Stevenson University will host an Olympic event of its own, focusing on citations, on Feb. 28 from 6-8 p.m. in Garrison Hall in the Claire E. Moore Room.

This event is open to students of any major and will use trivia games, competitions, and prizes to help students write sources for their essays. The Citation Olympics will also focus on the essentials and elements of writing a citation as well as preventing students from committing academic misconduct. The event will engage students in games that splits the students into teams where they can ultimately win prizes as well as a closing ceremony.

Sara Godbee, librarian instructor, explained that the event’s purpose is to create an entertaining method to help students learn how to write citations.

Godbee added that the university needs to teach students in a format that is engaging and help them use information ethically.

According to Stevenson University’s website, the integrity policy focuses on “honesty, trust, fairness, respect, responsibility, and courage.” Those who attend the event will learn to create authentic citations with the policy in mind.

Tess Gillis, director of First Year Experience and Academic Integrity, noted that in the 2016-2017 semester, 46 percent of academic misconduct issues were plagiarism.“Nearly half of our academic misconduct cases are plagiarism cases, so students need to not only understand how to cite but also why to cite,” said Gillis.

The Student Academic Integrity Committee (SAIC) is sponsoring and running the event. “The committee provides insight from a student’s point of view so we can make sure that the events we are planning are something students would want to come to and would enjoy,” said Bria Bullock, an SAIC member who reached out to the library to get them involved with the event.

With the corresponding Winter Olympics occurring, the SAIC  “thought it would be a fun way for students to have friendly competition, while also learning at the same time. It would give students the resources they need to cite properly so that they have the tools they need to be successful in their classes,” said Bullock.

Students who want to learn more about the event can contact Gillis by campus email, or members of the SAIC, for more information.