Nicole Krogman told a national television audience last week that Wells College had essentially accused her of plagiarizing herself.

But a twice-published article with her byline tells a different story.

Krogman, a senior at Wells College who is chairman of the Wells College Republicans, was suspended just weeks before graduation over a missed deadline on an independent study project related to the plagiarism charge.

Krogman issued a press release May 13 and went on the Fox News program "Hannity and Colmes" Thursday night claiming her political views led to the school's action.

Wells College has declined to comment directly on the matter, citing student privacy concerns, but did say the proper procedures have been followed in reviewing the Krogman case.

During the television interview, Krogman said the plagiarism allegation stemmed from an article she submitted to the Wells publication The Onyx, which she had previously published in the Cornell American.

She said she had essentially been accused of plagiarizing her self in The Onyx article.

A closer look at the writing in question, however, shows most of it was copied verbatim from a collection of professional writers.

Krogman could not be reached Saturday for comment. An Ithaca attorney working with her, Mark Finkelstein, said Krogman has provided him with an original manuscript of the article she submitted that included a list of the authors whose words appeared in her column. Those source names were not published.

Finkelstein said he could not verify if the original manuscript provided by Krogman was authentic - the Cornell American editor told him he could not recall if Krogman submitted a source list. But if Krogman did notify editors of the sources she quoted, Finkelstein said, it makes her mistake less egregious.

"It's not a proper way to go about making citations," he said, "but it certainly negates any notion of any intent to appropriate someone else's work and pass it off as her own."

Krogman's statements on television about being accused of plagiarizing herself were not meant to be deceptive, Finkelstein said.

"I think that was suggested to her and she might have agreed with it," he said.

The articles in question dealt with the scandal at CBS news over Dan Rather's report on President Bush's military service, which turned out to have used forged records as the basis for the story.

Finkelstein said the plagiarism issue has detracted from the wrong his client has suffered.

Krogman said the deadline for the independent study project she was told to complete about plagiarism was suddenly changed from the end of the semester to mid-April.

She did not have time to complete the work, and was placed on suspension as a result. The suspension is causing her to fail at least two classes, which would put her on academic suspension for a full year.

"I honestly do believe that this has everything to do with my being the most outspoken conservative on campus," said Krogman, a Newfield resident, in a press release announcing her Fox News Channel appearance. "It is my deep conviction that a liberal or feminist campus leader would never have received the same treatment."

Krogman appealed the suspension, issued by the college's community court, to Wells President Lisa Ryerson, but was denied.

Wells College officials deny the school fosters a hostile environment for conservatives.

"Look at the events that have taken place here, and you would see a wide range of activities that span the spectrum of political beliefs," said Ann Rollo, the Wells vice president of external relations.

Finkelstein declined to comment on what legal steps, if any, his client may take.

Wells College's graduation ceremony takes place Saturday at the Aurora campus.