6 THE VOICE | THURSDAY, MARCH 22, 2018 | EDITOR MYRA DIONNE Viewpoints Maggie Ross, director of student conduct and judicial affairs, says 500 cases of plagiarism were reported at Langara College last year. ci0F LOGAN ILLUSTRATION Schools create cheaters ost-secondary schools in Canada have independent policies regarding plagia- rism, yet little being done by the institutions to target the problem. If academic integrity is valu- able, post-secondary institutions in Canada have a responsibility to be transparent about the number of plagiarism cases that take place each year so they can see where the problems exist and how to target them. The last study on the number of plagiarism cases in Canada was published in 2006 by the Canadian Journal of Higher Education. This found that more than 50 per cent of students in higher education engaged in some form of cheating. Academic institutions cannot expect students to end the behaviour simply because of consequence. They need to engage staft and students in coversation and provide re- sources that go beyond a library workshop. Aca- ‘ ty OPINION MYRA DIONNE demic integrity is taught and can- not be expected if students lack an understanding or awareness of its importance. Sarah Eaton, associate professor for Werklund School of Educa- tion at the University of Calgary, published a report in January 2017 on policy definitions of plagiarism across the country. “There is a need for a coordi- nated effort among Canadian in- stitutions to agree upon how they wish to define and understand plagiarism, as well as other forms of academic misconduct, so as to better facilitate open conversations about academic integrity,” the re- port said. The fact that space for this con- versation doesnt currently exist is disappointing. The problem is not that students are cheating but rather, they are being cheated by the institutions they pay for edu- cation, putting them in debt. Services that offer ghostwrit- ers are preying on vulnerabilities that exist in the system—stress, inexperience and heavy workloads. Post-secondary institutions need to better support their staff and students by being open about the plagiarism that’s taking place and targeting weaknesses in the system that lead to this type of behaviour. Boundaries hob inding a line between hate Fes and free speech can be confusing. The concept of free speech is fickle because we want people to have free speech, but also want to leave room for sensitivity. As hard as it is to hear argu- ments you dis- OPINION agree with, lis- NIKITHA tening intently MARTINS to opposing views will not only benefit you by gaining a different perspective, but will move society along in a positive direction. As individuals, many of us do not challenge our own beliefs, go- ing so far as to surround ourselves with people who have similar views. When we're not confronted by peo- ple with different views, we become even more possessive of our posi- tions. The controversial topic of free speech has reached Langara Col- lege as Kent Schmor, a Langara philosophy instructor, will be lead- ing a lecture on April 5 at the Philosophers’ Jam at the college. ble free speech The potential controversy is peo- ‘This event is for “the expression of ple will have opposing ideas as to provocative ideas,” according to the department what those boundaries should be and as soon as of philoso- those bound- phy’s site and “As soon as those aries are set, is meant for . someone is si- students to | DOUNdariesareset, | tenced. identify the boundaries of free speech. “In uni- versity, free speech has more to do with goals of gaining knowledge, and learning how to investigate dif- ferent views, [and] learn how to ex- press your own views,” Schmor said. someone is silenced.” Giving — ev- eryone the op- portunity to lis- ten to what the opposing side has to say, no matter what has to be said, will push both sides to engage in stronger intellec- tual arguments. Nothing great comes easy. Ozone therapy is deadly zone therapy isn’t sanc- tioned by the Food and Drug Administration for a reason - it’s dangerous. Ozone is a toxic gas that has killed people and has poisoned the blood of others in hopes it will treat disease. ‘lhis is a last-ditch effort on part of people who feel they are out of options for treatments. It’s crimi- nal that people are selling this as a golden opportunity. Health Canada does not take a position on the therapy, which is ridiculous. The FDA have strong views on a health problem that af- fects Canadians, yet Health Can- ada has merely advised against the use of ozone generators in homes. Ozone _thera- y has become a global phenom- enon. Businesses claim the thera- py offers a range of benefits that seem too good to be true. For example, a business in Texas called Austin Ozone lists 100 different uses for ozone therapy ranging from the burning of excess sugar to preventing Alzheimer’s disease. Two very different things treated with the same therapy— seems odd that ozone therapy hasn’t made headlines as the won- der therapy capable of anything. Ozone therapy is the practice of introducing more oxygen into the bloodstream. This can be done through the vagina, rectum, in- CAMERON THOMSON “Tt's criminal that people are selling this as a golden opportunity.” jected into a muscle, under the skin or directly into veins. Ozone can also be introduced to the blood by drawing blood from the patient and after exposure, injecting it back. ‘There are people who buy ozone machines for themselves and inject ozone at home. Yes, even the one administered through the vagina. ‘These are procedures people have worries about when being done by a doctor, let alone a family member. The FDA also said ozone can irritate mucous membranes, some- thing Jennifer Gunter, an obste- trician, gynecologist and a pain medicine physician, wrote about passionately on her blog, “Gas in- troduced into the vagina can en- ter the blood stream and kill you. Enough said.” Ozone is a dangerous toxic gas and the therapy could cause death. To not see the correlation is purely naive. The Voice is pub- lished by Langara College’s joumalism government and administration. We welcome letters to department. Editorial — the editor. They may opinions are those be edited for brevity. of the staff and Your letter must in- are independent of clude your name and views of the student phone number. HOW TO DROP-IN REACH US Room A226 Langara College PHONE 604-323-5396 SNAIL MAIL The Voice E-MAIL 100 West 49th Ave. thevoice@langara. Vancouver, B.C. be.ca V5Y 226 WEBSITE langaravoice.ca MANAGING EDITOR PAGE 4&5 Natalia Buendia Becca Clarkson Calvillo PAGE 6 Myra Dionne PAGE EDITORS PAGE 7 PAGE 1 Nick Valka Lindsey Lloyd PAGE 8 PAGE 2 Jennifer Wilson Natalia Buendia Calvillo PAGE 3 Perrin Grauer MANAGING REPORTERS WEBSITE Agazy Mengesha EDITOR Amanda Poole Lisa Tanh Cameron Thomson Cloe Logan WEB EDITORS Desirée Garcia Ana Rose Walkey Gabrielle Plonka Danica Walker Lisa Steacy Nikitha Martins William Crosby FACULTY MANAGING EDITOR CONTACT Erica Bulman US ebulman@langara. ca Online at langaravoice.ca Twitter @langaraVoice