BY JAMES SIMONS
Three more universities have revoked honorary degrees previously bestowed to formerly loved entertainer, Bill Cosby. A total number of Universities had awarded degrees to Cosby, not because of any academic achievement, but rather because of his contribution to television entertainment in America. Now, a number of Universities have rescinded the accolade they once happily accorded to him, and many more have followed suit. Yesterday, Tufts University in Massachusetts, Goucher College in Maryland and Lehigh University in Pennsylvania are the most recent among a list of educational institutions to rescind their awards.
Tufts University withdrew an honorary doctorate of arts it gave to Cosby in 2000, and a 2011 award for excellence in children’s media. The basis of the withdrawal was couched in an email to the university’s community from President Anthony Monaco stating that ”Cosby has shown a lack of character and integrity” that does not represent the school’s values. Goucher College has also revoked the degree awarded to Cosby when he was a commencement speaker in 2001.
The school’s Board of Trustees “unanimously decided that Cosby’s admitted actions are in direct violation of values Goucher holds dear, including our community principles of respect, communication, and responsibility.” The revocations are an expression of public disgust at the allegations of sexual abuse levied against the former television personality by a string of women, all of whom insist the 78 year old crossed boundaries with them by abusing them sexually.
Whilst the decision to rescind honorary degrees given to him will be welcome and praised by most, it also raises questions as to what happened to the universally embraced tenet of ‘innocent until proven guilty’. Why have these University not at least waited for the court case to conclude? Don’t get me wrong, I think Cosby is guilty as hell because it is highly unlikely for all his accusers to be maliciously making up the allegations against him. More than 40 women have come forward in the past year alleging that Cosby drugged and abused them decades ago in the height of his prime as a television personality. No charges have been brought against the American former actor because of the lapse in time.
However, Cosby has had to make a deposition in relation to the claims whilst police closely scrutinize them. The number of Universities that are now distancing themselves with Cosby go a long way to indicating their strong belief that he is guilty. The revocations also teach people a lesson to earn their degrees by merit and not rely on honorary degrees that can be taken away from you, despite the fact there is a reason the Universities are withdrawing their degrees from him. Real University degrees are earned through academic hard work, not given because of some other unrelated achievement of an individual.
