(Parody To Hark! The Herald Angels Sing)
Hark! Harvard’s President speaks
Glory to the appointed cheat
No words of her own to think
Helped herself to others’ ink
Joyful Harvard students sing
No more creative grappling
Harvard’s prez and board proclaimed
We’re OK with bringing shame
Hark! Harvard’s President speaks
Glory to the appointed cheat
Harvard lost its place on top
Guess their veritas got chopped
Now that plagiarism’s kosher
Reputation’s lost luster
Honor and ethics collide
As morals are cast aside
So, dishonor rules the day
As Claudine Gay gets to stay
Hark! Harvard’s President speaks
Glory to the appointed cheat.
Hail Harvard’s Princess Cheat
Hail the mother of deceit
Ill repute is all she brings
Social Stigma clipped her wings
Abandoned in infamy
Doubt for DEI decrees
Doubt for women’s leadership
Doubt for BIPOC partnership
Hark! Harvard’s President speaks
Glory to the appointed cheat
Postscript:
Simon Moss et al., published “A Systematic Review Into the Psychological Causes and Correlates of Plagiarism,” in Ethics and Behavior in June of 2017. The title of the authors’ publication aptly explains its purpose. A systematic review is a summary and analysis of prior research on a given topic, in this case “the psychological causes and correlates of plagiarism.” Simon et al, reviewed 83 publications on the topic. Their analysis identified the following psychological characteristics of those who plagiarize:
“The first cause revolves around an emphasis on success and performance instead of a passion or motivation to learn and develop . . . . The second, and related, cause is an orientation toward competition instead of cooperation: When ambition obscures morality . . . and the setting is competitive . . . even to the extent that rivals do not cite each other . . . plagiarism surges. The third determinant concerns limited confidence or resilience: If people feel unable to achieve their grades . . . or to regulate their anxiety . . . plagiarism mounts. The fourth cause revolves around the inability to control impulses, urges, and temptations . . . . Finally, in contrast to impaired confidence, individuals with excessive but unwarranted confidence might also be more inclined to plagiarize: These individuals may overestimate either the extent to which they deserve a high grade or their capacity to plagiarize successfully . . . .”
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/317629238_A_Systematic_Review_Into_the_Psychological_Causes_and_Correlates_of_Plagiarism
In consideration of Simon et al.’s 2017 research, we may conclude that Claudine Gay’s desire to succeed overshadowed Harvard’s academic integrity policies and impaired her own ethics and morality. Whether Gay suffered from a lack of confidence, impulsivity, or unjustified confidence we likely will never know. What we do know is that Harvard appears to have lowered its standards for Gay during her years as a student, and continues to do so today. In so doing, Harvard is telling the world that they lower their standards for their black students. And Claudine Gay has proudly accepted the role as poster child for this initiative. Sadly, both Harvard and Gay have severely tainted any benefit that either Affirmative Action or DEI programs may have afforded black students. Worse, it adds fuel to the argument that black students cannot succeed without a lowering of standards. The next time anyone needs the services of a professional – a lawyer, doctor, surgeon, nurse, architect, engineer, etc., Harvard and Gay would prefer that you overlook this inconvenient consideration.
Finally, the fact that Gay stands behind “the integrity of [her] scholarship,” and Harvard has attempted to recast her blatant plagiarism in the language of carefully hedged banalities such as “inadequate citation” and “duplicative language without appropriate attribution” further cements the notion that neither Gay nor Harvard practice the academic integrity and morals that they preach. Parents and students take note: before you spend your hard-earned money or take out student loans to attend this once-prestigious university, remember that racism, genocidal “free speech,” and academic dishonesty are now its trifecta. For those who fail to take heed of this, be sure the corporate world certainly is!
Inside Out Odyssey 