--- Forwarded Message from Deanne Cobb <[log in to unmask]> ---

>From: Deanne Cobb <[log in to unmask]>
>Sender: [log in to unmask]
>Date: Wed, 7 Jul 2004 15:15:14 -0600
>To: Language Learning and Technology International Information Forum
<[log in to unmask]>
>Subject: Re: #7574.1 LangLab director with "fraudulent" PhD (!)
>In-Reply-To: <[log in to unmask]>
>References: <[log in to unmask]>
>Disposition-Notification-To: Deanne Cobb <[log in to unmask]>
>Return-Receipt-To: Deanne Cobb <[log in to unmask]>
>Priority: HIGH

Is this person teaching classes or do they "only" act as the head of the
language lab?  (I hate to say "only" because it sounds like I am
belittling what we do, which is definitely NOT what I intend.  Far from
it.)

For my two cents, I think competency and accreditation are two separate
things.  Ideally everyone would have both (and job descriptions and
requirements would match what is actually needed).  The reality is that
that isn't always the case, but is it really fair to say that the
University should adjust a job description to match someone who obtained
the position unethically?  I am fine with allowing for experience and
proven ability to be accepted in lieu of credentials, but plagiarism is
certainly a different issue.

Having been at an institution which has suffered the fallout from a
similar situation (although not in the language departments), I would not
want to wish that situation on anyone, on any institution or on the
students who are ultimately registered in that program at that University.
The fallout, which is inevitable, is incredible.

I don't have a Ph.D.  I don't, in fact, even yet have my Master's, and if
anything my University is at fault for not setting the job requirements
for my position high enough.  In fact, the expectations weren't high
enough either, and it took me some time to gain the confidence because my
predecessor was so good and had been here some time.  Still, though, I
needed time to become competent, and I won't pretend to be perfect; I'm
not.  There may very well be someone out there who would be the better
candidate, but then I strongly believe the role of my position would
probably change too. I like to think that one of the things I strive to do
every day is to use my strengths and my abilities while surrounding myself
with others who have different strengths and abilities.  We work as a
team and I think that's what makes things work well.

When I first came to my job, my predecessor made me practice telling
people "I'm not Susan." She said, I would never survive unless I did that,
even though she felt I was the best candidate for the job.  She was right.
We are different people with different strengths and abilities and we have
different ways of doing things.  At first, that was difficult for some to
adjust to, but I think it's also good to shake things up once and a while
and it allows for some fresh thought or perspective.

I guess the best thing that I can say is that nothing could really be done
to make this situation surrounding "Phoebe's" position better, but time
will only make it worse.  What's more, if we cannot expect ethics from
our faculty and staff members regarding plagiarism, how can we really
expect to instill such values and ethics into our students?  Take a risk.
I would think that "Phoebe" has always been waiting for the other shoe to
drop, metaphorically.  In fact, to a certain extent, it may afford a
certain amount of relief to her, eventhough we know that it will likely
ruin her career.

In the end, it was much more than just two cents.  (I apologize for that.)

Good luck with whatever you decide.

Sincerely,
Deanne Cobb


On Wed, 7 Jul 2004 13:11:40 EDT LLTI-Editor <[log in to unmask]> wrote:

> --- Forwarded Message from "Lizz Caplan-Carbin, Ph.D." <[log in to unmask]>
> ---
>
> >Date: Thu, 01 Jul 2004 15:48:57 -0500
> >From: "Lizz Caplan-Carbin, Ph.D." <[log in to unmask]>
> >Organization: Phi Sigma Iota International
> >User-Agent: Mozilla/5.0 (Windows; U; Windows NT 5.1; en-US; rv:1.4)
> Gecko/20030624 Netscape/7.1 (ax)
> >To: Language Learning and Technology International Information Forum
> <[log in to unmask]>
> >Subject: Re: #7574 LangLab director with "fraudulent" PhD
> >References: <[log in to unmask]>
> >In-Reply-To: <[log in to unmask]>
>
> Yes we should calm down before we react to this, but if I did, I
> wouldn't say anything at all.
> I am mad, disgusted and frustrated. Fraud and its condonance have
> whittled away at the very definition of integrity.
> As an honestly credentialed, unemployed person, it seems that earnest
> integrity might be my downfall. It angers me to know that someone
> continues to hold a postion, using lies, in place of actual
> qualifications.
>
> Its clear that a little fraud can take you all the way to University
> Language Lab Director (and a lot of fraud can bankrupt thousands).
>
> In the end, it makes everyone's "so-called" credentials suspicious, when
> you know of some who've obtained theirs fraudulently.
>
>
>
> LLTI-Editor wrote:
>
> >--- Forwarded Message from Nina Garrett <[log in to unmask]> ---
> >
> >
> >
> >>Date: Thu, 01 Jul 2004 11:27:09 -0400
> >>To: "'Language Learning and Technology International Information Forum'"
> >>
> >>
> ><[log in to unmask]>
> >
> >
> >>From: Nina Garrett <[log in to unmask]>
> >>Subject: LangLab director with "fraudulent" PhD
> >>
> >>
> >
> >Hi all --
> >
> >         This is in this week's Chronicle of Higher Education, for which
> >"Ms. Mentor" writes a regular column.   The tone of the letter of inquiry
> >irritates me very much indeed*, but I think Ms. Mentor's advice is at
> least
> >thoughtful and humane.  What do you think?
> >
> >         Best,
> >                 Nina
> >
> >*  e.g., phrases like "she does what we don't want to -- she runs the
> >language lab" and "We suspect that the dean and other administrators
> >already know, but don't want to be bothered" and "if we get rid of her,
> we
> >may wind up with someone"  ... etc.
> >
> >
> >A Fraud and a Great Teacher
> >Ms. Mentor
> >
> >Words of wisdom about academic culture
> >
> >Question: My colleague "Phoebe" is a fraud, and the rest of us in the
> >department have known it for years. Her dissertation, which she claimed
> was
> >original work, is actually a translation of another scholar's
> dissertation
> >in an obscure language, with a few extra pieces thrown in.
> >
> >But no one confronts Phoebe, because she does what we don't want to --
> she
> >runs the language lab. She also does it superbly, serving as a mentor to
> >countless students. Still, she doesn't have an honest Ph.D., and some new
> >colleagues believe we ought to expose her to somebody -- her grad school,
> >our department chair, our human resources staff, our dean, the local
> >sensationalist paper....
> >
> >We suspect that the dean and other administrators already know, but don't
> >want to be bothered. She's now coming up for contract renewal -- but if
> we
> >get rid of her, we may wind up with someone who won't run the language
> lab
> >so conscientiously and cheerfully. Sometimes we think we should just
> >continue our silence, since we don't have tenure, and the only reason to
> >speak out is for Justice and Fairness, things that we've seen don't exist
> >anyway.
> >
> >Answer: Ms. Mentor hears a chorus of her readers bellowing: "Fire
> Phoebe!"
> >
> >After all, if Phoebe is a vile plagiarist, and if we condone such
> academic
> >dishonesty, we are violating the most sacred canons of truth and original
> >inquiry and throwing offal on the ivory tower.
> >
> >But....
> >
> >Phoebe does her job magnificently, and the world of language teaching
> needs
> >Phoebes to inspire students. Would an outsider with a pristine Ph.D. do
> better?
> >
> >Ms. Mentor, in her perfect wisdom, sees two competing ethical systems in
> >your letter. One is the role of rules in academe, the abstract absolutes
> >that are supposed to govern our lives. The other is the ethic of care for
> >others, the responsibility to students. (Scholars of ethics will
> recognize
> >these competing beliefs from Carol Gilligan's A Different Voice, as well
> as
> >Portia's speech on justice and mercy in The Merchant of Venice.)
> >
> >If Phoebe is fired, the rule-mongers will be satisfied -- but students
> will
> >lose.
> >
> >And yet, can you simply ignore what you know about Phoebe's dissertation?
> >
> >You already have. Stringent academics might view you and your colleagues
> as
> >accessories, handmaidens to a coverup. If you do decide to denounce her,
> >how can you explain your silence in the past? And won't the bad publicity
> >make your dean very, very angry? And if your dean is the punitive sort,
> and
> >you come up for tenure...?
> >
> >By now Ms. Mentor's readers are frothing and fuming in all directions.
> She
> >urges them to sit down, have a cold drink, think deep ethical thoughts,
> and
> >ponder parallel situations.
> >
> >Jayson Blair, for instance, famously fabricated stories in The New York
> >Times, misleading his readers about the Washington-area snipers, Jessica
> >Lynch, and much more. He was fired, as were his bosses.
> >
> >Meanwhile Quincy Troupe, named as the first poet laureate of California,
> >was discovered not to have the college degree that he claimed -- though
> he
> >had published 13 books and served as a mentor to hundreds of budding
> >writers. He was fired as poet laureate.
> >
> >Ms. Mentor agrees that Jayson Blair should have been bounced, but wonders
> >about Quincy Troupe, 62 years old, with decades of accomplishments. Did a
> >degree matter at that point? Why didn't his undergraduate college simply
> >award him an honorary degree?
> >
> >She returns now, more calmly, to creative solutions for Phoebe and the
> >colleagues who know that her dissertation is less than original, but who
> >value her contributions to teaching.
> >
> >Phoebe is not exactly a plagiarist. She is an appropriator. Since her
> >degree is in foreign languages, a field where translations are acceptable
> >dissertation topics, it could be said that her dissertation is merely
> >mislabeled. Instead of calling it an original piece of work, she and her
> >committee should have called it a translation with commentary. Ms. Mentor
> >wonders if Phoebe's graduate school would be amenable to such a labeling
> >change.
> >
> >Meanwhile, Phoebe's job may also be mislabeled. Since language-lab
> >coordinators are not always required to hold Ph.D.'s, perhaps the job
> could
> >be readvertised as a master's-level position. Phoebe would then qualify
> as
> >an outstanding internal candidate.
> >
> >Ms. Mentor, with infinite tact, rarely tells people what they must do.
> But
> >she insists that they consider alternatives, and envision where each path
> >will lead them. Often what seems to be the path of righteousness is also
> >the path of shooting oneself in the foot.
> >
> >Phoebe has made a mistake, but she may very well be a sinner worth saving
> >for a higher good.
> >
> >
> >
> >Nina Garrett, Director
> >Center for Language Study
> >Yale University
> >P.O. Box 208349
> >New Haven, Connecticut 06520-8349
> >Tel: (203) 432-8196
> >Fax. (203) 432-4485
> >
> >[log in to unmask]
> >http://www.cls.yale.edu
> >
> >

Deanne Cobb
Language Lab Manager
Language Resource Centre
University of Regina