In the past few days, the actions of a fellow William and Mary student have greatly embarassed me and several of my fellow alumni. This diary is written in hope to protect my beloved alma mater, the College of William and Mary. Hopefully, this will be the last words on the matter, or at minimum, begin to heal the reputation of this fine organization.
As many of you are aware, Ben Domenech was hired a week ago (more or less) by washingtonpost.com. When this first occurred, I was taken aback by the Post's choice, for Domenech was not an established writer and I found his politics appalling. I did not, however, begrudge Domenech his position; I merely mourned the loss of the illusion of impartiality of the
Washington Post, a newspaper I came to adore when attending the College of William and Mary. And so I categorized Domenech's hiring with the numerous examples of conservative bias in the media, as well documented by Mediamatters.org, among others.
But then Oregon guy posted a diary about Domenech's plagiarism, and worse yet, that Domenech committed plagiarism at the student newspaper of my alma mater, The Flat Hat. I was appalled. In my mind, and in the minds of so many of my fellow alumni, such an act was not just unforgivable, but unthinkable.
For you see, William and Mary has an honor code (http://www.wm.edu/...). It is a code that all of us swore to uphold from the very first day of Freshman Orientation. In fact, William and Mary students created the American tradition of an honor code. While Harvard was a seminary for Puritans, the College of William and Mary was the school of American leaders in the colonial age. Almost all traditions of the modern American university were created at my alma mater's hallowed grounds. And unlike the elitism that creeps into the Ivy League schools, William and Mary is a state school, open to many more students of modest means.
The honor code is simple on its face: do not lie, do not cheat and do not steal. But from that simplicity came a trust between student and the community. In my four years at the College, I never locked my door and only one time did I have a proctor watch the class taking a test. Under normal conditions, students were trusted to not cheat. And in fact, most of us did not, nor would we have even thought of such a thing. This came despite having one of the most rigorous curriculum in the country. In short, I believe I am a better person for my time at that school.
That is what I found so galling about Domenech's actions. By plagiarizing, he lied, cheated and stole. I had friends who were severely penalized for not telling the whole truth to William and Mary officials. Yet this would-be journalist openly flaunted his abuses and got away with until now. And as the story unfolded, Domenech continued to show that he was without honor. His initial silence was damning, but then to blame his employer and others for his misdeeds was despicable. Then he claimed that he received permission to use these sources: a claim that was quickly denied. It is only now, when his lies were fully exposed that Domenech admits to his actions. Worst of all, he tried to excuse his actions on his immaturity during his College years. How DARE HE!
So, in closing let me make this clear: Domenech is not, and never will be, representative of the alumni of the College. By some accounts, Domenech is not an alumnus, as it appears he did not graduate. I cannot speak to the veracity of that claim, though I hope it is true. Nonetheless, Domenech took the pledge, and spent formulative years at William and Mary. But be clear, he is an aberration. And I, as an alumnus of William and Mary, and as one who tries to uphold my pledge of honor still, condemn him.