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In This Issue

• Columbia Expands, Gentrifies Outer Space
• Spectator Artist Plagiarizes Fed's Ben Schwartz
• Farewell from Feditrix Kate
• Media Decency Campaign Attacks Stern
• EC Fire Alarms Pester, Endanger Students
• Don't Get Impregnated By Young Republicans
• Letters to the Feditor
• Sci-Fi Poo Theory
• Sports Beer: Not Good For Sports
• Butler: The Engineering Frontier
• Unarians Help You Go To Space Life
• Totally Fab New Planet Suggestions
• Bush and Cheney's Excellent Adventure
• Fed Student's Guide To Meningitis
• Columbia Girls LOVE Barnard Prez Schapiro
• Funny Comic #543: Adventures of Ice Bitch
• Able & Baker: Monkeys in Space
• Honoring Jesse Strouth- A Highly Derivative Cartoon
• They Watch

The Spectator reported on April 15th, in a small indiscriminate text box, that Cartoonist Jesse Strouth, CC '06 will no longer be drawing for them, following recent discoveries of undeniable similarities between his cartoons and those of a series of artists, including former Spec and current Fed cartoonist Ben Schwartz. In addition to copying Schwartz, Strouth also allegedly plagiarized cartoons by Ruben Bolling and Darby Conley.

Nine of Strouth's cartoons were printed in The Spectator, four of which the paper has deemed plagiarized and two of which were copied from Schwartz cartoons, one of which had appeared in The Fed. According to Spec Editor-in-Chief Nicholas Summers, they are continuing to investigate the other five out of the nine for plagiarism. From examining Strouth's website, before he recently took it down, Fed investigators have determined that at least five cartoons by Strouth were in some fashion copied from Schwartz, whether it be copying "Sharks are Scary" and changing the featured animal to spiders, or directly copying single panels, if not the entire cartoon.

The Spec's report of Strouth's termination did not include how the newspaper was first notified of similarities between Strouth and Schwartz back in March in an anonymous e-mail. According to Strouth, The Spec did not notify him, and waited till only recently to discuss the similarities, after which, according to Summers, they fired him.

"Why didn't the Spec tell me about it?" asked Strouth regarding the e-mail that first called his cartoon into question. "I was left completely in the dark while they ran their little investigation."

Referring to those at The Spec as "fascist bastards" who are "out for his blood," Strouth lends a different version to recent events, leaving The Spec evidently not only on bad terms, but on his own terms.

"And I can say [fascist bastards] because as of this moment, I quit The Spec," explained Strouth. "Fuck them."

Strouth also continues to adamantly deny copying Schwartz.
"But inspiration and plagiarism are two different things," said Strouth. "It was not my intention to steal Ben Schwartz's ideas. The fact of the matter is I idolize this man."

It is difficult to decipher the difference between what Strouth considers to be inspiration and what The Spec and fans of Schwartz's work consider to be plagiarism. Nevertheless, "inspiration" came at a cost.

"In my infinite stupidity I was only trying to emulate the master, to be more like him," Strouth lamented.

Perhaps that infinite stupidity is at the root of why Strouth chose to "emulate" a cartoonist who not only currently draws for The Fed, but was also a frequent contributor to The Spec.

"The aspect that Strouth was ripping off Schwartz was bizarre," commented EIC Summers. "I guess today's plagiarists are more lazy than yesterday's."

Ben Schwartz, when becoming aware of the debacle, was nothing short of humble.

"I was surprised and a bit confused as to why someone would want to steal from a noted racist such as myself."

Some at The Fed, including Schwartz, have noted some irony in a Spec cartoonist caught copying Schwartz, who was chastised along with The Fed earlier this year for his cartoon, "Blacky Fun Whitey."

"We have little respect for The Fed as a publication and even less for its current editors, whose hands-off, anything-goes approach is the opposite of what good editing really is," said The Spec in a February 24th staff editorial.

The Spec, in their staff editorial, took the opportunity of the controversy over the "Blacky Fun Whitey" cartoon to turn a week of racial dialogue into a battle where "the protesters won and The Fed lost."

Both Summers and Rachael King, Editorial Page Editor of The Spec see little connection between the events surrounding Strouth and "Blacky Fun Whitey" back in February.

"I don't see any contradiction between trusting in our own cartoonists and unknowingly publishing plagiarized work, and at the same time criticizing The Fed's editorial board for purposely publishing extremely offensive material," said King.

Schwartz, who maintained a good relationship with The Spec throughout his years at Columbia, disagrees.

"That lack of awareness points to the true hypocrisy in response to their critique of the editors of The Fed," explained Schwartz. "Surely allowing plagiarism in its paper is not The Spec's idea of good editing."

Schwartz has yet to receive an apology from The Spec or have any contact with Strouth. Strouth and The Spec continue to claim that they both are in the right. The Fed forgives The Spec for the atrocious plagiarism it has committed. The Spec should, however, really be more careful in the future about publishing work directly copied from the people they condemn.