Metadish, Fresh from NYC

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It seems that the authenticity of a diploma doesn’t matter that much; at least, that’s the case for the Fire Department of New York, which accepted phony degrees in lieu of real ones in 2001 and 2002.

Of the 14 employees who presented fake college degrees in order to secure a job or promotion, three people convinced the FDNY that their diplomas from St Regis College were real.

These credentials were validated by a letter from Victor Herbert, who is a supervisor of tenure and promotions. He just assumed they came from the legitimate Catholic liberal arts institution in Massachusetts, which is also called St Regis.

As to whether or not these employees face punishment, Francis X Gribbon, the Fire Department Spokesman, said they had to wait for the completion of the investigation, “before proceeding with any disciplinary actions that may be warranted.”

The lack of a college education shouldn’t stigmatize the hard-working FDNY employee; fire them if they make a mistake, not if they didn’t receive an education that is, apparently, irrelevant to their jobs.

These workers are actually smarter than a lot of people out there and should maybe receive a promotion. They brought to our attention that there is such a thing as a “diploma mill.” We all could’ve saved ourselves from drowning in thousands of dollars worth in debt had we known the same degree we received was for sale on the internet for only a couple hundred dollars.

Report Says 14 in Fire Dept. Used Fake Degrees [New York Times]

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