As finals week approaches, students are finishing up their papers and presentations, hoping to get the best grade they can. While hard work is one of the main parts of the college experience, some students will look for any opportunity to make finals week a little easier. One student this week took this idea a little too far.

Freshman Sally Rider decided to take the easy way out of her English 151 class by ripping out a New Yorker cartoon and submitting it as her final paper.

The cartoon was a recent drawing of a father talking to his daughter and the daughter replying in the caption, “No, Dad, I do not want to hear what you and Mom used to do to ‘Dirty Mind,’” in reference to the late pop icon Prince.

Neither Professor Bateman nor Rider’s English class was pleased with the stunt.

“I asked for a five-page response on whatever books we’ve read in the class, and instead I get a New Yorker cartoon. This makes no sense,” Bateman said. “I mean, I get it. It’s a funny cartoon. I’m mad because she broke the rules, not because I don’t understand the New Yorker.”

While the act of plagiarism is very serious, Bateman will probably not punish Rider for her actions.

“If the university wanted to give me the authority to ruin college students’ lives, they would have me teach something more important than English 151,” Bateman said. “I‘m just trying to get tenure, not to get someone expelled. I’m no monster.”

Even though she got off scot-free, Rider commented on why she would think of doing something so risky.

“I came up with the caption,” Rider said. “I wrote the caption, and they chose it. I thought he’d be impressed.”