Where are the basic values of honor and integrity gone in our contemporary Bahamas?? When we were young, we were taught in our homes, churches and schools the values of truth and honesty as guiding tenets in our lives.. If we wanted some fruit on our neighbors trees, we were taught to ask permission before picking.. Otherwise, it would be stealing what belonged to someone else.. Such values in our youth were to become standards of conduct and behavior in later life, but something somehow got lost along the way..
In the academic world of higher education, the principles of truth and objectivity are the foundations of academic integrity as scholarly research and publication by academicians are judged upon these sacred principles of higher scholarship and achievement.. The Motto of America's oldest university is a single Latin word, Veritas, which means Truth.. The quest for and seeking of truthful knowledge and academic integrity was the core principle for academic achievement at this renowned institution..
Today these values are not so sacred as the ethical standards of academic judgment are changing to reflect the shifting nature of human and moral character.. The principles of discovery through established scientific method has become subjective as applied research is being undertake to support preconceived beliefs or presumptions.. Academic fraud by university researchers in the studies of global warming are examples of academicians being swayed financially in their supposed pursuit of objective truth by the corruptible influences of funding bribery in the form of research grants by vested interests and political driven interest groups..
To make matters worst in academia, individual integrity and truth is being compromised by increasing incidents of outright academic plagiarism.. This in its simplest form is utter intellectual theft of individual thought by so-called learned scholars that should know better.. It is like the young child taking fruit from the neighbor's tree without asking permission.. The outright neglect or absence of providing accredited reference, citation or notation is stealing of an academic peer's or predecessor's intellectual endeavors or specific thought.. Often such errors and omissions are cited by plagiarizers as mere oversights by the work of assistants and speech writers.. Such excuses only ignores the factual truth that the act of plagiarism was committed by what was considered to be a highly regarded individual who was held out as being an expert on the topic being published or cited in public form.. Excuses here are often piecemeal, lack scholarly integrity and academic respect for the meaning of truth.. Once the accusations of plagiarism are formally issued by peer review sources against a believed to be creditable scholar, that individual must account for his conduct or forever be tainted with the accusation and theft of the intellectual endeavors of his predecessors.. I learned this lesson well when the publication committee found in an economy essay I submitted for publication errors in reference notes in my submitted paper.. The suggestion of plagiarism was raised from this mistaken reference.. A simple correction as to giving a correct reference to a fellow colleague saved the day and the essay was accepted for publication without prejudice.. When other essays and reviews were later submitted for possible publication, the Editor would always ask if my work was academically complete.. Nevertheless, years later the dark shadow of this question still haunts me to always make sure due and proper reference is made to the thought and achievements of others..
In today's intellectual world there must be no room for flawed character, academic falsehood and deliberate distortion of observed empirical fact through subjective and ill conceived reasoning.. Plagiarism must be rejected outright and never be rewarded.. The creditability of academic institutions are at stake, just as the reputation and standing of both East Anglia University and Penn State University's Climate Science Departments are called into question for possible academic misrepresentation and fudging of global warming data..Truth was distorted for bias subjectivity and preconceived beliefs which were proved to be in error.. It takes only one bad apple to ruin the bushel or one flawed facility member to defile the institution's academic reputation..
Today we must not permit a self-confessed plagiarizer to again assume the presidency of the College of the Bahamas.. Such an appointment not only brings into question the academic integrity of the institution, but disrespects the values of academic truth and rewards what can only be described as academic dishonesty.. We can truly do far better than this in the selection of leadership to administer the College of the Bahamas.. Enlightened and honest leadership has never been more needed to set the highest example of individual character and strength for our college students of today and in the future.. No one but an individual with excellence in character, judgment and truth should hold this highly respected and prestigious office..
