So, jesse_the_k and I figured this out just now, and apparently it is a known bug for ubuntu (or Windows, apparently) and open office; the way to fix it is to "paste special" and to then choose "gdi metafile" instead of "Star Object descriptor" (I am working in Ubuntu right now, but I assume it's the same/similar in Windows). I am taking your advice and copy/pasting from xls versions of the files. Thanks for your help!