New North Dakota law: use of unaccredited degrees a felony

Alan Contreras informs me that North Dakota has a new law banning use of unaccredited degrees: a hybrid of the Oregon and the New Jersey laws, with the added fillip that violation is a felony, not a misdemeanor.

 

Banning the use of unaccredited degrees for what?

 

In Canada Fahrenheit degrees are not accredited.

This is unfair to people over thirty who know 3 degrees hot, cold , and really flipping cold.

 

I looked through North Dakota's website for 2003 laws and couldn't find that one. If anyone finds a link to the new law could you please post it?

Thanks,
Bill

 

Your degrees are in (C)aribou, eh?

 

I believe that unaccredited degrees are hot, cold and really flipping cold. Canada does have accredited degrees as well. They will just be smaller numbers than most other places. I would consider that well below the standard for what I'm used to.

 

Frankly, I consider the idea of convicting somebody of a felony (presumably involving more than a year in state prison) for "use" (whatever that means) of an unaccredited degree to be extremely excessive.

It seems inevitable throughout history that people will take what seems like a good idea, and then stupidly decide that if a little of it is good, then a lot of it would be even better. So good ideas are turned into caricatures, and idealism is transformed into fanaticism.

 

http://www.grandforks.com/mld/grandforksherald/5726798.htm (Scroll down to "Diplomas")

The most upsetting item in the list is that they defeated the proposal to extend bar closing time from 1 am to 2 am. No way am I going to North Dakota. Urp.

 

It apparently takes more than the use of an unaccredited diploma to make it a felony. From the link provided by oxpecker,

"Diplomas: It will be a crime to manufacture a fake college diploma, or use a diploma from an unaccredited college to get a job, a promotion or admission to a legitimate college. Making a fake diploma is a felony, while using one is a misdemeanor, punishable by a year in jail and a $2,000 fine."

 

What abot Kelvin degrees? Celsius is still seeking RA accredition in the US i heard.

 

Let me be the first to recommend the death penalty.

 

I agree. Let the employer take the burden of verification and let the employer punish the faker with termination (not the oxpecker sort), demotion or, if it suits the employer's needs, nada. Many employers simplify the matter with a blanket policy of termination.

What burden might this place on the employer? If I'm the employer and I discover that an employee has a bogus degree then what? Am I accessory to the crime if I don't report the crime to the Boots?

Any way to page Nosborne? I'm not a lawyer but I believe that under the current, or former, system this bogus degree thing would fall under the heading of fraud. It is, or was, my option as an employer to decide whether I'd been defrauded by the bogus degree holder. I'd probably decide that I'd not been defauded if the person in question was an outstanding employee.

Not to be misunderstood, I rather detest BSers. But I recognize that law should not be written to accomodate my sensibilities or those of the majority of the moment.

 

2003 Bill Text ND H.B. 1068

VERSION: Enacted

VERSION-DATE: April 14, 2003

SYNOPSIS: AN ACT to create and enact three new sections to chapter 15-20.4 of the North Dakota Century Code, relating to the issuance, manufacture, and use of false academic degrees or certificates; and to provide a penalty.

TEXT: BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF NORTH DAKOTA:

SECTION 1. A new section to chapter 15-20.4 of the North Dakota Century Code is created and enacted as follows:

Unlawful to issue, manufacture, or use false academic degrees - Penalty.

1. It is unlawful for a person to knowingly issue or manufacture a false academic degree. A person that violates this subsection is guilty of a class C felony.

2. a. It is unlawful for an individual to knowingly use or claim to have a false academic degree:

(1) To obtain employment;

(2) To obtain a promotion of higher compensation in employment;

(3) To obtain admission to an institution of higher learning; or

(4) In connection with any business, trade, profession, or occupation.

b. An individual who violates this subsection is guilty of a class A misdemeanor.

3. As used in this section, "false academic degree" means a document such as a degree or certification of completion of a degree, coursework, or degree credit, including a transcript, that provides evidence or demonstrates completion of a course of instruction or coursework that results in the attainment of a rank or level of associate or higher which is issued by a person that is not a duly authorized institution of higher learning.

4. As used in this section, "duly authorized institution of higher learning" means an institution that:

a. Has accreditation recognized by the United States secretary of education or has the foreign equivalent of such accreditation;

b. Has an authorization to operate under this chapter;

c. Operates in this state and is exempt from this chapter under section 15-20.4-02;

d. Does not operate in this state and is:

(1) Licensed by the appropriate state agency; and

(2) An active applicant for accreditation by an accrediting body recognized by the United States secretary of education; or

e. Has been found by the state board for career and technical education to meet standards of academic quality comparable to those of an institution located in the United States that has accreditation recognized by the United States secretary of education to offer degrees of the type and level claimed.

SECTION 2. A new section to chapter 15-20.4 of the North Dakota Century Code is created and enacted as follows:

Unlawful to use degree or certificate when coursework not completed - Penalty.

1. An individual may not knowingly use a degree, certificate, diploma, transcript, or other document purporting to indicate that the individual has completed an organized program of study or completed courses when the individual has not completed the organized program of study or the courses as indicated on the degree, certificate, diploma, transcript, or document:

a. To obtain employment;

b. To obtain a promotion or higher compensation in employment;

c. To obtain admission to an institution of higher learning; or

d. In connection with any business, trade, profession, or occupation.

2. An individual who violates this section is guilty of a class A misdemeanor.

SECTION 3. A new section to chapter 15-20.4 of the North Dakota Century Code is created and enacted as follows:

Consumer protection - False academic degrees. The state board for career and technical education, in collaboration with the North Dakota university system, shall provide via internet web sites, information to protect students, businesses, and others from persons that issue, manufacture, or use false academic degrees.

 

A few decades ago, Canadians used the Fahrenheit degrees as a standard measure of temperature. Today, they use the Celsius scale.
I'm quite certain that most Canadians can measure temperature in both scales. As for accredited........that depends on which side of the 49th parallel you live on.
The law also requires Canadian manufacturers to use the metric system for measurement.....yet most developers and construction engineers (at least the ones that I know) still use inches and feet!

 

David Boyd, thank you for posting the actual text of the bill. It was a lot easier for me to understand and appreciate the actual text than to comprehend the individual interpretations of the text. Thanks again.

 

Thank you, David.

The line in the bill permitting schools that have "accreditation recognized by the United States secretary of education or has the foreign equivalent of such accreditation..." once again raises the spectre of Liberian, Malawian, St. Kittsian, Norfolkian, and other accreditations, and how North Dakota will deal with them.

 

Since Ottawa, Montreal, Toronto, and Victoria are south of the 49th parallel, I guess that means most of Canada!

TRICK QUESTION: To drive the shortest route from Detroit, MI to Canada, what direction do you drive!

Quote of the Day: From TV Show "Due South" (written and filmed in Toronto but set in Chicago)
"In Canada we have more than a passing familiarity with confusion. We're comprised of 10 provinces and two territories communicating accross 6 time zones in 2 official languages. The English don't understand the French, the French don't understand the English, and the Inuit quite frankly couldn't give a damn about either of them. Added to the equation is the Assembly of First Nations, with a total of 633 separate Indian bands, speaking 180 sub-dialects among their 50 linguistic groups; and as if that weren't enough there are some fishermen on the East coast with a remarkably whimsical accent." -- Constable Fraser (Due South)

 

I also thank you, David.

I was having the same thought as I read it. When I got to Section 2, I was wondering if that would take care of the issue?

 

I'm pleased to note that the legislators included Section 1 - 4e in the law. This was the missing piece that caused the Florida law to be declared unconstitutional.

 

The term degrees Kelvin is no longer in use. The correct term is now kelvins. The symbol is K. The previous symbol °K ( the degree sybmol and an uppercase K) is no longer used.

Lord Kelvin is probably a little PO'ed (or is that °PO'ed)