Tempers flared on local radio yesterday after a well-known talk show host clashed with his guests over the plagiarism scandal involving former College of the Bahamas (COB) president Rodney Smith.
Wendall Jones, host of Love 97’s ‘Issues of the Day,’ and Committee for Change at COB member Judith Blair got into a heated exchange after Ms Blair accused Mr Jones of pointing at her while asking a question.
“You don’t have to point at me,” said Ms Blair. “No pointing. Let’s have a friendly discussion. The public can’t see us but you are pointing in my face and that’s insulting to me.” The row erupted after Ms Blair insisted that the Council was too quick to condemn former COB president Dr Rodney Smith. She added that she disagreed with Dr Smith’s admission that he had plagiarised a speech by New York University President John Sexton in an address he (Dr Smith) made at the Honours Convocation in May.
But cooler heads prevailed after five minutes of bickering when Mr Jones insisted they have a civil conversation.
“I am not pointing at you,” said. “I am not trying to intimidate you. Now we are going to have a civil conversation but if we can’t have a civil conversation we might as well bring this conversation to an end now.”
Ms Blair and other committee members were on the programme to discuss what the group called their disappointment in the College Council and how they handled last summer’s plagiarism scandal.
“He did not plagiarise,” said Ms Blair. “The person whose speech he used said that was in the domain of the public and anybody could use it. Just like anybody uses a textbook then goes in the classroom and uses a textbook.” Dr Smith “galvanised” the staff, she said.
this information came from such and such a source. In truth then all of us are plagiarising.”
Ms Blair insisted that she hopes that Dr Smith is reinstated as the college president. Other committee members claimed that 90 percent of the college’s staff, 80 percent of the student population and 50 percent of the faculty would also like to see the return of Dr Smith.
“Personally yes [I want DR Smith to return] because what I saw in him as a leader I have not seen any president in the life of The college of the Bahamas,” said Ms Blair. “We have lost great value in Dr Smith by zeroing in on the plagiarism and blowing it up. We have thrown away the baby and the bathwater.”
“I have been a lecturer since 1974 so I know the history of the college,” she continued. “In almost 40 years I’ve never seen a person to galvanise people around him like Dr Smith did. In the [10 months] that he came [to the college] the moral of the faculty, the students the staff went up to the top. I never thought we could have aspired to university status. When Dr Smith came he caused [us] to see the vision.”
Meanwhile College Council President Franklin Wilson has told the media that at this time he cannot see where reinstating the former president would be beneficial to the institution. He has also urged the members of the committee to be careful of the propaganda that is being fed to the public about the college.
By JASMIN BONIMY, The Nassau Guardian
