Texas A&M Laredo Axes Prof for Publishing Names of Students Who Plagiarized

Former adjunct professor Loye Young was fired from Texas A&M International University in Laredo after posting the names of six students on his blog whom he caught plagiarizing.

Young, who previously taught a course in management information systems at the university, had stated clearly in his syllabus that any forms of academic dishonesty would be severely punished. "No form of dishonesty is acceptable," he wrote in the course syllabus. "I will promptly and publicly fail and humiliate anyone caught lying, cheating, or stealing. That includes academic dishonesty, copyright violations, software piracy, or any other form of dishonesty."

Six of the students allegedly went ahead and cheated on an assignment despite the warning, and each in turn received an "F" in the course and ended up on Young's blog. Texas A&M responded by firing Young for violating the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act.

Young, despite the fiasco, stands by his actions. “You have to hold them accountable,” he said to the Daily Texan. “If you don’t, you hold a grave danger of having an illiterate society.”