Each day our media is full of wrongdoing and acts of crime. It always seems to hit harder when the education systems are involved. We hope and expect that our education is one entity that we can keep pure and truthful. However as we all know this is not the case.
So far we have discussed various levels of misconduct on the behalf of schoolteachers and staff members. There has been a terrifying faked gun attack on a group of young students. In addition, some college staff members have been in trouble for changing grades in exchange for money.
Another case of misconduct has occurred at Touro College in Manhattan. The Jewish based college has a student body of over 23,000 pupils. Around half of the students are seeking graduate degrees. This case almost seems to be a double whammy to me because it contains teacher misconduct on both ends.
Two directors of the college have been charged with creating fraudulent transcripts. The transcripts were not only purchased by common students wishing to graduate from the college, but also by teachers. Three teachers in New York City have been charged with obtaining master’s degrees that were never earned. The fake degrees helped the teachers become certified in their field and advance in their career.
It is said that some of the students paid anywhere from $3,000 to $25,000 for each fake or changed transcript or degree. There have been at least seven altered transcripts this year. However, there is evidence that the transcript altering may date back as far as 2003.
Discovering that acts such as this can be carried out is quite scary for society. How many certifications hanging on wall in doctor offices and such are fraudulent? Although I am sure that he number is very minimal, I hate to even imagine. As technology progresses, it is becoming easier and easier for these occurrences to take place.