However, nothing holds a candle as to what I have experienced in the past 24 hours.

As some of you may know, I am the owner of a business called The Baby Sitter, an infant development cushion. Furthermore, some of you are aware that I am a student at University majoring in Entrepreneurial studies. In my class, I am expected to create a new business model, I therefore thought it would be beneficial to use a current business model I am creating (The Baby Sitter), however, since day 1 I have been harassed.

I am now being charged with academic integrity for using this idea and not creating my own business venture. They believe that I am a minor peon in this business which I have created from scratch. Rather, then tell me to choose another project, they believe it is better to accuse me, mind you they have no tangible evidence, of plagiarism.

Furthermore, the professor in his affidavit uses terms that are purely speculative such as "I think, I thought, I saw" and concluding them with factual statements, this is not his, other people's work, etc...

I would like to extend a grand salute to the disgust our education system prides itself on.
 
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Writer

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So some of you may have read my other post regarding the failures of educators in the system. However, nothing holds a candle as to what I have experienced in the past 24 hours.

As some of you may know, I am the owner of a business called The Baby Sitter, an infant development cushion. Furthermore, some of you are aware that I am a student at University majoring in Entrepreneurial studies. In my class, I am expected to create a new business model, I therefore thought it would be beneficial to use a current business model I am creating (The Baby Sitter), however, since day 1 I have been harassed.

I am now being charged with academic integrity for using this idea and not creating my own business venture. They believe that I am a minor peon in this business which I have created from scratch. Rather, then tell me to choose another project, they believe it is better to accuse me, mind you they have no tangible evidence, of plagiarism.

Furthermore, the professor in his affidavit uses terms that are purely speculative such as "I think, I thought, I saw" and concluding them with factual statements, this is not his, other people's work, etc...

I would like to extend a grand salute to the disgust our education system prides itself on.

If they are accusing, the burden of proof falls on them.
Just preempt if necessary by replying (CCing the dean of your uni, head of dept, and State board of Education) saying that you find the accusation preposterous and lacking factual evidence. Actually be the one that requests such evidence.
Most teachers would rather let it die than having the big boss' office calling them asking for explanation.
 

sle3pyguii

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On the bright side:
Your prof thinks your company is a very successful business that is headed by a successful entrepreneur.

It's equivalent to being called a hacker in a video game.
 
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Yasai

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If you can in fact prove that you are the owner, you can turn the whole thing around and file a complaint or something.
(Academic/professorial misconduct etc.)

That being said, why do you even care about them if you're already having a business and making money?
 

Michael Raphael

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I should contact the state board? Also how would I go about filing an academic misconduct. Also I care about getting a degree I have 2 months left, been doing this for a while now.
 

Yasai

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There are usually mechanisms that aim to prevent defamation or whatever the correct term might be.
If a professor tries to ruin your reputation by accusing you of fraud AFTER You've proven beyond a shadow of a doubt that said business is in fact yours, you might have good chances.
I haven't studied law, so take it with a grain of salt. Your Lawyer might be a better source for information.
 
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sle3pyguii

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If you truly are serious about this and are want to take legal action against the prof, you need to consult a lawyer.

It seems way too risky to get this type of information from a non-lawyer, even if it's just about filing a complaint.
 

Michael Raphael

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Problem is I am in a private school. I am not sure what the standards are for this, if any. But thanks guys!
 

RHL

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I am now being charged with academic integrity for using this idea and not creating my own business venture. They believe that I am a minor peon in this business which I have created from scratch. Rather, then tell me to choose another project, they believe it is better to accuse me, mind you they have no tangible evidence, of plagiarism.


My mom is a very intelligent engineer that holds a number of patents. When one of her college professors falsely accused her of plagiarism because the work she turned in for a lab "was too good to have possibly been done by a college student" she came back with "well, then it looks like there are two ways this can end. Either you produce evidence of plagiarism and I get expelled, or you give me a 100/100 for producing better-than-college-quality work in a college class."

She ended up getting an A.

Go with the professor to the dean of students. Show your whole plan for the business from day 1, documenting how you took the idea from inception to completion. This should clear things up in a few minutes. Do not take legal action until you talk to the dean or, if that fails, the president.
 
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Michael Raphael

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That is exactly what she said to me. Wow, tell your mom to help me!! Haha. So I did go to the associate-dean and she was beyond a doubt the most unhelpful individual I have come across. I will contact the dean directly.
 

Iammelissamoore

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My mom is a very intelligent engineer that holds a number of patents. When one of her college professors falsely accused her of plagiarism because the work she turned in for a lab "was too good to have possibly been done by a college student" she came back with "well, then it looks like there are two ways this can end. Either you produce evidence of plagiarism and I get expelled, or you give me a 100/100 for producing better-than-college-quality work in a college class.

She ended up getting an A.

Go with the professor to the dean of students. Show your whole plan for the business from day 1, documenting how you took the idea from inception to completion. This should clear things up in a few minutes.


Perfect! There Must be a way you really can prove your work, AND even better if you have the documentation. Indeed, when people are stupefied by your great woks/efforts, they accuse you to get to you!
 

RHL

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So I did go to the associate-dean and she was beyond a doubt the most unhelpful individual I have come across. I will contact the dean directly.

Remember the principles at stake in this negotiation. Don't allow pride or anger or frustration to take the reins, keep the facts in view to easily and swiftly win this case:

If you're found guilty of plagiarism, your professor stopped a bad person from graduating. But if you're innocent...

-You would be expelled, lowering the school's retention, graduation, and job placement rate, and their national ranking.

-They would lose any tuition payments you would make in the future.

-They would be condemning an innocent person and placing a mark on their record that is difficult to recover from.

Remember, it's in everyone's best interest to see the truth-that you didn't plagiarize. See if your student government has any representatives who are willing to help you make your case, often the president knows the college president or academic deans better than you're likely to.
 
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Writer

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I should contact the state board? Also how would I go about filing an academic misconduct. Also I care about getting a degree I have 2 months left, been doing this for a while now.

Just contact as many "big heads" as possible. Board of school, Government entities etc. Just send a nice, brief letter to the professor with all the cc's you can think of (not general 'info' inboxes. Be specific), giving him the possibility to amend for his mistake or requesting further proof for those false accusations. 99.999% the big heads won't read your email, but your professor will get scared. If he's smart, he'll just let it go.
Private or public doesn't matter. Plagarism is a very serious accusation.
Something like:

To: Professor Moriarty
CC: XYZ - University Dean
ZYX - Head of Department
ZZZ - Head of student council
YYY - State Secretary of Education

Heck, even contact the Mayor's office if necessary. Nobody wants an unnecessary headache.

On the flip side, if you're in the wrong, this will bite you.
 

liquidglass

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If they are accusing, the burden of proof falls on them.
Just preempt if necessary by replying (CCing the dean of your uni, head of dept, and State board of Education) saying that you find the accusation preposterous and lacking factual evidence. Actually be the one that requests such evidence.
Most teachers would rather let it die than having the big boss' office calling them asking for explanation.
This.


You've got to think about it from their perspective. They are used to students half-assing things and never excelling past their (the professors) own experience. I'm assuming from the flack that you hit a nerve with the professor. Perhaps he/she wanted to start their own business but was too afraid of failure or their intelligence is threatened by the amount of detail you've included in your plan. Especially if it's an undergrad course. They aren't always as smart as their title suggests.

Furthermore, you need to remember, they are EMPLOYEES, and employees often don't want someone to exceed them, especially if it could possibly mean they could be devalued or seen as incompetent. Don't look at it as a professor/student relationship but rather employee/business owner relationship and their motive/perspective should become much clearer.

It's much easier for them to complain about someone doing too well than complain about students doing too poorly, if they complained about that, it would threaten their job. Complaining about you makes them look competent and engaged.
 

liquidglass

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These guys are giving you great advice, I'd like to add my own two cents in as well to what Enanka said.

When you're addressing this to higher-ups it is best to make your professor look competent but just mistaken, because whatever you say will go back to him/her.

Example: "I completely understand where professor X is coming from and if I was in his/her position I would probably feel the same exact way. The fact that he/she took the initiative to investigate this confirms my impression of them. They are a competent and engaging professor who wants to hold his/her students to the highest standard, and honestly, I appreciate that, without that this University would not be the wonderful place it is. However, in this particular instance I will have to disagree with Professor X on the accusation of plagurism. The business model I submitted is in fact my own personal business that I founded in 20XX, am the current Owner/President of, and I'm seeking patents for my designs. Please let me know if there's anything else I can do to help clarify this situation so we can bring it to an amicable and quick close."


See there, you build up the professor, make the dean feel good about having that person in his/her position, compliment where they work, exibit pride in your classes and work, and still make the point that he or she is wrong without calling them stupid. I'm confident after this is handled you'll never hear another word from that professor and in fact may be asked by him/her to do a presentation on it because they'll hold you in a higher regard

[HASHTAG]#peopleskills[/HASHTAG]
 
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Yasai

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This is not "[HASHTAG]#peopleskills[/HASHTAG]" this is supplication/brownnosing.
Or you were just being sarcastic (re-reading your text in a sarcastic voice creates some pretty epic lulz).

I wouldn't shield someone who's shown such a level of corruption and moral-bankruptcy. Scum like that has no place in academia. But that's just my opinion, because I happen to care a little bit about academic and scientific integrity.

Edit: That being said, OP probably also had a part in this. Maybe he acted unpleasant towards the professor and/or his fellow students, who knows. People usually don't out of their way to frame someone and accuse them of something like plagiarism. But those who DO go out of their way without prior provocation need to be removed swiftly and without mercy.
 
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biophase

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I still don't quite understand the issue. Is your professor saying that you do not own this company? Or is he saying that someone else helped you start this company? Do you own a major portion of the company or just a small portion? Is he basically saying that you just (for example) made the website and that 2 other guys did all the R&D and marketing?
 

ilrein

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Sounds like the issue is that your current business model is based of another similar one, not that you are being outright denied as the owner of said business.

Also, if this is so important, why's this happening 2 months prior to graduation? Shouldn't have this been resolved at the start of a term, when you submit your proposal for a final project?
 
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jockinbox

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success is the greatest form of revenge
 

theag

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I would sue his a$$.
 

splok

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You probably won't like this answer, but assuming that your professor isn't insane (though that is surely a possibility), it's possible that he's accusing you of self-plagiarism, which despite sounding absurd is actually a thing. If your business existed before the class and your assignment was to create a business for the class, then you'd basically be turning in pre-existing work, sort of like turning in a term paper for two different classes.
 
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Mattie

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I would just follow the proper paper work, or get a lawyer. I was accused once by an English teacher my writing wasn't mine. lol I laughed because it was my work. I just wrote it so it didn't look like a good writer and than he was fine with it. Remember professor's have big ego's you're not supposed to be smarter than them. How dare you be?

I ran into this a few times in my classes. To graduate I just sucked it up until I had the degree. The institution is interested in you thinking for yourself. So, you play the game, or fight back. Fortunately, if you're out of the matrix, and they're still in it, it makes no sense to argue and fight with them. They're not going to buy into it, and I get bashed all the time by sleeping people.

There's moments where you have to play the game because they're not at your level, and there's other times you don't. It's really your choice, but fortunately it's just been my experience, it's not worth arguing, because you'll be met with resistance.

If you have the money for a lawyer and all that I suppose you can do all that, but is it really worth it, when you can just do your project, get it done, and get a degree and be done with it.
 

Unknown

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I would show him my LLC papers and move on with my day.
 

Michael Raphael

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You probably won't like this answer, but assuming that your professor isn't insane (though that is surely a possibility), it's possible that he's accusing you of self-plagiarism, which despite sounding absurd is actually a thing. If your business existed before the class and your assignment was to create a business for the class, then you'd basically be turning in pre-existing work, sort of like turning in a term paper for two different classes.

That is what they are accusing me of, but I redid the work and numbers specifically for the class. I added new cost structure, which was all that was required. Its a finance class, the fact that the market research isn't the same shouldnt be relevant.
 
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Ask them if you could revise / update for a new section of business for your existing business so it would be clear it is new work for the class. Ask if they would like to use your business as a case study that was expanded with their help while going there. Would look good to have a successful business come from one of their students. You could also demand an oral exam with whoever they would like to bring to show you have command of the concepts from within the class.
 

ZCP

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AND tell them you are there to learn, not get by. Everything they teach you, you will try to apply immediately and that you could be a case study for future classes.
 

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