The Grad School Diaries: Episode 20 - I almost got Mark Joseph Solis-ed [plagiarized] in Graduate School

In 2011, I ALMOST got Mark Joseph Solis-ed.

On my second semester as a graduate student, I wrote a paper on the topic of Los Baños traffic, which is not even a good paper considering I was still a newbie and working my way around graduate school. We were in our public policy class, and about 20 students with foreign students from Southeast Asia and most probably, funded scholars.

We were required to pitch our topic. My topic had to be in line with my MS thesis, so I asked my classmate Sarah, if I can take off from her previous paper Cyber bullying. But in my case, instead of Cyber bullying, it is the non-reportage of Cyber bullying among high school students. One Saturday morning, a classmate of mine named Janus (yes, I am name dropping here) came prepared with the presentation of his topic.

He opened his presentation with a "Good Morning" greeting translated to different native language of our foreigner classmates, much to their delight.

Then he said: The title of my policy paper is 'A Grove-y kind of Road'.

I was seated three seats from the front, and I thought it sounds familiar because I'd written a similar topic just last semester. I didn't even get an impressive grade out of it, but I still listened.

He flashed the first photo:

I whispered to my friend Aya (who is also my classmate at that time): "That photo looks familiar, I have just one like that, taken on the similar topic last semester."

Then he flashed the next photo:

I said: " Oh my gosh, Aya, I think that photo is mine! If he flashes another photo with arrows on it, I am interrupting this presentation. I did that circle thing with the paint program only!"

Then this photo confirmed it:

I interrupted Janus, raised my hand and asked: "Excuse, where did you get those photos?"

He said confidently: "Oh I got it from the internet." In fairness he did not claim it as his own.

Then I said: "Yeah. Because those photos are from my blog, and your topic is my policy paper last semester."

The entire room, all 20+ of my classmate fell silent. I even heard hushes in the background. It was awkward alright. Even my professor, who is a lawyer by profession, was shocked.

Then for the lack of a follow up thing to say, I told Janus: " You may continue".

And he did, with ALL of my photos from that blog post and not one did he get it from another source.

He came to me after his presentation, to ask about the topic but I don't think he apologized. (Did he, Aya?) I entertained his questions politely. Later, before the class was dismissed, our professor warned us not to plagiarize.

Why I am I telling you this two years later? Well, although I already posted it before, my gradschool friends and I were talking the other day and we got into talking about Mark Joseph Solis, that it was the photographer who took the photos found out that his photos were stolen, that led to my photos getting stolen too and presented it in the same class where I was attending.  Word got around and some said that I should have filed a case. The only difference between Mark Joseph Solis and Janus, Janus did not claim that it was his. Maybe that's the reason I was polite, he did not claim it that it was his. I would have reacted very differently, had he claimed that it was his.

So what happened after?

He skipped the rest of the semester and did not show up on the Finals day. I do not know what else happened to him, but I heard, on that same semester, he was also asking for my friend's paper.