UPDATED: Also via FrumDoc, here's the news release from the DA's office. Pretty interesting.
UPDATE 2: Touro's statement is now at the bottom.
Oh, isn't this wonderful!? Bastards. The Times:
Touro College’s former admissions director and former computer center director and three New York City public school teachers have been indicted on charges that they took part in a scheme involving fraudulent transcripts, the Manhattan district attorney, Robert M. Morgenthau, said yesterday.Wonderful. Reading through the numerous articles online, it appears that a number of the fake degrees were in special education - the same special education degree that Serach has (and FFW, and others...). The one she worked incredibly hard for, finishing with a 3.98 (?) GPA in. The one that she's using as she sees what options are available for her for next year. The one that may now be worth a whole lot less because people won't be trusting Touro, particularly that graduate school.
He said those defendants were among 10 people indicted in a “cash for grades scheme” in which students’ transcripts were altered and transcripts and degrees were created for people who had never attended the institution, including the three city teachers. The teachers were said to have bought falsified master’s degrees from Touro that helped in their promotion and their certification.
I HATE dishonesty. HATE it. And now, someone else's dishonesty is going to help make who knows how many people's degrees worth that much less. Idiots!
7.16.07 Statement from Touro College Regarding Manhattan District
Attorney's announcement today:
"We have not had an opportunity to review the indictment, but TouroGood for Touro for bringing it to the attention of the authorities.
College has been aware of the ongoing investigation and in fact
immediately brought to the attention of the District Attorney for New
York County and all relevant government agencies the alleged
wrongdoing on the part of the Touro College employees named in the
indictment.
Touro College has cooperated fully in this investigation and provided
access to law enforcement authorities regarding this matter.
This conduct was confined to what appears to have been a betrayal of
trust by persons with responsibility for the integrity of the
record-keeping and only because we had certain controls in place were
we able to identify the wrongdoing and bring it to the attention of
law enforcement.
We continue to take all steps necessary to further ensure the
integrity of our student records."
Just read about this in the Post and I wanted to check the blog cuz I knew you'd say something about it...it stinks that they did this because now people who worked legitimately hard to get their Master's at Touro may be at an unfair disadvantage because of this scandal. Although I don't know much about Touro's program (I went to Hunter)I know that my friends who went there worked really hard and shouldn't be judged by what happened...(oh , and thanks for the shout-out!)
ReplyDeleteWow, lovely.
ReplyDeletei was thinking about it and realized that once you work for a while, a place doesn't really care anymore where you went to school, they care more about experience and if your good at what you do. So hopefully this stigma wont affect me or my friends, being that i have 2 plus years of experience. On a side note, thankfully, from what the names in the article it doesn't look like any Jews were involved- and Touro did report it!
ReplyDeleteon a side note- I was curious, so I went to the Touro website, and looked up faculty, and the names of the teachers involved in the scandal are still there- disgusting! well, then i realized if the head of the computers department was involved its no wonder his name is still up on the computers!
ReplyDeleteIt's the nine days, so I hesitate to criticize (appearance of sinaas chinam and all that :( ), but before you start spreading false runors (and possibly slurring someone's reputation), you should read the article carefully-- it was the FORMER director of the computer CENTER, not the head of the computer DEPARTMENT. Furthermore, no teachers of Touro were involved-- the teachers mentioned were recipients of the false transcripts. Finally, I don't know what gives you the idea that no Jews were involved-- names are far from indicative. And on a side note ( :) ), I'm not certain how judicious it was to have made a comment like that in the first place.
ReplyDeleteAnon - There were actually teachers involved. I agree with you on the Jewish aspect of this, though.
ReplyDeleteI believe those people were 'former' because of this incident.
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ReplyDeleteannon- i WENT TO Touro for undergrad and grad, the director of the computer center, is the same title as the director of the comp dept, I had the person as my teacher, so I know. Secondly my point exactly was that it says former, yet the teacher is still on the Touro roster. Thirdly the other 2 "teachers" involved were a teacher and head of admissions, whom also taught, so in essence they were teachers. Finally, I should have been clearer, but what I meant by no Jews was the students who paid to alter their transcripts, were not Jews.
ReplyDeletethat's not good
ReplyDeleteez- I told you that initially, it was in the article in the beginning, that Touro brought it to the DA, as soon as they found out!
ReplyDeleteWhether you are grateful that Jews wre involved or not is irrelvant. It was not only a ridiculous comment to make, but quite offensive to people who are NOT Jewish. I happen to be Jewish and still found that comment extremelly offensive.
ReplyDeleteI currently attend Touro and work Full-Time in an office job (changing careers), and was pretty upset to hear of this, because I fear my hard work will now go unnoticed because of this scandal.
As if we didn't have enough problems...
ANNON- OF COURSE ITS RELIVANT- I was saying that thank g-d it's a lesser chilul Hashem because Jews weren't involved and Touro reported it, as you said "As if we didn't have enough problems"- my point exactly, we have enough blame cast on us as Jews, At least they couldn't blame it on a Jew, was my point. What I said therefore shouldn't have been hurtful to you, rather pacifying, to know that the blame wouldn't be cast on the Jews.
ReplyDeleteThen of- course I re-read the names and saw that there was one- Jew involved. Dude- i feel for you i actually have my degree from touro in Sped, so i am even more at risk for people questioning my integrity.
Serach, you'll be happy to know that the name of the former computer center director indicted in this crime has been deleted from both the faculty and staff databases on the Touro College website.
ReplyDeleteNow a days there is also a option for buy online degree.
ReplyDeleteI have gotten a Degree through Michael Cherner and IT was falsified with some courses that I never attended and I received grades of A. But before I have received my Diploma my academic records were audited in 2007 and today my official transcript still reflects courses that I have not attended. After five years I still have my Degree. The funny part is I actually admitted this fraud to Touro College, FBI, WPIX, Channel 7, politicians and Department of Education. I was denied the investigation. Today I still have my Associate in Arts Degree.
ReplyDelete