IF you want to cause trouble
If you want to cause trouble, or perhaps divert attention from one of your problems, start looking at the resumes of your campus's leaders, and try to verify the claims.
A GA student newspaper editor started researching his Christian College's president - Dr. Young - and discovered that he didn't even have a masters, and his "doctorate" was simply an honorary one from the college (he was pres of).
Now our friendly researcher is known as "Satan" and is probably looking for a new college.
The story continues:
Student expose rattles Toccoa Falls College
Faculty, students and board get involved in debate over school president's resume.
Norman Arey - Staff
Friday, May 9, 2003
Toccoa Falls --- For Toccoa Falls College student Joel Elliott, a simple journalism assignment turned out to be anything but routine.
The assignment certainly wasn't sexy. Do profiles on the presidents of Toccoa Falls College --- the past ones and the current one.
"There had only been maybe six or so," said Oliver Witte, one of Elliott's teachers. "It was just a routine assignment."
But the results weren't routine.
Elliott, a full-time student at the Bible college in northwest Georgia, found a discrepancy that put him on a roller coaster ride of a lifetime.
And as a result, Elliot has become somewhat of a celebrity in this town of 9,323, lauded by some, called Satan by others at the college.
The senior is the editor of the school newspaper, The Talon.
During his reporting, Elliott discovered that there was no resume in the library on the current college president, Donald Young.
When he found the resume, he also found some conflicting information. Young's resume claimed he had received a master's degree from Fuller Theology Seminary in California. Fuller officials say he attended there, but never received a degree.
Young, who goes by Dr. Young, has an honorary doctorate bestowed by his alma mater, Toccoa Falls College, and a bachelor's degree.
Elliott wrote the expose for The Toccoa Record, where he works part time, and three days later wrote it for the college newspaper.
Young claims the listing on his resume was due to a mistake.
"I dictated my resume to a secretary by telephone and told her I did graduate work at Fuller," said Young. "She incorrectly assumed I had gotten a master's."
Young said he couldn't remember who it was since the company he worked for at the time, the Woerner Foundation, had several secretaries.
"Mistake made, mistake corrected," Young said. "The board [of directors] said it wasn't an issue."
Secret ballot
David Reese, the academic dean at Toccoa Falls, said he doesn't think Young intended to deceive with his resume.
"There's no question that [ex-Georgia Tech head football coach George] O'Leary tainted the climate," Reese said. "I think I read some research that said that 30 percent of resumes have lies in them."
"In the secular world, it's common to puff resumes," he said.
A secret ballot was taken at a faculty meeting early this week asking if the body supported Young.
The results were passed on to Ray Kincaid, president of the board of trustees. He said he plans to visit the campus in the next few days.
Kincaid acknowledged Young's resume did state he had a master's degree when he was interviewed more than two years ago, "but that wasn't critical," he said. "The board looked at the vision he had for the school. We're behind him."
Reese also counseled Elliott before he published the article.
"I told him that in a story of this type, people will automatically assume [Young] is guilty. That a story like this can hurt someone. But I told him if it was fair and factual, to go ahead."
Elliott is still smarting and reliving the day the article appeared.
"Young addressed the student body during chapel that morning," he said.
"He talked about the emotional impact my interview had had on him. He said it could tear the school apart. He said, 'This person is a student, but don't do anything to him for this.' "
Elliott said a fellow senior then went to the front and said, "President Young has not asked me to do this, but you're either for us or against us. Everybody that's for us come up here."
As Elliott watched in disbelief, more than three-fourths of the 500 or so in the assembly went forward.
"It was early in the morning and I don't think most of them had even read the newspaper story," Elliott said. "I don't think they knew what he was talking about."
It was during this meeting that a woman shouted from the back of the chapel something about Elliott being Satan and doing the work of Satan.
For a follow-up article, he tried to interview about 40 students. Only three would talk to him.
Others said they were afraid to talk to him or just ignored him all together.
"I sure did find out who my friends were," he said.
Staying in school
During a conversation with Kincaid, Elliott asked if he was going to be allowed to stay in school. "My mother made me ask him that," he said. "He assured me I'd be fine."
Elliott's mom, a retired schoolteacher, and his dad, an insurance salesman, still live in Indiana, which Elliott calls home.
"I told [Elliott] this in no way affects your standing here at school and doesn't affect any scholarships you may have," Young said.
Toccoa Falls College, whose motto is "Where Character Is Developed With Intellect," now faces a dilemma.
The question now is whether Young can be effective in his role at the college.
"That's a fair question," said Kincaid. "I don't know. I can't answer that."
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