A Touch of Class
Some recent events at West Liberty University have the institution facing a similar problem encountered by the University of South Carolina last May. Consider the following story and then see how it applies to West Liberty. The main source for the story is a bylined story by Christina Morales for the New York Times.
At its annual commencement exercises last May, the university chose Robert L. Caslen Jr., its own president as the keynote speaker, and based upon his credentials, Caslen certainly deserved the honor. A graduate of West Point, Caslen is a retired lieutenant general who also served as the superintendent and president of his alma mater. Caslen retired from the Army in 2018 after serving for 43 years. During his tenure as the president of West Point, he gained the support of both the Army and Congress to make capital improvements to the West Point campus costing $2 billion. He also appointed the first woman to be the commandant of cadets, the first woman to serve as a dean, and the first African American female cadet to be the first captain of the Corps of cadets.
Caslen, who holds a master’s degree in business administration from Long Island University and a Master of Science degree in industrial engineering from Kansas State University, wanted to conclude his speech with words the graduates could hang onto as they entered the workforce, and he chose the following: “A few last words to the graduates. Know that life is not fair, and if you’re like me, you’ll fail often. But if you take some risks, step up when times are toughest, face down the cowardly bullies and lift up the downtrodden, and never, never give up — if you do those things, the next generation and the generations to follow will live in a world far better than the one we have today. And what started here, today, will indeed change the world for the better.”
With those words, Caslen undoubtedly gave the newly graduated students a high standard by which to live. But there was just one slight problem. The words Caslen uttered that afternoon were not Caslen’s words at all. Indeed they belonged to retired General William H. McRaven, who first used them in a commencement address he delivered in 2014, and Caslen failed to attribute the words to McRaven. And in another oversight when Caslen asked the graduates to switch their tassels from the right to the opposite side of their caps, he erroneously said, “It is now my honor and privilege to officially congratulate you as the newest alumni from the University of California.” When someone called Caslen’s attention to his gaff, he made a joke about it.
But there was no joking about Caslen’s failing attribute McRaven’s words when he used them. When he realized what he had done, Caslen resigned! In an email announcing his resignation sent to students, faculty, and staff, Caslen said,“I am sorry to those I have let down. I understand the responsibilities and higher standards of senior-level leadership. When those are not met, trust is lost. And when trust is lost, one is unable to lead. I was searching for words about resilience in adversity, and when they were transcribed into the speech, I failed to ensure its attribution. I take full responsibility for this oversight.”
Interestingly enough Admirable McRaven, who supervised the operation that killed Osama bin Laden, felt no animosity toward Caslen and sent a statement to the New York Times saying that Caslen was “one of the finest and most honorable officers I have ever served with.” He also said no apology was necessary.
The keyword in the above is “honorable.” Caslen realized the gravity of his mistake and obviously didn’t want to discredit his university, and so he did the honorable thing and resigned. Type in a google search for college presidents who have plagiarized, and you will find the University of South Carolina there. And you also will find West Liberty University. Both schools faced a similar problem with differing results. Caslen solved USC’s problem by resigning even though he probably could have kept his job. The problem at WLU, however, is ongoing. There, President W. Franklin Evans plagiarized parts of several speeches, but despite a vote of no confidence by the Faculty Senate, the Board of Directors voted 7 to 5 to let him keep his job. Of course, Evans could have done the honorable thing and stepped down. But that hasn’t happened yet, and the aftereffects of the BOG’s inaction are being felt daily. Not many of them are positive. (For another take on the West Liberty situation, check “Plagiarism Today” for an article on WLU).
What a Fine!
Is the Aaron Rodgers—COVID-19 drama finally over? The Packers sustained a rather hefty $300,000 fine, but Rodgers’ punishment was only $14,500. Obviously, Rodgers will be able to afford the fine and still have some leftover to buy his favorite Scotch. After all, his total salary for the year is only around $33 million! I think he’ll manage to get along on that.
In Memorium
LEDE News extends its deepest sympathy to the family and friends of Dr. Dave Walker, the former meteorologist of WTRF—Channel 7, who died recently at the age of 68. He forecast the local weather for 16 years before his retirement several weeks ago.
It’s Almost Here
What have I been telling you? You can almost feel it, can’t you? One sure sign is that we had to turn the damn clocks back. Isn’t it fun trying to navigate around a dark house at 4 p.m.? Well, maybe not quite that bad, but almost. Here are some dates to keep in mind: Tuesday, Dec. 21, is Winter Solstice, the shortest day of the year, and now the days begin gaining more daylight, little by little; Friday, Feb. 17, pitchers and catchers report for spring training; Sunday, March 13, Daylight Saving Time returns, HALLELUJAH!
Ponder This:
The inventor of the throat lozenge died last month. There was no coffin at his funeral.
~ Anonymous
