Ethical Misrepresentation
Ethical Misrepresentation One might argue that misrepresentation of academic credentials as demonstrated by Marilee Jones, the dean of admissions at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (Lewin, 2007) and a lie are not the same thing. She knowingly falsified information and suppressed it for several years; this is an ethical misrepresentation of epic proportions. When people misrepresent skill sets or academic accomplishments to achieve certain goals, they chose to play an ethical game of “Truth or Dare”. Crime in any form is a choice made by a human, and they should have to deal with the consequences. Many may argue that her decision to keep her secret went against her morals and was not an ethical misrepresentation. She made a poor moral decision when she falsified her resume but went on to have a truly successful career. Perhaps dismissing her actions at the University and letting her keep the position would have been a solution. She admitted, “I misrepresented my academic degrees when I first applied to M.I.T. 28 years ago and did not have the courage to correct my résumé when I applied for my current job or at any time since” (Lewin, 2007). She resigned from the University on April 27, 20007 after her academic credentials became a conversation about the truth. People struggle with ethic misrepresentation; they do not feel it is lying. “Misrepresentation is distinct from lying because it is an embellishment of true facts, which partially explains its morally uncertain status” (Weber, 2009). She falsified her accomplishments when applying originally with no malicious intent, not thinking about how the University and Community would be deceived if they ever discovered her actions. “This was not just any lie. It was a lie in the very area in which Jones' job requires her to expect the truth” (Kinsley, 2007). Each person is given a responsibility, and we are to be “faithful” in that trust. According to the Bible, 1 Corinthians 4:2: "Now it is