[BSDCert] code of ethics

[Mike Jackson]

>> Several years ago, one of my staff members was caught plagiarizing a 
>> review. The evidence was plain as day, and he confessed to doing it. He 
>> (and I) happened to be part of a film critics society. After I terminated 
>> the staff member, I presented them with the evidence. They did nothing; 
>> they wanted to see a pattern of behavior, and one obvious act of 
>> plagiarism wasn't enough for them. I wound up resigning; I didn't want to 
>> be part of a group that didn't hold its members to a high enough 
>> standard.
>
>
> It's not uncommon for enforcement systems to allow lesser penalties for a 
> first offense. While I agree that "doing nothing" is unacceptable, zero 
> tolerance on a first offense tends is not usual.
>
> Allowing leniency for a single error of judgment does not necessarily 
> render the whole process invalid, providing it's accounted for in the 
> enforcement policy. Not having this set in policy allows for inconsistent 
> and unfair outcomes, which present their own problems of acceptability.

But it really depends on the nature of the "crime." In professional writing, 
I would consider plagiarism of the magnitude at which this offense occurred 
(an entire paragraph appropriated, only slightly modified, and from a MAJOR 
source that would've sued my site into oblivion had they caught it instead 
of an ordinary reader) to be worthy of being stripped of any professional 
memberships or certifications. In system administration, I'd consider it 
akin to that backdoor example I gave. I wouldn't consider than an error in 
judgment - one time or many, that's conduct unbecoming a professional, and 
any body that recognizes professionals shouldn't condone it, because if 
anyone outside their circle knew they allowed it, their credibility would go 
right out the window.