The college went ahead and spilled the tea on Tuesday, revealing that one of the commencement speakers for 2025 would be giving up her honorary degree.
The drama unfolded at Smith College, where it was uncovered that musician Evelyn Harris, who had been bestowed with an honorary degree, had actually copied parts of her speech from other commencement addresses. The college’s president, Sarah Willie-LeBreton, made the shocking announcement that Harris had failed to properly credit the original sources of the borrowed words, which goes against the whole concept of academic integrity. In a letter, Willie-LeBreton disclosed that Harris had ‘fessed up to plagiarizing the speech, but tried to justify it by claiming she was just adding her own personal touch to someone else’s words.
As a result of the plagiarism scandal, Harris decided to hand back her honorary degree, a move that Willie-LeBreton had no choice but to accept. The college is now scrambling to put together a revised version of the commencement ceremony highlights, which will be posted on their website at a later time. Willie-LeBreton expressed her gratitude to those who brought the issue to light and commended Harris for her choice to give up the honorary degree.
Who’s who in the honorary degree recipients’ club? Alongside Harris, the other distinguished individuals who received honorary degrees were Danielle Allen, a big shot professor at Harvard University, Rachel Levine, a high-ranking health official in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, and Preeti Simran Sethi, an Emmy-award winning writer, academic, and mental health coach. The college chose not to offer any further comments on the matter when approached for clarification on Tuesday evening.
But wait, there’s more! Harris isn’t just any old musician – she’s a vocal teacher, a former member of the a cappella group Sweet Honey in the Rock, and a seasoned performer with years of experience under her belt. So, it’s safe to say that this scandal has definitely put a dent in her otherwise impressive career.
In the grand scheme of things, this whole controversy seems like a storm in a teacup, but hey, that’s the world we live in. The fact that someone as accomplished as Harris felt the need to plagiarize a speech is a bit baffling, to say the least. But let’s not dwell on the negatives – let’s appreciate the fact that she owned up to her mistake and took the necessary steps to rectify the situation. It may not be the most earth-shattering news out there, but it’s definitely a juicy tidbit to chew on for a while. So, until the next scandal rocks the boat, let’s just sit back and enjoy the show.
