Speaking as a Smith alumna and faculty child, the revocation of Evelyn Harris’s honorary degree leaves a bitter taste in my mouth. I know that Smith, as an academic institution, must have a stringent standard for plagiarism, and cannot condone plagiarism. However, seems to me that Smith sought to award Harris an honorary degree for high-quality, non-academic work, then set her an academic task in which Smith failed to support her properly — and proceeded to flunk her for violating academic standards. I suggest a redo: honor her with a performance celebrating her work, centering her in the performance, and give her a performance-specific honorary doctorate.
Patricia J. Hawkins
Easthampton