Wild Justice Part 16

"No. All kinds of things were written that made me think that something was wrong. I couldn't understand it but I didn't go back through the old critiques and try to pick them out."

"But Randy did. Is that correct?"

"Yes. He told me he had found three SmurFFs among the radiology critiques that he thought were in your handwriting."

Suddenly going from sober to smirk, Ian finished slyly, "and he was right."

Ignoring the obvious baiting attempt, Diana continued.

"When you were referring to the critiques that jumped out at you, I take it you meant all the SmurFFs--not just the ones in evidence called 'suspicious' critiques?" She indicated the folders containing the material that had been sent to the doc.u.ment examiners.

"I mean the actual student critiques. They basically have the same kind of comments as those," replied Ian pointing to the folders.

"Then you don't agree that the reason these 'suspicious'

critiques stood out was because they were so different?

Isn't that the reason you took them to Lyle?"

"Randy did that. I didn't go through all of them as he did, but he showed me the ones he picked out and they were pretty much the same as all the others--basically not good."

"Now which one of these critiques, these in the packet B, are you saying were very detrimental and personally injurious and caused you undue harm.?"

"I haven't read them. I'm talking about all the critiques in general."

"Then you are alleging that I wrote all the critiques?"

"No. A psychologist would find that a person would have to have mental problems to sit down and write all the critiques like that.

What I'm saying is there is other evidence, probably intangible, that a seed was planted in a student's mind, and that seed was portrayed in some of the comments that they wrote on their own."

Still trying to get the question answered, Diana asked again, this time reading from the memo from the dean. "The dean wrote that I am, quote, 'accused of creating fict.i.tious student critiques which were very detrimental and personally injurious to two junior faculty members' unquote.

"So I am asking again, which one of these have you selected to . . ."

Oh, oh, Ian's in trouble thought Henry interrupting quickly with, "Have you seen this memo, Ian?"

"No."

The chair handed a copy of the memo and the packet of 'suspicious'

critiques to Ian saying, "He has not seen the memorandum you are referring to." To himself, he said, come on Ian, get it together.

This is dangerous ground.

Ian read the memo and then looked at the critiques. "Well, there are things in here. . .Randy's and my teaching effectiveness down to 2 and yours up at 5. A comment that you are an excellent lecturer. This one has to do with s.e.xism. . .

I don't know about that.

"Now I haven't gone through these. These are things that Randy found, things he pulled out and brought to my attention."

"When was this?" queried Diana

"Oh, I can't recall the exact date."

"According to this memo that you say you haven't seen, Lyle has written that during the early part of last fall, you came to him with two critiques-- now, I a.s.sume he means three--does that. . ."

"That sounds reasonable, but I don't remember exactly what month it was."

"Was it before or after the problems that you had with publishers regarding copyright infractions in the radiology course. . .

the year I was not in it?"

Henry felt as of he had been punched in the stomach and the gasp of surprise escaping from his lips was audible to everyone in the room.

Before any of the panel could react, Trenchant held up her hand in a gesture universally representing STOP. "Let him answer the question,"

she insisted.

My G.o.d, the b.i.t.c.h has pinned him and I can't think what to do to stop this. Come on, Ian, deny knowing anything about what she's asking. Think what you're saying. Henry started to sweat.

Ian seemed oblivious to the tense atmosphere. "Before or after?

Jeez, I don't remember."

"Was it right around that time, perhaps?"

"I really don't remember. The copyright infractions happened last fall-- actually during the first week of cla.s.ses. So I don't remember for sure, but I think Randy came to me after that with these SmurFFs."

Good lord, the a.s.shole is admitting to plagiarism. Henry found his tongue finally. "The reason we are here has to do with these 'suspect' evaluations and irrelevant matter should be left out,"

he protested with a warning look at Ian.

Interesting, thought Diana. It's OK to bring in anything that is derogatory or even believed to be derogatory about me and my casting spells on the students, but anything about their admitted dishonesty is verboten. Beam me up, Scotty. . .

She turned her attention back to Ian. "Just a few more questions.

You have said that Randy picked these evaluations out, and I see no date on them. Do you have any idea of the year they refer to?"

"I a.s.sume that they were the SmurFFs that he had received recently.

But I'm not sure. We just keep them all in one pile."

"Now, usually after the students have handed in their SmurFFs is it not correct that you are given yours and the course critiques and you keep them unless Lyle wants the secretaries to summarize them for the dean?"

"Right."

"That is all I need to ask. Thank you."

There was a short break while Henry dismissed Ian and called the panel into a whispering huddle with him. Looking up, he addressed Janet and Diana, almost as an afterthought.

"You need not leave the room, we will be finished in a few minutes."

I've got to set these people straight after what has just gone down, he thought. We're calling her next and they have to be warned not to pursue red herrings.

Chapter 16

After the formalities of swearing in were completed, the 'suspect'

evaluations were identified as being contained in packets called exhibit 3 and 4 by the chair and Diana was asked if she wrote them.