
“Pony Island Part 1” centers on Professor Nora Jackson, a tenured political science professor at Carlton University, who addresses academic misconduct with her student, Robert. Nora discovers that Robert’s final paper, initially graded an A, was plagiarized.
She confronts him, explaining that university policy requires reporting the issue to the academic board, which would lead to his expulsion. Knowing Robert’s father, Dr. Lucien Lavel, is a prominent alumnus and donor, Nora offers an alternative: if Robert submits a letter to the dean by the next day announcing his voluntary withdrawal, she will not report the plagiarism, and his grade will be recorded as “Incomplete” instead of a failing mark.