Gomez backs second chance for Smith

Mon, Jul 21st 2014, 12:30 AM

As long as he is truly repentant over his plagiarism blunder, there is nothing that should bar former College of The Bahamas (COB) President Dr. Rodney Smith from being reappointed to the post, retired Anglican Archbishop Drexel Gomez said yesterday.
In 2005, Gomez was a member of a special panel that recommended to the College Council that Smith be terminated after finding him guilty of committing what is considered to be the most egregious violation in academia.
Smith is one of four candidates who was shortlisted by the COB Presidential Advisory Search Committee.
The Committee has recommended to Cabinet that he be reappointed president.
"As a member of the [panel], I took a very strong stance on a matter of principle that, given the state of our society and the lack of principle that is so evident in so many quarters of our society, it was important when this matter was viewed at an official level that as a matter of moral principle that some disciplinary action should have been taken against Smith, because there was no question that he was guilty of the charge in terms of what was being alleged," said Gomez, who was contacted by The Nassau Guardian for comment.
In May 2005, Smith spoke at the college's Honours Convocation.
He used a portion of a speech given by New York University President Dr. John Sexton without providing attribution.
During the firestorm that erupted after the convocation speech, the council appointed a special panel to look into the plagiarism issue and recommend the way forward.
Four of the five panel members recommended termination while the late Professor Rex Nettleford, at the time vice chancellor emeritus of the University of the West Indies, wrote a dissenting view.
Smith insisted that his use of a portion of the speech without providing attribution did not amount to plagiarism because Sexton later said that his work is the property of the academic community.
However, the panel determined that Smith's action indeed amounted to plagiarism.
"While we are aware of some emerging thoughts on plagiarism which appear to be less demanding, a comparison of the Sexton text and the Smith text, using any widely accepted authoritative definition of plagiarism, leads easily to the conclusion that his omissions amounted to plagiarism," said the report, written by retired Justice Joseph Strachan on behalf of the majority.
"Nothing that was said to us by President Smith erases that. On the contrary, a part of what he said discloses ambivalence at best and being disingenuous at worst. We note his studious refusal to use the word 'plagiarism', choosing instead, 'intellectual property rights'."
Gomez said yesterday there is no reason now to hold the unfortunate episode against Smith.
"I would go on to say that that was some time ago, and if the person has repented and is truly repentant, I would not object on principle on giving the person another chance," he said.
"For example, in the United States, Vice President [Joe] Biden was internationally found guilty of plagiarism in the debate in his first time running in the primary for the selection in the democratic party. He had to pull out because he was guilty of plagiarism.
"But that was not held against him for all times and all seasons, and he is now in the role of vice president.
"So I think there is always in the human situation room for repentance and change, and I wouldn't say that because the person was guilty of plagiarism sometime ago forever he should be banned for considerations. And I do that on purely Christian standards and Christian principles."
Asked if he thought the reappointment of Smith would jeopardize COB's policy against plagiarism, Gomez said he doubted it would.
"It can be an embarrassing episode, but what I'm saying is that because someone has done something wrong, I don't think that should be held against that person as a barrier ad infinitum," he said. "People have to learn that in our community...[second chance] is an important Christian principle that I would have to stand for, and I don't see that his having committed that offense in that context should be a barrier to his fulfilling the role as president," Gomez said.
"It could prove to be embarrassing, but I don't think it should be held to be prohibitive."
In an interview with The Nassau Guardian recently, former College Council President Franklyn Wilson expressed another view.
"I personally would be disappointed if that were in fact the recommendation," said Wilson when told the Advisory Search Committee has put forward Smith's name.
Wilson said, "I think it would be a significant cause for having to explain a lot to the public as to why that is the right thing to do.
"In doing so, I make it clear, there is no question about the competence of the gentleman. There is no question in my mind about that, but the issues left from the time of his separation from the college, they remain, and quite frankly his performance when he came back for the interview, I cannot believe that an objective analysis of his comments when he came back for this interview would leave him as [the best] candidate."
Wilson's comments angered members of the Advisory Search Committee.
"The meticulousness of the search process as undertaken by the Advisory Search Committee could never, as claimed by Mr. Wilson, constitute a significant error for the country, or be a 'significant cause' for explanation," said Rubie Nottage, who chairs the committee.
"This was a process in which all persons had the opportunity to participate.
"It is to be regretted that Mr. Wilson would seek to make such disparaging speculations on the decision process."

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