Selfish, whiny girl sues school to be named sole valedictorian

[loinburger]

One can only hope that the punitive damages get tossed out on their ass. IMO she'll most likely be sufficiently (maybe excessively) punished for her stupidity when she actually starts attending Harvard in the fall -- she's apparently stirred up enough ill will over there to make her freshman year rather unpleasant.

[Q Classic]

boris, i supplied links to the photos because people asked. i don't personally care what she looks like; i also don't care about her sex life, since it has no bearing on her academic performance.

the question here is whether suing to be valedictorian was worth it--and i think not, because now, no matter how noble her efforts might have been to become valedictorian, she's forever going to be known as a whiny little b1tch who wanted to have things her way, making the title even more empty than it already is.
and now, with suspicions that she might have cheated... there's no excuse for that.

[Flare]

Vel, why are you so mean, cruel & nasty towards that "poor, defensless, innocent" (note the quote marks here!) woman who thinks that she has been "soooo wronged!" Don't you know that this is the land of the sue happy people? After all, if someone offends you or you just feel like getting a few bucks off some hardworking person, then this is the country to do so!

(P.S. - I think that she is beeing a royal snot myself! I hope that Harvard ditches her.)

[Boris Godunov]

Originally posted by loinburger
One can only hope that the punitive damages get tossed out on their ass. IMO she'll most likely be sufficiently (maybe excessively) punished for her stupidity when she actually starts attending Harvard in the fall -- she's apparently stirred up enough ill will over there to make her freshman year rather unpleasant.

IF she goes to Harvard. I don't think her excuses over the plagiarism accusations cut it--she clearly lifted direct quotes from others and passed them off as her own writing. Her pathetic statement about not knowing the standards of the newspaper is, IMO, a lie. I wasn't valedictorian of my class, yet I knew what plagiarism was and that it was considered a bad thing.

Even if the newspaper didn't object to such plagiarism, you'd think her own intelligence and standards would then kick in. That it didn't would tell me that she's not Harvard material.

[Az]

what standards? this is the kid that sued her school so that she wouldn't have to share her honors, remember?

[Boris Godunov]

Originally posted by Azazel
what standards? this is the kid that sued her school so that she wouldn't have to share her honors, remember?

While I didn't agree with her filing the suit, I don't think that it really would be something that should pertain to her admission to a university. After all, a judge seemed to agree with her that she shouldn't have to share the position, and I see some validity in the notion that a disabled student shouldn't be denied sole valedictorianship because of a rather meaningless difference in their class roster (granted, this rendered a little less meaningful considering what her condition actually is).

That's a bit different than plagiarism, which is something everyone and their mother is taught to be very, very wrong from day one in school. Pleading ignorance is laughable on the part of a potential Harvard student.

[Velociryx]

Yep Flare...I'm such a b@stard, ain't I?

-=Vel=-

[Az]

Boris: I don't see the point of having Sole Valedictorianship at all. It's not as if it says more of her achievement.

[Spiffor]

Hornstine prevailed in that lawsuit. A $2.7 million lawsuit against the school district is still pending in state court for punitive damages, legal fees and costs.

The lawsuits have not done much for Hornstine's popularity in the town. Her family has told police they have received death threats and their home has been vandalized.

Am I the only one who gives a to that ? I sure hope the home of this little ***** burns. Her association M.A.G.I.C, meaning "Implied in the Community" ? My Ass.

[Spiffor]

Originally posted by Boris Godunov
That's a bit different than plagiarism, which is something everyone and their mother is taught to be very, very wrong from day one in school. Pleading ignorance is laughable on the part of a potential Harvard student.

Actually, I'm in my 5th year at uni, and I just very recently discovered that plagiarism was bad (in university context - I knew it was bad outside, but I thought for some reason that it was tolerated at uni)

[Spiffor]

From JohnT's thread :

"Harvard will see that this is a non-issue, and, quite frankly, something that is another example of Blair being singled out and victimized"

Gosh, how low can they get ? This ***** being singled out and victimized ? As she didn't ask for it...

[Asher]

Originally posted by Spiffor
Actually, I'm in my 5th year at uni, and I just very recently discovered that plagiarism was bad (in university context - I knew it was bad outside, but I thought for some reason that it was tolerated at uni)

At the beginning of every term, in every class, my uni distributes an "Academic Integrity" sheet spelling out quite clearly what's acceptable and not. Plagiarism is at the top of the list for what's not acceptable.

[Ben Kenobi]

Her disability cannot be confirmed?



Good money goes for her tutoring, and she takes advantage of the situation?



Be interested to hear something from the disability rights people.

[Nubclear]

Originally posted by Boris Godunov


Pffff, you're a pissant in this regard compared to the likes of, say, Comrade Tribune or Tassadar.

[Boris Godunov]

Originally posted by Azazel
Boris: I don't see the point of having Sole Valedictorianship at all. It's not as if it says more of her achievement.

In a certain context, no, it doesn't say more. She should have been content to be a co-valedictorian and realize she is VERY fortunate to be going to Harvard.

However, put yourself in the position of a disabled person, perhaps not specifically her. You work your butt off in high school and have the best grades, hands-down. But when it comes time for graduating, you're told that you won't be sole valedictorian, but a co-valedictorian. This is because, through no fault of your own, your physical disability prevented you from taking the standard physical education course. Even though you took an alternative, the school says it doesn't count.

Frankly, I wouldn't blame the disabled person for being livid. Since there was no previous history of co-valedictorians, and it has always been given to one person, it certainly would smack of discrimination and being unfairly treated due to your disability. Being made to share the stage where none had to share before will also likely make many of those watching think that the disabled person is only up there because the school is throwing her a special diversity bone.

Now, the punitive suit this girl filed is an outrage. She got her way with the valedictorian issue, so her needing $2.7 million is ludicrous and a really stupid move by someone who thinks she's so smart.