Paid Impersonation

[calteacher]

Hi everyone, I'm a teacher at a private high school in California that primarily serves English language learners. My question concerns a former student who comes from a very wealthy (Chinese) background and who failed, through total lack of effort, just about every class in the two semesters he was enrolled at the school where I teach. Because he's over 18, he went ahead and enrolled at a California community college that doesn't require a high school diploma of its students. He's still friends with many of the students at my school and comes back and visits many of them on the weekends.

The rumor going around about this student -- and it's a rumor I find VERY believable -- is that he's paying someone to impersonate him at his community college. I don't mean just a test here and there; rather, the impersonator is taking all of my former student's classes in exchange for money, while my former student ends up getting the college credit. I've gone ahead and notified my dean about this rumor, and my dean has contacted the community college, and the c.c. administrator said they would investigate.

Yet I have to wonder if this should be a law enforcement issue. I've looked into laws regarding impersonation and they seem mainly to focus on misrepresenting one's identity either to lie to or pretend to be a police officer. Which is not at all what's happening here. Clearly, this situation, if I understand it correctly, is unethical, and anyone caught impersonating or paying to be impersonated would be expelled from the school -- but that seems like a pretty slight punishment for something that seems to me to be wildly unacceptable.

Your thoughts? If I've got it right, is a law being broken here? What would you recommend?

 

[FlyingRon]

This isn't a law enforcement issue. False personation is only a crime in California if you do it to the detriment of the person you're attempting to be. THat's not the case here. You can certainly report your suspicions to the administration of the school and let them deal with the academic integrity issues. This isn't too uncommon in Chinese culture, but it's doubtful what is to be gained here. An associates degree without actually learning anything isn't going to be worth much.

 

[calteacher]

In the long run, you're right, there's nothing to be gained by doing this. In the short run, he comes back to the school where I teach and the other kids talk about him like he's something to emulate. He drives a Mercedes, chain smokes, wears runway model fashion, and spends his days partying and playing (apparently). And he pays someone to take his classes so that he can stay here in America.

Which brings me to another question: if he's caught doing this -- and I suspect the school's investigation won't go anywhere (they're getting their money) -- wouldn't it violate his student visa and he'd have to return to China? Short of police getting involved, I think that's the best possible result. Is there anything anyone could do to push things in that direction?

Actually, the best possible result would be changing the law so this kind of behavior would be illegal (though it tends to be a problem more for online classes).

 

[cbg]

If you're absolutely determined to take action on this issue, then contact ICE, or whatever it is they're calling themselves this week. This will be a low priority item for them; they will investigate when it is convenient for them and not before; and they may or may not take any action (or at least, the action you seem to want them to take) and they will NOT report back to you what, if anything, they are going to do. But they, not the police, would be the appropriate agency since this is bothering you so much.

 

[Proserpina]

Oh, I can't wait for OHW to see this one.

In the words of Willam Belli .. "Let's watch!"

 

[justalayman]

For some reason it looks like you are too wrapped up in this issue. While we should all be diligent and report crimes, right now you are working on a rumor that the kid is paying a person to be a stand in for him. Even if he is, you being so concerned about the matter given your relationship with the kid, it suggests you are wanting to punish the kid more than you are concerned for the laws and systems in place.

You actuslly sound jealous as much as anything. Why mention he drives a Mercedes or wears "runway model fashion". 'clothes and parties and plays. Is there something wrong with the kid of a wealthy person driving a Mercedes Benz and wears fancy clothes?


You reported this such that the school he is attending said they will investigate. After that it's time to let this go.

 

[anearthw]

You've reported it, now time to move on. This is unfortunately not completely unheard of for extremely wealthy satellite children here from China or other places. It's about going home with an anglophone degree, regardless of cost or rules. It's unlikely this bum student ("student") will amount to much beyond warming a chair at his father's office one day, so let the notified agencies deal (or not).