Many University of Manitoba students struggle to graduate in four years. The current system discriminates against students who make a mistake early on in their academic careers. No matter how they seek to improve themselves through learning, the registration system doesn't forgive and forget.

I recently heard about an undergraduate at the University of Manitoba who was trying to graduate. He'd come to Canada as an international student. He hoped to take advantage of educational opportunities that weren't available in his home country.

Unfortunately, he made a misstep earlier in his academic career. A professor caught him plagiarizing.

Now, plagiarism is serious. His case had been adjudicated. Those in authority ruled that he would fail the assignment but could receive credit for his other work in the course. He earned a final grade of D. Since the course was in his major, he had to either retake the course or find a substitute in order to graduate.

At the University of Manitoba, students who earn the highest grades get to register for their courses first. Those who earn lower marks must register later, as a "lower priority." Those who wish to retake a course have the lowest priority. In an age of budget cuts, some departments don't have enough money to run multiple course sections. By the time lower-achieving students are eligible to enroll, many classes are already full.

The system creates a hierarchy that forces some students to take extra time to finish their degrees — not one semester, but sometimes multiple years, as they are repeatedly unable to enrol in their required courses. At the U of M, fewer than 60 per cent of students graduate in four years. Only about 75 per cent graduate within eight years. This is a costly and difficult road for the student. It's also a level of inefficient bureaucracy that conflicts with the educational mandate of a university.

This particular student's story gets more complicated. The student went to his adviser for help. The adviser identified two courses the student could take to satisfy his graduation requirements. Without one of these courses, the student couldn't graduate. In both cases, the student wasn't eligible to register (due to his low priority status) before the courses were full. Both professors, when consulted by the adviser, refused to make an exception to let the student into their courses.

International students at the U of M pay much higher tuition (the university estimates an average of $14,700/year) than local undergrads ($4,400/year). The extra money from these international students helps make up shortfalls in provincial funding. Of course, international students don't get registration priority over locals. The university charges international students significantly more, yet course gridlock that delays graduation offers them a poor income. Is this ethical? In this case, the university earns more income from this international student through a dysfunctional program.

How does this experience affect learning? What are the educational priorities of this institutional bureaucracy and the professors who enforce it? Does this system value university education as a journey of intellectual and social growth? A nurturing system allows for mistakes. Allowing a way to repent, learn, forgive and move on helps a student grow through a difficult experience.

As an interesting comparison, the university recently contacted students who receive threatening notes due to illegal downloading of content from the internet through campus servers. These students received notifications of violation and threats of fines. The university told them they don't need to respond.

Downloading others' intellectual property is a form of intellectual dishonesty akin in some ways to plagiarism. While a student might not use illegally downloaded material as his own, he still benefits illegally from someone else's intellectual property. He denies copyright holders appropriate earnings or acknowledgement. However, the University of Manitoba's copyright strategy manager advises the students that they should know their options before replying to these copyright infringement letters. What's the moral lesson in this? Does this illegal behavior affect future course registration?

Meanwhile, even after a disciplinary hearing and penalty, a student who plagiarized continues to be penalized. Registration and tuition expenses remain difficult far into the future. Should a school immediately kick out a student who plagiarizes? Or does the university waste more years with a registration system that virtually guarantees he cannot graduate in a timely manner? Should the lesson be immediate, or lingering and potentially lucrative?

A cynical understanding of a university degree is that you've stamped your card with a substantial amount of time (often more than four years) and suffered through it. You spent the requisite amount of money so you can work in your chosen profession. With this approach, why not consider the earning potential of an international student's tuition? If it takes considerably longer for that student to take the right coursework to graduate, so much the better. The institution earns more from his experience.

What about this particular student? The adviser suggested that this student seek out a comparable course available at another academic institution, either in Winnipeg or online. Before paying an additional cost for this course, he must be sure the syllabus will be accepted by the U of M. Then, if he takes the class, he can transfer the credit. While there is administrative oversight, ultimately it's the expert in the course topic who decides. That's the same professor who brought him up on plagiarism charges, and further denied him entry into the class a second time, who deems the syllabus acceptable, so he can pay to take the course elsewhere. He also continues studying and paying tuition at the U of M. Hopefully the course credit transfers promptly after he completes the course with a decent grade.

Even a well-intentioned student who goes to university for all the right reasons might be wary of this process or embittered. The University of Manitoba's mission statement claims a commitment to "innovative teaching and learning." What does this learning experience, in which a student's mistake repeatedly deems him lesser and of "low priority" when registering, teach University of Manitoba undergrads about how the world works? Is it a worthwhile lesson?

Joanne Seiff holds degrees from three universities and has worked for four higher education institutions. These days, she writes, designs and teaches in Winnipeg.