… of the Marc Hauser situation continues.
Now he won’t teach in the Extension School – his courses have been canceled. Which is the right thing to do; but why in the world was he given the courses in the first place?
As with the rash of plagiarism incidents in its law school a few years ago, Harvard has shown itself, in regard to Hauser, to be timid and tone-deaf.
How many billions do you need in your endowment to afford good public relations people?
August 31st, 2010 at 2:18AM
Not that it matters a great deal to me, nor probably (though it plainly should) to Harvard, but this bit is rather vague.
At the time, Cross said that it is “not uncommon for teachers on leave from FAS for various reasons” to teach at the Extension School.
Have those reasons ever been of this kind ? My revulsion at the blithe phrasing leads me to think not, but that’s just a gut response.
August 31st, 2010 at 8:03AM
whenever you hear someone say something like “not uncommon” or “various reaons” it is not blithe, but deliberate phrasing. Them’s weasel words, pardner.
August 31st, 2010 at 11:48AM
I’d phrase your final question slightly differently. When you’ve got billions of dollars in your endowment, can’t you afford the lawyers to fire people who commit academic fraud and the salaries to hire world-class replacements who don’t cheat?