Dual Identities?

Discussion in 'Off-Topic Discussions' started by Rich Douglas, Apr 22, 2020.

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  1. Rich Douglas

    Rich Douglas Well-Known Member

    It has been established clearly on this board that posters who use more than one identity are not allowed to do so and have had their accounts de-activated. With that in mind, my interest was piqued recently with Steve Levicoff's musings about a particular moderator's identity as a long-time poster (under a different name).

    I won't draw a conclusion because I don't have any proof. But I would hope the person in question would overtly and publicly deny the accusation since it is so central to the operation of this site. Unless it's true, of course. In that case, I would hope that person would excuse him/herself and leave. For good.

    Again, I'm not attempting to add any weight to the accusation, nor propel it further. And I'm certainly not making an accusation myself.

    What I also found interesting was that Levicoff went to another board to write his swan song instead of posting it here. I wonder why?
     
  2. Steve Levicoff

    Steve Levicoff Well-Known Member

    You mean my post at http://www.degreediscussion.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=10496, a must-read for all who see this thread?

    If you don't know the answer to your own question, Rich, you are merely demonstrating once again that a person can hold two doctorates yet still be a blithering idiot. Well done, sport!

    And once again, I'm outta here.
     
  3. Rich Douglas

    Rich Douglas Well-Known Member

    Well, that answers that. Just couldn't resist taking the bait, huh?
     
  4. Steve Levicoff

    Steve Levicoff Well-Known Member

    I don't believe there was any bait, Rich. You wrote a post articulating your opinion of my "swan song," as you put it, but neglected to include a link to my post, relevant since you started a new thread rather than putting your latest diatribe in the existing thread. If it were not for the purpose of adding a link to my post, I wouldn't have bothered with a response.

    Nonetheless, I hardly think you're one to pontificate on taking bait. You recently wrote, in the other thread:
    In other words, you went back on your own commitment not to post because you were obsessed with what I wrote on another forum. Or, as you wrote here, "Well, that answers that. Just couldn't resist taking the bait, huh?"

    None of which alters the fact that you are still a blithering idiot. And even though I have recently set you up as the heir apparent to being the main D.L. expert here at DI, you can't seem to avoid being an embarrassment to yourself. Quel dommage.

    I'll leave it to you to get the last word. I, of course, will be laughing my ass off at you, as I have done for many years now. Can you say, "MIGS?" (Remember, the degree mill you used to shill for?) :D
     
    Last edited: Apr 23, 2020
  5. Rich Douglas

    Rich Douglas Well-Known Member

    Once a diva, always a diva. Hope those last words are good enough!
     
    nomaduser likes this.
  6. Mac Juli

    Mac Juli Well-Known Member

    Hello!


    Did anyone else notice that "Rich Douglas" is misspelt "Rich Douglass" on DD?


    Best regards,
    Mac Juli
     
  7. Stanislav

    Stanislav Well-Known Member

    I'm not sure I understand why Rich chose to create this thread. Perhaps he believes this forum needs a bit of family drama. Perhaps.

    On another note, I see that Dr. Levicoff's "permanent retirement" lasted less than a week. Followed by another retirement, that lasted one day. For most posters, this is less than they take between posts. I'd say this is a diva display that can't be beat; great performance, Steve!
     
  8. Rich Douglas

    Rich Douglas Well-Known Member

    It's a legitimate question. Posed with no specifics and no follow-up and meant to do no harm. Just a simple question that can be answered with a "yes," "no," or ignored.
    Something Dr. Levicoff has mercilessly harangued others about for decades. Between his condescending b.s. and his horrible treatment of others, this hypocrisy fits right into the profile.

    I think he'll be back. But if not, it will be the very first time he's ever proved me wrong about anything. That's one I'd love to lose!
     
  9. nosborne48

    nosborne48 Well-Known Member

    I would be cautious about referring to Dr. L.'s stuff (or Dr. D.'s either for that matter) as B.S. Both know more about distance learning and graduate degrees than I ever will. I can't pretend to speak for either gentleman but I find a useful lesson in Levicoff's posts and that is a liberal dose of reality about the value of a graduate degree in one's life. Meaning, not much. And a nontraditional graduate degree has even less value in the wider world.

    That glimpse of reality stings as I myself can attest.

    Well, take this for what little you may think it worth but the lesson should be learnt before, not after, undertaking all that work and spending all that money.
     
  10. Rich Douglas

    Rich Douglas Well-Known Member

    Could you expand on this? I'm not sure I understand. My nontraditional bachelor's changed my life by permitting me to become a commissioned officer. My nontraditional master's permitted me to do the best assignment of my military career. My nontraditional PhD transformed my post-military career (not to mention my income). And my nontraditional doctorate has become the basis for my career's "third act."

    Of all my degrees, I would say my bachelor's from Regents was the most impacting, but my PhD from Union was the most transformative.
     
  11. nosborne48

    nosborne48 Well-Known Member

    I will happily explain myself but I'd like to hear any other comments first. I would like to point out that I referred the graduate degrees, not the bachelors. For good or ill, the bachelors is a dividing line in American society. Doubtless there are many substantial objections to this state of things but there it is. Being a "college graduate" means possessing a bachelors degree and many career paths are open only to college graduates even where possession of the degree may be irrelevant to the requirements of the job.
     
  12. LearningAddict

    LearningAddict Well-Known Member

    I have read at least one person (Rich) who does not see an Associate degree as a degree at all. Do you share a similar take?
     
  13. Mac Juli

    Mac Juli Well-Known Member

    Hello!

    I, personally, think that an Associate degree is definitely a degree - but there are many persons and institutions in the world, and among them the German government (and I am from Germany) who have a different approach... Which I think is regrettable.

    Best regards,
    Mac Juli
     
  14. Rich Douglas

    Rich Douglas Well-Known Member

    A problem with the associate's is that it does not exist in other countries.

    Generically speaking, I think it's safe to say that when people talk about "having a college degree" it evokes the bachelor's.

    Most associate degrees do not confer an automatic recognition that one has attained a certain degree level. In most cases (absent an articulation agreement), possessors of associate degrees wishing to advance to a bachelor's program must have their previous collegiate work evaluated on a course-by-course basis. But if a bachelor's degree holder applies to a master's program, that kind of course-by-course evaluation isn't done on the entire degree. (It is often done regarding prerequisites, but that's another matter.)

    Associate degrees achieving recognition by bachelor's-awarding universities are done so through articulation agreements where...wait for it...credit-by-credit evaluation has occurred. The agreement creates a blanket transfer agreement instead of evaluating each individual situation.

    Finally, the bachlor's, master's, and doctorate are all distinct degrees. But the associate's is subsumed by the bachelor's. (In some situations, the master's can be subsumed by the PhD, but it is usually a stand-alone degree these days.)

    The associate degree is uniquely weird. If you want to call it a degree, have fun.
     
  15. LearningAddict

    LearningAddict Well-Known Member

    It could be a problem if trying to use it outside of the United States where it's less common, and I encountered some misunderstandings from foreign schools when I contacted them for more information on programs, they asked about my degrees, and when I mentioned one being an associate degree they expressed confusion (except for Assam Don Bosco. They were really hip to everything and I was impressed). But even though we've been discussing foreign programs a bit more lately, I think it's a given that we're speaking on this in the context of U.S. standards.

    Almost every country has its own unique take on degrees and designations. The associate degree is just one of those things common to our part of the world. There are a number of things being done in the education systems of other countries that come across as weird to us, and we usually wind up discussing them in those threads about foreign degree programs.
     
  16. SteveFoerster

    SteveFoerster Resident Gadfly Staff Member

    A number of other countries do have Associate degrees, and the UK has a two year Foundation degree. And even in countries that don't have a two year degree, saying it's the equivalent to a two year undergraduate diploma should usually lead to immediate understanding.
     
    Rich Douglas likes this.
  17. Rich Douglas

    Rich Douglas Well-Known Member

    My assertion: if one says one "has a degree in..." one is assumed to be speaking of a bachelor's degree, not an associate's.
     
  18. SteveFoerster

    SteveFoerster Resident Gadfly Staff Member

    If you want make that assumption, that's your call, but if someone says they have a degree in something and they have an Associate's or Master's degree in that thing, they're telling the truth.
     
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  19. nosborne48

    nosborne48 Well-Known Member

    Yes, they ARE telling the truth but it's a "truth requiring explanation" which is the depressing reality of all distance learning degrees. If I say, "I have an LL.M. in Tax from Taft Law School" most people won't care either way. The wider world will yawn and turn back to binge watching "Seinfeld". Those who DO know will say, "Oh, that's in California? How did you like living there?" Well, I didn't live there I did it by distance. Then the doubt creeps in.

    As to the Associates Degree in general, I have one by distance from Cleveland Institute of Electronics. I learned a great deal doing that program but a simple Diploma would have carried as much weight when I went to look for work. The local University refused me any credit at all towards a BSET. Again, one employer looked doubtful and said, oh that's correspondence, isn't it? I got the job but the credential required explanations that a resident diploma would not.

    To his credit, Dr. Levicoff actually mentioned this to me in a rather oblique fashion. I found out that he was correct.
     
  20. SteveFoerster

    SteveFoerster Resident Gadfly Staff Member

    For one thing, it hasn't been in my experience. But in this case we're not talking about distance learning degrees, we're talking about whether the Associate degree is a degree.
     

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