Want To “Earn” Two Degrees In A Day? Do It The Alicia Hansen Way!
How do you “earn” a bachelor’s and a master’s degree on the same day without attending a single class?
You do it the Alicia Hansen way – you buy it.
How long has it been since Hansen told the truth?
And how long is it going to take before this documented prevaricator is removed from the Senate and from our midst?
Ten years ago, in an interview with the Daily News, Hansen said she held two college degrees – a bachelor’s and a master’s degree – from St. Regis College, a Jesuit run university in Denver, Colorado.
When the Daily News checked with St. Regis, they said they’d never heard of her.
When a Daily News reporter confronted Hansen about the discrepancy, she said she was “offended” that they were checking up on her, and said she would explain everything at a news conference later that week.
But she never did.
Shortly thereafter, the newspaper got a call from a St. Regis University in Dominica, an online institution that had been exposed as a degree mill that required little more than a few hundred dollars to award you any degree you chose.
That St. Regis reported that they had conferred upon student Hansen (who they could not confirm had taken any classes) a BA in political science and an MA in public administration on the same day – June 5, 2001, and that she had achieved this startling feat with a 3.8 (out of 4.0) grade point average.
Right there, you’ve got to start wondering…
This erstwhile academic organization was allegedly accredited by the “Education Ministry of the Republic of Liberia.”
In the interest of fair reporting, the Daily News “applied” to St. Regis, offering no transcripts or other documentation of the academic or work background included in the application. The next day they got a call from the “university” with a price list of degrees for sale ($645 for a BA; $795 for a Master’s)
An additional irony is that on July 4, 2001, the day before she “earned” her degrees, Hansen had testified under oath in a deposition in a defamation case she had filed against the late Sen. Lorraine Berry. In that deposition she testified that she was a dropout, and had never graduated from college.
This pattern of pathology should be no surprise and certainly bolsters the validity of the inquiries into Hansen’s qualifications and eligibility for the Senate. Fraud and deceit, one might go so far as to say outright lying has been the modus operandi of this individual for years. And yet no one in authority has the fortitude to step forward and pluck this outrage from our midst.
Will Sen. Neville James step up and challenge Alicia Hansen's eligibility in the Legislature?
The same tactics, the frivolous lawsuits, the same fantasy pronouncements about her influence and achievements, all that we are observing and challenging now exist in her documented history.
And yet – still yet – no government agency, no board, no public official will take the simple steps – steps supported by the law – to remove her.
But some things have changed for the better. Unlike 10 years ago, there are others, like Colleen Clarke and her colleagues, who have joined with Crucians In Focus and Freemansground, to publicly, and persistently, challenge her presence in the Legislature – when the likes of the Board of Elections and the Attorney General’s office lack the wherewithal to do so.
And there is still the chance that Sen. Neville James, who stated publicly that he would raise the issue in the Legislature –will do so – even though the results of the CIF poll show that the public has little faith that he will.
Prove the public wrong, Senator James. Raise your hand; raise your voice, and remove the interloper from the Senate floor. Clearly none of your colleagues has had the courage to even address the issue, although nothing is stopping them from doing so.
Now, as we face some of the most critical legislative action in our history, there is no room for imposters.
I don’t think there’s anything wrong with requiring a formal education to hold office. It would at least serve a more functional purpose than the “barhn yah” requirements some radicals advocate for. I don’t think there is a single US Senator who doesn’t hold a degree (in fact, most of them have advanced degrees). We can hold ourselves to a higher standard than the country generally. I think it would weed out a ton of bad candidates as well. And while some colleges are bad, we can let the public judge the quality of the institution when they vote (Obama-Harvard, etc).
Some of us over 50 are self made- doing it the old fashioned way- raw time, raw experience, studying and learning for years. I have been a licensed Chief Engineer for more than 20 years- Federally Issued. I have also sat for a PE License twice- going to do it again soon- that’s should give you some idea about how much experience I possess.
The question is NOT what level of education someone attains- it’s the practical application of knowledge and skill set… I have respect for both sides of that isle. Let’s always look at valuable experience as a pre-requisite to success for us all.
Paper is over rated. Do you know how many persons with degree are having a heck of time finding jobs that will pay them enough to pay back their loans. So now you’ve got young people in debt slavery before they can get their foot in the door of their intended profession.
I don’t have a degree either, however whatever I do do, I do it without complaint and to the best of my ability. My work is my signature and I am responsible to my clients to provide my best work in a timely and honorable manner.
As it relates to public service, everyone who wants to represent us should be of integrity and work in the best interest of our community with community input. Technically, it is the community who decides who will represent us. Many of us who do not have degrees have workable solutions to our challenges.
Personally, my time spent in college was boring, even though I went to a hands on school. On the job training made me indispensable to my company because almost any job in my scope of work I can do and many times have to help others do the job they were trained in. No worries ’cause it’s all about lessons and how we use the information and gifts that we are given.
anon @10:09 -
don’t take exception because you are exactly the type of person I would prefer to see in legislature – one with years of real provable work experience, credentials, certificates, etc. So my insistance on a college degree is tempered with someone with definable work skills, knowledge, etc. At least we are on track by weeding out those with no skills at all. How we elected a sneaker saleman still blows my mind.
Who sold sneakers?
Thanks dooreo- point taken,
at this point i would settlefor honest people, who are transparent enough to post what theyre doing each senate session on a web pgeand conduct straw polls as to courses of action. ten they would have to have the integrity to simply do what there constituants want. i dont know why having a degree makes anyone more honnest, all t makes them is smarter thieves
Applaud Rainman @ 9.41am – s/he is right on target. Well done.
@ Dooreo 12.05
Your worrying about a shoe salesman making it to the senate is akin to what Ron Delugo (aka Mango Jones) said of Ali Paul when he was elected in the 70s
……’it now have mokojumbie in the senate’.
LOL.
By the way,how many Virgin Islanders,today,can remember Ron DeLugo as ‘Mango Jones’ hosting a radio show on WSTA (in the 50s) in the late afternoon,4-5pm called Caribbean Matinee? It was a one hour request show.And people from the
islands (yours truly included) would send in requests for their boyfriends/ girlfriends.
Ron must have been in his twenties in those days,but listening to him in his ‘Mango Jones’ twang,you’d swear he was old man in his eighties.Would be so nice to hear Mango Jones (if he’s still alive) in action again.Humor fo’
days,meh son.Perhaps Addie Ottley,his good friend,could talk him into it.
Lord knows,a little comic relief would be welcomed at times like these.
While I still believe in college education, I fully respect each and every response in this blog. The positive side to this that we are expressing exactly what should be expected from our elected representatives-
demonstrated skill sets
demonstrated education
demonstrated moral authority
demonstrated intellect
demonstrated maturity
etc.
I believe if a person can listen without opinion, debate without prejudice, actively persue goals, give without expectation, stand proudly among those of different races, then that person could make a good PUBLIC SERVANT (let’s not forget that phrase next election)
hey how about we get back to chuckie. i love her slogan “go chuckie go” it should beourslogan only it should be “just go chuckie just go”
Sign the recall petitions at Gallows Bay, right by ABC Janitors……..we can get the entire BOE out and Abrahamson as well……..
Open from 10am to 7pm……..Abrahamson has not done his job vetting the Hansen eligibility to run for office.