{"id":2441531,"date":"2025-06-01T18:22:01","date_gmt":"2025-06-01T22:22:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/musician-surrenders-honorary-degree-after-the-truth-about-commencement-speech-comes-out\/"},"modified":"2025-06-01T18:23:22","modified_gmt":"2025-06-01T22:23:22","slug":"musician-surrenders-honorary-degree-after-the-truth-about-commencement-speech-comes-out","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/musician-surrenders-honorary-degree-after-the-truth-about-commencement-speech-comes-out\/","title":{"rendered":"Musician Surrenders Honorary Degree After the Truth About Commencement Speech Comes Out"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">24<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fmusician-surrenders-honorary-degree-after-the-truth-about-commencement-speech-comes-out%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2441531&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>Musician and artist Evelyn Harris voluntarily returned an honorary degree from Smith College after facing allegations of plagiarism related to her commencement speech. It was reported that Harris had used ample parts of her speech without appropriate attribution,which violated the college&#8217;s standards of academic integrity. smith College President Sarah Willie-LeBreton addressed the matter publicly, emphasizing the importance of academic honesty while acknowledging Harris&#8217;s efforts to seek emotional depth in her speech. Despite her return of the degree, some of Harris&#8217;s colleagues defended her, arguing that the controversy overshadowed the fact that her speech was previously approved by the college.They posited that the nature of artistic expression frequently enough blurs the lines of attribution, suggesting that Harris intended to honor the words of others through her speech.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<section> \t\t\t\t<script>console.log(\"ad slot (AC1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC2)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC3)\")<\/script><\/p>\n<p>Musician and artist Evelyn Harris has given back an honorary degree following a plagiarism scandal.<\/p>\n<p>The controversy erupted when it was revealed that she lifted significant portions of her commencement speech without credit.<\/p>\n<p>Smith College President Sarah Willie-LeBreton confirmed that Harris &ldquo;borrowed&rdquo; much of the speech, in violation of academic standards held by the college.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;I want to congratulate our graduates and sincerely thank the hundreds of people in our community who worked so hard to create such wonderful events over multiple days, including a Commencement ceremony that felt almost magical,&rdquo; Willie-LeBreton wrote in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.smith.edu\/discover-smith\/president-sarah-willie-lebreton\/commencement-follow-up\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">a follow-up<\/a> to the commencement.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;I must  with you, however, that it has come to our attention that one of our <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >honorary degree recipients &#038;mdash<\/a>; musician Evelyn M. Harris &mdash; 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.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p> <script type=\"text\/javascript\"> \t\t\tif ( getCookie( \"ff_subbed\" ) ) { \t\t\t\tdocument.getElementById(\"stnvideo\").remove() \t\t\t} else { \t\t\t\tdocument.addEventListener(\"DOMContentLoaded\", function() { \t\t\t\t\tfunction loadScript(src) { \t\t\t\t\t\tconst script=document.createElement(\"script\"); \t\t\t\t\t\tscript.src=src; \t\t\t\t\t\tscript.async=true; \t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.body.appendChild(script); \t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t\tfunction findPreviousParagraph(selector, x) { \t\t\t\t\t\tconst targetElement=document.querySelector(selector); \t\t\t\t\t\tif (!targetElement) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.warn(\"Target element not found.\"); \t\t\t\t\t\t\treturn null; \t\t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Get all <\/p>\n<p> elements in order as they appear in the document \t\t\t\t\t\tlet paragraphs=Array.from(document.querySelectorAll(\"p\"));  \t\t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Find the index of the last <\/p>\n<p> before the target element \t\t\t\t\t\tlet targetIndex=paragraphs.findIndex(p=> p.compareDocumentPosition(targetElement) & Node.DOCUMENT_POSITION_PRECEDING);  \t\t\t\t\t\tif (targetIndex===-1 || targetIndex <x) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.warn(\"Not enough paragraphs before the target element.\"); \t\t\t\t\t\t\treturn null; \t\t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\treturn paragraphs[targetIndex - x]; \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Set up IntersectionObserver \t\t\t\t\tfunction observeElement(element) { \t\t\t\t\t\tif (!element) return;  \t\t\t\t\t\tconst observer=new IntersectionObserver( \t\t\t\t\t\t\t(entries)=> { \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tentries.forEach(entry=> { \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tif (entry.isIntersecting) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.log(\"Paragraph is now visible:\", entry.target.textContent.trim()); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tloadScript(\"https:\/\/embed.sendtonews.com\/player3\/embedcode.js?fk=s28Az7AY\"); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tobserver.disconnect(); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t}, \t\t\t\t\t\t\t{ threshold: 0.5 } \/\/ Adjust threshold as needed \t\t\t\t\t\t);  \t\t\t\t\t\tobserver.observe(element); \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Find the 1st paragraph before #stnvideo and observe it \t\t\t\t\tlet paragraphToObserve=findPreviousParagraph(\"#stnvideo\", 2); \t\t\t\t\tobserveElement(paragraphToObserve); \t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t} \t\t<\/script> <\/p>\n<p>In the formal statement, Willie-LeBreton thanked Harris for handing over the degree voluntarily.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;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,&rdquo; she wrote.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;With appreciation for the requirement of academic integrity so central to the values of Smith, Ms. Harris has chosen to relinquish her honorary degree. &ldquo;<\/p>\n<p>Willie-LeBreton also thanked those who called out Harris&rsquo; plagiarism.<\/p>\n<p>Not everyone is convinced the &ldquo;borrowed&rdquo; language was actually blatant plagiarism, however. Harris&rsquo; bandmates from Young@Heart, Bob Cilman and Julia van Ijken, leapt to her defense in the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.gazettenet.com\/Letter-61337636\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Daily Hampshire Gazette<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>They accused the college of publicly humiliating Harris over a speech that was previously approved.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Evelyn has informed us that her speech was submitted to Smith College in early May, and was edited by them for length,&rdquo; the two wrote.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Surely the question of plagiarism could have been brought to her attention at that point, avoiding the drama and spectacle that has unfolded now?&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>The pair argued that plagiarism &ldquo;works a little differently&rdquo; for artists, as they often perform others&rsquo; work in front of crowds. The difference, it seems, is that bands that cover &ldquo;Free Bird&rdquo; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/peta-gets-reality-check-after-targeting-buckingham-palace-guards-bearskin-caps\/\" title=\"PETA Gets Reality Check After Targeting Buckingham Palace Guards&#039; Bearskin Caps\">typically don&#038;rsquo<\/a>;t claim to have written it.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;We sing lyrics and play music written by others without explicitly crediting them from the stage, without asking their permission, but often getting the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/amazon-hides-cheap-knockoff-origins-yet-considered-tariff-labels\/\" title=\"Amazon Hides Cheap Knockoff Origins Yet Considered Tariff Labels\">original artist&#038;rsquo<\/a>;s enthusiastic response when they eventually hear our version,&rdquo; Cilman and van Ijken wrote.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;We imagine Evelyn may have been doing something similar in her speech and was honoring the words of others.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<div style=\"position: relative;\">\n<div class=\"ff-fancy-header-container\"> \t\t\t \t<\/div>\n<div class=\"entry-submit-correction inner-content\">\n<div class=\"correction-form\">\n<form style=\"display: none;\">\n<div class=\"sc-name-field\"> \t\t\t\t\t\t<label>* Name<\/label> \t\t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"text\" name=\"name\" required> \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<div class=\"sc--field\"> \t\t\t\t\t\t<label>* <\/label> \t\t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"text\" name=\"\" required> \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p> \t\t\t\t\t<label>* Message<\/label> \t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t<textarea name=\"message\" required><\/textarea> \t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"required-message\" style=\"display: none; padding-bottom: 15px;\">* All fields are required.<\/div>\n<p> \t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"submit\" value=\"Submit\" onclick=\"event.preventDefault(); firefly_sc();\"> \t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"firefly-sc-confirm\" style=\"display: none;\">Success!<\/div>\n<\/p><\/form>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p> \t\t<script> \t\t\tfunction firefly_sc() { \t\t\t\tif( typeof window.captchaPublicKey==typeof undefined ){ \t\t\t\t\tconsole.error('window.captchaPublicKey is not defined'); \t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\tgrecaptcha.execute( window.captchaPublicKey, { action: 'submit_correction' } ).then( function( token ) { \t\t\t\t\tvar opts={ \t\t\t\t\t\taction:    'firefly_sc_submit', \t\t\t\t\t\tname:      document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"name\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\t:     document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\tmessage:   document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"message\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\tpost_id:   firefly_post_id, \t\t\t\t\t\tcap_token: token \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\tvar inputs=[ 'name', '', 'message' ];  \t\t\t\t\tfor( var i=0; i <inputs.length; i++ ) if( ! 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The issue arose when it was discovered that she had used substantial parts of her commencement speech without proper attribution. Smith College President Sarah Willie-LeBreton stated that Harris &#8220;borrowed&#8221; significant portions of the speech, breaching the college&#8217;s academic integrity standards<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2441532,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/College-commencement-controversy.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[8049,54442,50410,56322,15304],"class_list":["post-2441531","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-accountability","tag-commencement-speech","tag-controversy-2","tag-honorary-degree","tag-musician"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/College-commencement-controversy.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2441531","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2441531"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2441531\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2441535,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2441531\/revisions\/2441535"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2441532"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2441531"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2441531"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2441531"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}