"Noose" Professor Charged With Plagiarism

Columbia University Says Black Teacher Who Found Noose On Office Door Took Work Of Others

(CBS/AP)  A Columbia University professor whose colleagues found a noose hanging from her office doorway has plagiarized the work of others, the school says. Madonna G. Constantine denies the finding and says the accusation is racially motivated.

The university's Teachers College announced Wednesday it had imposed "serious sanctions" against Constantine following a lengthy investigation it said uncovered "numerous instances in which she used others' work without attribution in papers she published in academic journals over the past five years."

Constantine's lawyer, Paul J. Giacomo Jr., said his client could prove her innocence and called the school's investigation "extremely underhanded from the beginning." He said he would appeal the sanctions, which neither side would disclose.

The inquiry into Constantine, an education and psychology professor who has written extensively about race, was launched in 2006, long before the noose was discovered this past October, the school said.

"The investigators found a real pattern - two dozen instances of similar language from three people who came forward separately," Teachers College spokeswoman Marcia Horowitz said. "Dr. Constantine's explanation was not credible."

In a written statement, Constantine said she had been subjected to "a conspiracy and witch-hunt by certain current and former members of the Teachers College community."

Her lawyer said she had "clearly" been targeted because of her race, and he said he believed the noose incident and the plagiarism investigation might be linked.

"There's been an effort to intimidate my client, that's clear," Giacomo said.

Horowitz dismissed Giacomo's claims, saying "it is both absurd and untrue that racism had anything to do with this report."

"Teacher's College has zero tolerance for racism, discrimination or prejudice of any kind," she said.

Columbia said some of the plagiarized work was written by Christine Yeh, a former colleague of Constantine's who is now with the University of San Francisco.

“I’m really hopeful other people will come forward now,” Yeh told The New York Times. “When the initial charges were made, there were many students involved who didn’t feel they could follow up. They were too scared, and they were afraid of retribution.”

When Constantine's colleagues discovered the noose, a symbol of lynchings in the Deep South, hanging from her office door, the incident roiled the Ivy League campus and gained national attention.

Police at the time ruled out any possibility that Constantine had hung the rope herself. A few weeks later, a swastika was discovered on the door of a Jewish professor at Teachers College.

Investigators have yet to make an arrest in either incident.

[mbcsmith]

She must work for the Obama campaign.

[mudrose-2009]

I''ll bet she even planted that noose, too.

[antoniof123]

mbcsmith no she works for the RNC they use a lot of sound bites to get people to listen.

[mudrose-2009]

So.. she plagarizes, and then says to herself: "I''''ll make it look like a vast right wing racist conspiracy".. right muddy lady?
Posted by hoygie7

Yup. It worked for Billary. Right Hoygie?

[lorinkundert]

Amazing that every time a minority gets caught doing something wrong, they immediately throw out the race card.

[plevy888]

She also copy works from students.

[mudrose-2009]

I think you conservatives are paranoid schizophrenics.
Posted by hoygie7

Yup, that''s what all paranoid schizophrenics say.

[nwihoosier]

Peace and Love
hoygie7, you poor sad sack, wrong is wrong. Why don''t you do something nice for someone today? You''ll feel much better.
Peace and Love

[excoachken]

I don''t think her name is original either, but what''s the story here? Racism does not exist at Columbia , a copy cat professor (and every story you print here is in your own words), or that Madonna doesn''t write "Like a Virgin?"

[theeggman369]

The investigation started before the "noose" incident.... Sounds like SHE is trying to make this a racial issue. Must be getting good advice from Jesse and Al. Make it look racial, and all will be well....

[advanceus]

I wonder when Sharpton is going to show his face????

[slim1h2o]

Madonna G. Constantine denies the finding and says the accusation is racially motivated

(Eyes rolling) Isn''t that the pot calling the kettle.............well you know..

[rational_1]

I wonder when Sharpton is going to show his face????
Posted by advanceus at 09:54 AM : Feb 21, 2008

Good question! This type of media circus draws Sharpton like flies to ***. I better figure out where I put my remote control...

[gmond]

I still have trouble believing she had nothing to do with the noose. Is she the only black professor at Columbia? Or just the only one accused of plagiarism?

[easeup-2009]

We should have just picked our own *** cotton....

[loretta333]

lorinkundert I beg to differ. I see only blacks and *** throwing out race and gay card at the drop of the hat. When''s the last time you saw a hispanic or chinese or Indian get away with anything because of their race. NEVER

[joyous88]

big deal, this is news?

this conservative fodder,, much like the troops in Iraq

[sjbj2322]

The significance of this article has much broader implications. What is says is that there is a zero tolerance policy toward plagiarism - whether or not it is later excused by a friend or close associate or not. This is exactly the rile that was raised by Obama using Duval''s words without crediting them to Duval at the time. The fact is that it doesn''t matter whether it is LATER excused - the fact is that the offense occurred. It''s wrong and should be called what it is.....STEALING!! Most theives are recalcitrant once caught.

[alexma50085]

I am so tired of hearing the race card being played. Race is only an issue because black Americans make sure it stays an issue. They keep pushing the fact that their ancestors were slaves and treated horribly, well my ancestors were Irish and they were treated like s hit when the got to America, too. They were forced into appalling conditions, aw well, but unlike slaves they didn''t have a Master that made sure they had food and shelter. I know I''m probably going to be b itched at for saying this, but if you bought a horse to work on your farm, you wouldn''t starve it or beat it, because then you would get less work out of it, same goes with slavery.
So when was the last time you heard an Irish man ask for his retribution?

[jersupporter]

''When the initial charges were made, there were many students involved who didn%u2019t feel they could follow up. They were too scared, and they were afraid of retribution.'' - This is the real travesty. Wether she is black, brown, red, white or blue - this fact that students felt afraid of retribution for coming forward is inexcusable. She should be placed on suspension until the investigation is completed.

[andrew_693]

If she plagiarized she needs to be fired, that''s how it is in every college in the US, just because she is black she should be given 0 slack.

[andrew_693]

This would not be the first black person to be caught cheating in academics. Just look at Marilee Jones, the MIT Dean who got caught with false credentials. These are the kind of people that disgrace blacks in the US. This doesn''t mean that there are no whites doing the same, there are plenty of whites who got caught plagiarizing but not as visible as these two morons.

[tomanyt]

Does Al and Jesse know about this???

[tjdesocio]

geeeeee, i wish i were a minority so i could throw out the racism card if i got caught doing something wrong. why didn''t we see the story of the jewish professor until now - i guess that one didn''t pull the race card, even after what happened to the jewish people, bet it wouldn''t even make a difference in germany. just the u.s., wtih all our ''activists'' groups that don''t have anything better to do than stick their nose everyones business.

[cpaide]

i thought black americans had a special exemption privilege for plagiarizing: they''ve been ripping off the words of dr. martin luther king, jr. for selfish, twisted purposes for years.

[missingamerica]

There is a whole system of dual standards in place in U.S. universities. As another instance, I give you foreign students.

When I got my last degree, there were almost half a dozen foreign students in one of my calculus courses who, after the first test, stopped showing up regularly.

They did show up for subsequent tests, and clustered around me and blatantly copied my exams %u2013 which the professor studiously avoided noticing.

It ticked me off - so on the final, I sat clear at the back of the classroom so they wouldn''t have room to sit behind me. What did they do? It was one of those classrooms that is actually part of a larger classroom subdivided by one of those retractable curtain gizmos. They opened the curtain so they could still sit behind me! Again, the professor studiously looked away.

So I took an approach to solving one problem that was substantially different from what had been taught in class, believing that the professor would not ignore six or more identical non-standard solutions. I get a note on my final that says something to the effect "Unique solution approach", but again nothing happens to the foreign students.

I am eventually informed that such behavior was %u201Cunofficially%u201D acceptable because the university ''needed the cash'' the foreign students provided, and as they ''helped fund'' the educations of Americans who did not have the financial resources themselves I should hush up.

Sheesh. Mea culpa for noticing.

[achtung-]

As usual, this Unterfrau will claim it''s because she''s BLACK that they are revealing her plagiarism -- when she would never have been hired at Columbia had she not been black -- hire the best, black, white, or green -- of course, then the faculties will be all white.

[missingamerica]

Sheesh. Mea culpa for noticing.

Posted by ibsteve2u at 11:43 AM : Feb 21, 2008

Now you know, in part, why I am so angry that Bill Clinton enabled and encouraged the offshoring so many of the components of our manufacturing and, eventually, our service sectors.

I mean, ***? Cheaper way doesn''t make them better.

[rushlimpdrug]

Posted by ibsteve2u at 11:43 AM

Great post.
Many of the foreign professionals I''ve worked with are actually quite stupid.

They compensate by using other mechanisms that work for them.

#1 on their list is to not lose respect and not lose a paycheck.

[demslie]

Of course she would claim racism. According to students she was a rasist who talked about nothing but how badly she was treated by everyone she ever met in her life. Some students claim that she put the noose on her on door to divert attention from the on-going investigation. But of course, its all someone else''s fault. Just like Democrats that blame everything in the world on George Bush.

[deemsnyd]

I am so tired of hearing the race card being played. Race is only an issue because black Americans make sure it stays an issue. They keep pushing the fact that their ancestors were slaves and treated horribly, well my ancestors were Irish and they were treated like s hit when the got to America, too. They were forced into appalling conditions, aw well, but unlike slaves they didn''''t have a Master that made sure they had food and shelter. I know I''''m probably going to be b itched at for saying this, but if you bought a horse to work on your farm, you wouldn''''t starve it or beat it, because then you would get less work out of it, same goes with slavery.
So when was the last time you heard an Irish man ask for his retribution?

Posted by alexma50085 at 11:00 AM : Feb 21, 2008


I think the Irish people IMMIGRATED here. Were they treated horribly? If you say so, I believe you, they are your family. The slaves were NOT immigrants. They were brought here in chains and shackles. Where is the corralation?

[xraytwonine]

let''s not mix facts with sensational news, her plagiarizing or not can be proven whether she is black or not, simple, and we can go from there.

Martin Luther King plagiarized his Doctoral Thesis as was reported in a major article in the New York Times a few years ago.

[billpl-2009]

Anti-Racism is HUGE business and government in America today

People like her, Jackson and others need to keep Racism alive and well or a whole bunch of people will be out of work and an entire industry will colapse

Martin Luther King plagiarized his Doctoral Thesis as was reported in a major article in the New York Times a few years ago.

[demslie]

MS. OBAMA says she had no help getting to Harvard. Now she says she did get there with help because her grades were not good enough but then, it was all her effort but still, she hates American for what it has done to Black People. I am white and I could not go to Harvard for any reason ever because I don''t have the grades or the money. Today Blacks, with no money or grades must go to IVY League Schools will white have to work their way through local community colleges. So the color of skin is more important that qualifications? I thought that was what we were supposed to get away from??

[excoachken]

Just how do you think the Cowardly Cowboy got through Yale?

[gunnerv1]

Uh-Oh were''s the Rev. Al at?

[gunnerv1]

Just how do you think the Cowardly Cowboy got through Yale?


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Posted by exCoachKen at 12:34 PM : Feb 21, 2008
+ report abuse
The Same way Kerry did, Dip S*H*I*T

[mudrose-2009]

Hang Her. Well, she is the Noose Professor.

[rushlimpdrug]

Wait a minute, did they hang a noose or a nose on her office door?

And was the noose (or nose) a copy of another one?

If it was a copy, could she have made the copy herself?

So many questions . . .

[excoachken]

To gunnerve1: I am very impressed with you use of the language. Were you the Cowardly Cowboy''s roomy? Why would any reasonable person have to stoop to swearing in this forum? That''s right, being a Neo-con rules out being reasonable. Please, since you have this reverence for W, just what has he done that has shown an intelligence level above that of a seventh grader in the midst of a testosterone crisis?

[vastr-wcon]

.
Obviously, a relative of the word-thief O-BOMBA.

.

[djrdub-2009]

Wow I feel a lot of hate in these comments. Seems like people are scared that Obama has a real chance at becoming president and will find anything to discredit him. Yeah very typical. White people get out of your suburban neighborhoods and open your eyes. Things are not on an even playing field yet. Once they are, maybe things like affirmative action will finally go away. Oh wait racism doesnt exist. Jesus Christ, when I get on you tube, it sounds like the Klan has taken over the comment section. Racism is still very much alive, its just not as overt. Now all of you racists can share your real thoughts on these comment sections, in the comfort of your home, the cowardly way. I love a good debate email me at [e-mail]. I am not a coward.

[djrdub-2009]

Wow I feel a lot of hate in these comments. Seems like people are scared that Obama has a real chance at becoming president and will find anything to discredit him. Yeah very typical. White people get out of your suburban neighborhoods and open your eyes. Things are not on an even playing field yet. Once they are, maybe things like affirmative action will finally go away. Oh wait racism doesnt exist. Jesus Christ, when I get on you tube, it sounds like the Klan has taken over the comment section. Racism is still very much alive, its just not as overt. Now all of you racists can share your real thoughts on these comment sections, in the comfort of your home, the cowardly way. I love a good debate email me at [e-mail]. I am not a coward.

[mrassekh]

I think the Irish people IMMIGRATED here. Were they treated horribly? If you say so, I believe you, they are your family. The slaves were NOT immigrants. They were brought here in chains and shackles. Where is the corralation?
Posted by deemsnyd at 12:09 PM : Feb 21, 2008

The correlation is that it''s nearly 150 years since the slaves were freed. It''s time they get over what was done to them and get on with their lives, stop whining and grow up!

[thgdriver]

Wow, we are still being hammered with this noose business. Now she is caught red handed (uh,oh is that racial?) steeling another''s work and it''s some big racial smear job.

I wish we could put some kind of expiration date on just how long the black community can continue to use the race card. It''s been well over 150 years. Obviously thats not long enough, so, how about it? When will you folks hang that "CRUTCH" up for good?

How about 50 more years? That will make over 200 total. what do you say?

[theusa1st]

White people get out of your suburban neighborhoods and open your eyes. Things are not on an even playing field yet.

Posted by djrdub at 01:28 PM : Feb 21, 2008

Please stop with the excuses. Look at the illegitimate
birth rate in the black community. Alot of the black children don''t know who there fathers are, the mother has multiple kids from multiple fathers, the fathers don''t give a dam about the kids. The drop out rate of school is very high...black men have a very high chance of being murdered by another black man. I am sure Martin Luther king is probably rolling over in his grave and all the other people that died or got beat up in the Civil Rights Movement so the next few generations could destroy any chance of hope. Stop the I''m a victim mentality and start doing something positive...like looking at the facts and putting the blame where it belongs...the blacks are destroying themselves.

[mikethebarba]

dem slie, Please check your comment over before you publish it. It''s obvious you need a little brush up on your writing skills, which may be the reason you have a challenge obtaining acceptance to the college of your choice. The ignorance & racism in these posts make it obvious that this country has a lot of work to do to be as great as it could be. Our limitations are only what we perceive them to be. Ignorance & racism will always keep us in the stone age.

[thgdriver]

Ignorance & racism will always keep us in the stone age.

Posted by Mikethebarba

Thanks to the Professor above I know you are right.