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February 2004
The Honor System Tested 
First Week (February 7 through February
13)
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While grading a paper
for physics course, Louis Bloomfield
(UVA) left suspected that
many of his students were plagiarizing from essays available
through the Internet. An investigation led to 158 being
brought before the student-run University of Virginia
honor system. The popular physics professor talks about
his experience and the importance of the honor system.
Also featured: While the record industry continues its
crackdown on illegal file-sharing, college administrators
are scrambing to raise awareness of the morality of music
piracy in their campus codes of conduct. Susan
Barr (VMI) has helped cadets
to see that downloading music without paying for it is
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Literary Journals in Flux
Second Week (February 14 through February 20)
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 Are
the days of the literary journal numbered? Budget cutbacks
are forcing universities to reexamine their support of
prestigious literary magazines. The future of Shenandoah,
published by Washington and Lee University, is under review
by that school's board of trustees. Should universities
be in the publishing business? Is there a significant
audience for journals of poetry and literature? How should
journals change in the 21st century? Greg
Donovan (VCU) above
left is a senior editor of Blackbird,
an online journal that is making waves internationally.
Ted Genoways (UVA)
above right is the
new editor of the venerated Virginia Quarterly Review,
which has recently been redesigned.
School Desegregation in Virginia: A Tale of Two Counties
Third Week (February 21 through February 27)
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As the nation celebrates the 50th anniversary of the Brown v. Board  Supreme Court ruling, residents of Prince Edward County are recalling the role they played in the case. The Brown case included a lawsuit filed by local black students who wanted better conditions at their high school. After the Supreme Court forced the south's schools to desegregate, the Prince Edward County school system shut down rather than open their classrooms to blacks. Theresa Clark (LU) above took many risks to attend school in a neighboring county. Larissa Smith (LU) above says the foundations for Brown were laid by the hard work of many civil rights lawyers.  Also featured: Officials of New Kent County, Virginia continued to operate a dual school system until a 1968 Supreme Court decision forced them to integrate. Jody Allen (W&M) and Brian Daugherity (W&M) above discuss the effects the Green V. New Kent County ruling had on the nation.
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The Ethics of Bioprospecting
Fourth Week (February
28 through March 5)
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Since the dawn of time, humans
have used plants to make life easier and healthier. Ancient
doctors used herbs to treat medical conditions, shamans would
use certain leaves to facilitate visions and early farmers
experimented different seeds to grow the best tasting, most
nutritious crops. Today, the quest to find useful new plants
is called bio-prospecting, and the results are all around
us. For example, an enzyme called Xylanese, discovered in
Yellowstone National Park, is used in everything from paper-making
to keeping bread fresher for longer. All over the world, biologists
search for the next generation of useful compounds. But, can
this be done while maintaining the environment and making
sure the benefits from natural resources go back to the lands
where they come from? David Kingston (VT) and Lee
Talbot (GMU) discuss the costs and benefits of bio-prospecting.
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