It just happened to me...

There seems to be something contagious among our students this week. First, the person featured two posts back was quoted as saying to instructor B - imagine a musing, pensive tone: "I don't know why I'm such a jerk in your class. I just am." Like being a jerk is something one has no control over.
The other problem child this week was caught plagiarizing. We're not talking a few sentences here and there lifted from elsewhere. No, an entire three pages, painstakingly (and with spelling mistakes) transcribed from Russian wikipedia. When told he would receive a failing grade in the course, his email response went, "I will talk to whomever I need to, since this is the first time I have ever had this happen, to let me continue in the class."
What exactly has he "never had happen." Being caught? Or actually plagiarism. Was he just merrily doing his homework and plagiarism snuck up and zapped him.