Prestigious Smith College stripped singer Evelyn Harris of her honorary degree after she was caught plagiarizing entire sections of her commencement speech, exposing a growing rift between artistic “borrowing” practices and academic standards of originality.
Key Takeaways
- Musician Evelyn Harris voluntarily returned her honorary degree from Smith College after admitting to plagiarism in her May 18 commencement speech.
- College President Sarah Willie-LeBreton confirmed Harris “borrowed much of her speech” from others without proper attribution, violating academic integrity standards.
- Harris’ bandmates defended her actions, claiming the speech was pre-approved and arguing that “borrowing” is common practice in musical arts.
- The controversy highlights the fundamental disconnect between academic standards of originality and artistic traditions of reinterpreting others’ work.
- Smith College has announced a revised version of commencement highlights will be made available, effectively erasing Harris’ contribution.
Academic Standards Versus Artistic Expression
Virginia musician Evelyn Harris has surrendered her honorary degree from Smith College following revelations that she plagiarized significant portions of her May 18 commencement address. The controversy emerged when college officials discovered that Harris, a vocalist with over 50 years of experience in the music industry, had incorporated substantial text from other speeches without acknowledging the original authors. Rather than fight the allegations, Harris acknowledged her actions and voluntarily relinquished the honorary degree that had been bestowed upon her during the ceremony.
“I must share with you, however, that it has come to our attention that one of our honorary degree recipients — musician Evelyn M. Harris — borrowed much of her speech to graduates and their families from the commencement speeches of others without the attribution typical of and central to the ideals of academic integrity,” said Sarah Willie-LeBreton, Smith College President.
The institution has remained tight-lipped about specific details, including how they discovered the plagiarism, exactly which portions were lifted, or the original sources of the material. What is clear is that Harris was one of four distinguished figures granted honorary degrees at the ceremony, alongside Harvard professor Danielle Allen and journalist Preeti Simran Sethi. Following the plagiarism discovery, college officials have announced plans to release a revised version of the commencement highlights on their website, effectively erasing Harris’ contribution from the official record.
A Tale of Two Standards
Harris, who was classically trained at Howard University and spent years performing with the African-American female a cappella group Sweet Honey in the Rock, now faces scrutiny that highlights the stark differences between academic and artistic standards. Her bandmates from StompBoxTrio have risen to her defense, insisting that the speech had been pre-approved by college officials before delivery. More significantly, they’ve argued that the concept of plagiarism itself is perceived differently in artistic communities, where covering, sampling, and reinterpreting others’ work is not only accepted but celebrated as a legitimate form of expression.
“In conversations about this after the event, Ms. Harris was forthcoming about her choices while also acknowledging that she sought to infuse the words of others with her own emotional valence,” said Sarah Willie-LeBreton, Smith College President.
The bandmates’ defense suggests Harris wasn’t attempting to steal credit but rather to honor influential voices through her speech – a practice they maintain is common in musical traditions. This raises important questions about the contextual nature of intellectual property and attribution standards. While academia demands explicit citation and original thought, artistic communities often engage in a dialogue with existing works, incorporating them as a form of homage or creative building blocks rather than outright theft.
Liberal Academic Institutions Enforce Rigid Standards
The controversy illuminates the rigid standards liberal academic institutions enforce when it suits their purposes, despite often promoting flexibility in other areas of campus life and curriculum. While Smith College President Willie-LeBreton was gracious in her public statements, accepting Harris’ voluntary surrender of the honorary degree and thanking her for her contributions to music and culture, the institution made no attempt to contextualize the musician’s actions within her artistic background. The swift removal of recognition demonstrates how uncompromising academic standards can be when institutional reputation is at stake.
“With appreciation for the requirement of academic integrity so central to the values of Smith, Ms. Harris has chosen to relinquish her honorary degree,” said Sarah Willie-LeBreton, Smith College President.
For conservatives watching this incident unfold, it represents yet another example of how left-leaning institutions apply rigid standards selectively. The same academic establishment that rushes to strip honors from an accomplished Black female artist over attribution failures seems far more lenient when confronted with questionable academic practices that align with progressive ideologies. While academic integrity is certainly worth protecting, this incident raises legitimate questions about whether a more nuanced approach might have better served both the institution and the artist caught between two different worlds of creative expression.
