Folks may have heard that Orange County School Board Chairman Keith Cook cribbed his commencement speech delivered at Orange County High School last week. This is a serious infraction given the problems with plagiarism among students and the efforts by teachers to prevent it. Cook surely ought to be a role model in such matters.
Perhaps even worse than Cook’s plagiarism is his continuing denial of it. He initially denied it to the Herald reporter. Moments ago, he told the WCHL reporter that it was not plagiarism because he did not know who wrote the speech and that what was important was the content. He might talk to any English or history teacher to find out just how important they would consider the content if a student turned in a speech by Donna Shalala.
Meanwhile, Eleanor Murray embarrassed WCHL by repeatedly agreeing with Cook that it was inadvertent plagiarism. Yet Cook admits to making a web search for “graduation speeches†and making liberal use of the one he found. That is intentional plagiarism even if he did not trouble himself to find out who the author was.
While some may think that Cook should resign over the incident , I believe that would send the wrong message to students. The example should be that, if they mess up, they have the opportunity to correct the matter and improve themselves.
If you agree, what should Cook do?
My own suggestion is that he should attend a writing class or, if available, a public speaking class this summer at the high school. He should be graded like any other student. In the fall, he should appear at a high school assembly to announce his grade and explain what he has learned to the student body.
I do think he should resign as chair.
Issues:
Comments
Gosh, just trying to help.
Gosh, just trying to help. Is there any better way to change behavior than to make it a public issue?
Let face facts if a school
Let face facts if a school employees from either district and I would also include parents start complaining or expose the not so nice things going on within the system, you will be black balled. I have seen this first hand and know a number of folks who have been reminded of who signs their paychecks.
Being an anonymous tipters is the only way to expose problems and keep your job at times. It may not be right but its the real world.
Since this broke in my
Since this broke in my column the same day it hit our front page, I'd like to respond before this grows into some kind of ugly marriage of urban myth and race-coded rhetoric.
I had two sources for my reporting of Cook's swiping Shalala's speech.
A parent (whose identity is not relevant) attended the Orange High graduation. He knows Cook personally (as do I) and felt that the speech was too tighty written to have been Cook's original work. My other source happened to have attended both graduations and likewise marveled at the speech being uncharacteristic of Cook's writing. Those of us who know (and like) Keith know that he is hard-working and dedicated, but would never be confused with Hemingway.
The parent in question called me and likewise emailed the Herald staff with a link to the speech. To my knowledge, it was his Google that revealed the connection ... at least that's what revealed it to me.
With all due respect to Mr. Black, this story was never about low expectations for Keith Cook. It was, in fact, quite the opposite. We expect the chairman of the school board to execute the ethics we demand of third graders.
Actually Donna Shalala is
Actually Donna Shalala is not to be confused with Hemingway either. She didn't write "her" speech, but paying for it lets her off the hook. If only Keith had payed for the speech.
My observation had nothing
My observation had nothing to do with your original story or ethics. It was my observation that there must be an explanation why a new high school graduate thought “the speech seemed to be too good to actually be written by Cook.†Was she that familiar with the Board Chair's intellectual prowess?
Made me wonder if that was what the newly minted graduate thought, or was that what she was told by others? I take her comment as reported here to be about “low expectation.†Of course, such beliefs can be accurate, but some foundation seems to be in order. And do you really believe that Shalala’s speech was all that Hemingway-like?
And yes, like it or not, this situation unfortunately did contain a racial undercurrent.
When people refer to George
When people refer to George H.W. Bush's "Thousand Points of Light" speech, they don't usually rap him for not having written it. Peggy Noonan got paid for writing it, but it was Bush's speech.
Pat Buchanan wrote speeches for Nixon, Jeff Greenfield wrote for RFK, etc. etc.
Politicians use professionally written speeches all the time. It's unremarkable.
Mr. Black makes an interesting point about the likelihood that a graduating high school student would have such insight into Cook's possibly having written that speech. The story sounds like baloney and doesn't match the facts as I know them.
Which story, the one Mark
Which story, the one Mark related above?
PS: Feel free to call me Fred!
The story that this Orange
The story that this Orange High grad tells ... I don't doubt what Mark is saying, but rather the veracity of the OHS grad. I know of no English teacher involvement, for example, and I sure don't see an OCS teacher contacting the Herald ... not in my lifetime.
I know how I got the story and I know that, at a minimum, the Herald got the same information I got from the very same source. The newsroom may have been buzzing with similar reports for all I know.
The whole episode brought a good man to heights of embarassment I hope never to know. I feel for him ... he's served our kids well and I wish it hadn't happened.
Thank you, Fred. I appreciate the courtesy.
Well, Fred, I got your point
Well, Fred, I got your point in asking the question. She did not come accross as being consciously racist with respect to this matter, but the racial angle - even if subconscious - seems obvious (to me and you, at least).
As for the veracity of the tale, who can know? In retrospect, I think I misreported it a little. She did not assert that the teacher called the Herald. She said that she supposed that the teacher had called the Herald.
And in any case, according to you, Jean, at least two people caught this transgression independently. And I suppose that you can only take it at face value that those two people really did figure this out for themselves (as opposed to being informed by still other parties - such as the OHS grad or her teacher or yet others).
Why would no OHS teacher ever call the Herald? I mean I know you guys can be difficult, but I still call your reporters back. ;)
WIthout wallowing, my
WIthout wallowing, my sources most definitely made this determination on their own.
As for why an OCS teacher would not call the Herald ... I say this because the culture in our district basically abhores publicity as a rule ... unless it is very clearly favorable. I just don't see an Orange Schools' teacher tossing this one to a reporter, anticipating embarassment and controversy for the district (and those graduating students). As your clarification indicates, that point is moot anyway.
I'll except myself from your "difficult" characterization ... I'm easy to get along with ...
Geez, I'll apologize for
Geez, I'll apologize for digging up this old subject, but I'm looking for a copy of Keith Cook's speech. I've tried many sources but they seem to be "no longer available". Can anyone here help me or steer me in the right direction? This is for a school project.
thank you
Shirley
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