| ashu |
Posted
on 15-Nov-00 02:30 AM
Biswo wrote:
>As it is prevalent in other fields(like army
>etc), when
>there is something unfortunate happening,
>what they do
>is they perform internal investigation and
>control the
>situation,but the result of investigation is
>kept
>secret for the betterment of the
>organization.
A few years ago, an entire class taking an electrical engineering course at West Point -- the training ground of America's future military elites -- was PROVEN to have cheated on the final exam. Each member of that class got an F on his transcript for that particular course. This was all over the newspapers.
So much for this argument using a military analogy
in the mode of 'keeping quiet after an internal investigation' theory!!
I think it's rubbish to argue that we have to stay
'hush/hush' about what appear to be yet-to-be-proven BUT serious-nontheless allegations because of some vague "betterment of the organization."
I mean, even the stuff that goes on inside the US military (sexual harrassments, hazing and such stuff) is routinely and increasingly covered by the press.
Sure, I agree, an allegation in this particular
case is just that: An allegation.
That is why, my argument was that: first the allegation needs to be proven true beyond any doubt. To do so, my idea is to see if a journalist is interested in digging through all this, and see what s/he can come up with.
I mean, you don't get into a college, any college or graduate school on the basis of false papers. If found out and proven true of your misdeeds, you will be and should be thrown out forever.
It's as straightforward as that.
>Here,we have an unfortunate situation.Our
>smart kids,
>in their 18s, are cheating ,at least,
>learning to be
>dishonest.And as it is understood, they
>already are
>in top tier schools of US.Now what should we
>do to
>them? Risk their future career by a public
>report by
>a journalist(as Ashu proposed), sully the
>image of
>the schools or ,as I understand, let it be
>controlled
>by an internal disciplinary action?
I prefer to have -- in a democarcy -- a journalistic investigation, and letting the chips fall where they may.
If nothing happens, well, that's that.
If effects are such that some students already in
the US are questioned about their applications or disciplined or thrown out forever, then that's
that too.
Happily, those who play/played by the rules should have NOTHING to fear. But those who deliberately tried
to subvert the system, as it were, by falsifying
papers should prepare for sleepless nights ahead,
or if not that, then a life of emotional
unease and intellectual insecurity.
>What I am saying is for the betterment of
>country,I
>guess.
No.
As a Nepali citizen, I'd rather be led by a community college graduate with a C-average than by someone who, if it turns out so, DELIBERATELY and KNOWINGLY falsified his way into a (top) foreign university!!
In academia, misrepresenting other people's ideas by saying that they are one's own (i.e plagiarism) is a serious offense. In a similar vein, misrepresenting
one's persona by submitting false application
papers is a serious offense too.
*********
I am also quite amused by some of our fellow-posters' practically worshipping places like Harvard. This is understandable, for to borrow writer Pico Iyer's words from another context: "[Harvard] dreams are strongest among those who have seen [Harvard] only in their dreams".
Having gone to Harvard, having benefitted from the
place in more ways than I can count and having had
the greatest respect for it, let me offer some thoughts:
A university like Harvard is just that: a university.
Nothing more than that. [OK, OK. Middle-class
Nepali parents with marrigeable daughters may have
an exaggerated sense of Harvard's importance :-)]
That joke aside, what is ALWAYS much more important than Harvard is the individual. How that individual grows, thinks, lives, inspires/motivates people around him and her, works and contributes to society around him and her is MUCH, MUCH more important and significant than the simple fact that s/he went to a place like Harvard as a student.
I have two concrete examples to share:
First, in 1997, there was a Nepali Harvard graduate
who was hired, amidst much publicity and fame, to be in charge of a respected environmental organization in Kathmandu. But in the summer of 2000, that person resigned in disgrace and left the country altogether.
Now, I don't pretend to know everything that led up to
that person's disgraceful resignation.
But what struck obvious to me was this: In life, an individual always matters much more than the university. If the individual cannot provide and sustain direct or indirect leadership in public {"for the betterment of the country"), then it really does not matter where his or her degree is from.
So, let us focus MORE on the individual and on his or her talents and contributions THAN on the supposed prestige of his/her school.
Second example: I am told that the Harvard Club of Nepal has been in operation for at least 10 years.
But the Club has been in shambles -- financially and organizationally -- for as long as I can remember.
It is still khattam and jhoor.
The reason is simple: The Nepalis behind the organization, all still impressed with their own
Harvard degrees that they earned many years ago,
always talk big and do little. In this, they are
no different from 1000s of other Nepalis who went to
lesser-known schools.
And so, having obseved these graduates from near, my own conclusion is that if these Nepali Harvard grads can't even run their own alumni organization effectively and democratically, forget about their doing anything for the public -- now or ever.
Most of these grads seem too wrapped up in their own selves to be of use to anyone, much less the public!!
And these are the kind of people, along with their counterparts from other universities, that you hope will assume leadership in Nepal?
Get real!!
Again, based on these above examples and other experiences in my life, I'd rather focus on the individual, and look for that individual's LONG-TERM growth than on the fact as to where that individual went to college.
After all, in any society leaders become enduringly famous for contributing solidly to society, and NOT
ONLY and MERELY for going to some well-known
American university.
oohi
ashu
|
| Biswo |
Posted
on 15-Nov-00 03:33 AM
>>As it is prevalent in other fields(like
>army
>>etc), when
>>there is something unfortunate happening,
>>what they do
>>is they perform internal investigation and
>>control the
>>situation,but the result of investigation
>is
>>kept
>>secret for the betterment of the
>>organization.
>
>A few years ago, an entire class taking an
>electrical engineering course at West Point -
>- the training ground of America's future
>military elites -- was PROVEN to have
>cheated on the final exam. Each member of
>that class got an F on his transcript for
>that particular course. This was all over
>the newspapers.
>
actually,don't misunderstand me, and don't think that
I am not trying to debate, but I have really good
words to offer to you for this posting.Except for the
statement I have placed in excerpt above.
I basically don't think that US military exposes every
thing.We routinely hear those accusations, latest being
one against a four star general.It is only the
tenacious journalists who follow,cover all those story
with all those fancied headlines,otherwise military
rarely makes such reports public, and it is often
written in all journals that they try to burke all
proof/accusations.The latest of one example: lawyer
has to fight to get the report in Wen Ho Lee case, that
they claim is racially motivated.
Having said this, I want to revert back to the issue
at hand: the forgery committed by kids.We have
different suggestions for solving those problems, and
I don't think your suggestion is "totally wrong", but
I feel I am saying everything for good of everybody
involved,that is my conviction.However, it is obvious
to me that lots of hardworking and honest people find
my suggestion deplorable, and I understand that.
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