Life is about the moments we fucked up and here is mine.
As I was immediately awoken by a voice of someone who seemed to be using a microphone, so when ı woke up and found out that the screen behind the speaker was broadcasting my face and that did nothing but prove that I was panicking.
After a few seconds of disorientation and my brain recalibrating I remembered that today my professor was doing a thesis presentation and the speaker on the stage was him, and it seemed that he was very angry that someone fell asleep in his presentation, when respected professors and other people with power in the industry were listening to him.
The professor looked at me and I knew that look. it was a look of wanting to humiliate the person who irked or angered him and damn right I was because a few second later he called me and said “Sir since you are capable sleeping it means that you are knowledgeable about this topic and doesn’t need to listen from me. So, why don’t you explain this part”
‘I’m fucked’ that’s what I thought. But since I can’t escape it, I better try my best and survive I’m fucked anyway so what’s there to fear.
…..
Professor Rotem was fuming with anger when he found out one of the attendees had fallen asleep on a day where he was about to leave a mark in the history of the tech industry.
When he looked carefully, he remembered that he was one of those poor students that attends one of his classes, he remembered them because he chose to accept them for the sake of raising his reputation in a positive manner.
So, he decided to teach him a lesson today and show him his place since the kid decided to sleep on his presentation day, he was sure it wouldn’t harm him in any way since he was going to have the best reputation you can have for those in tech community due to his thesis that he was presenting.
“Can you stand up…. you…. yes, the one who was sleeping… Stand-up” he decided to emphasise him being sleeping so that even in the future when people revisit this history making moment, they will know the reason why he decided to humiliate the person, since he was sleeping in a history making moment, they will side with him anyway because people usually follows the successful one meaning his reputation won’t be harmed in any way or it might even increase as it might seem that he was also a hater of lazy people or something. Whatever!!!
As the professor looked at the currently still disoriented student of his he decided to add to his misery by having him answer a question that was the main anchor of today’s thesis presentation
“Since you are capable of sleeping it means you know more than all of us here care to explain this part” he said pointing to the hardest part of the presentation smugly waiting for his student that he didn’t care enough to know his name.
While he was waiting for the student to embarrass himself, he heard something he never expected to hear today “There is a mistake there”
“WHAT!!!” he was surprised to hear that, but he calmed down after remembering that the one who said that was still a student and one that was asleep until a few minutes prior.
“It seems you are still a sleep so sit down” he decided to make him seat, so he doesn’t embarrass him and put a stain on his historic moment, but the student didn’t sit and continued talking “No sir there really is a mistake…” and continued explaining where the mistakes were.
The professor was horrified by the student’s explanation as he sees his reputation falling by the seconds because the mistake was pretty obvious, but the reason most people missed it was because they didn’t expect that obvious mistake from a professor of his reputation.
….
“TAKE HIM OUT” the professor shouted at the security to remove me from the conference, but this did nothing other than cause a commotion in the conference room as the people didn’t expect that the mistake really passed that many people during the review to the point of it being approved for presentation.
The reason most of it was missed was because the professor’s family was powerful and when I say powerful, I mean it because the professors full name is Eli Yehudah Rotem Rothschild, but I didn’t know it at that time.
Since I haven’t come to myself and continued mumbling, as I didn’t know that my normal life ended the moment I started talking.
My mumbling stopped because I was tackled and carried out by a group of the security guards, and it was at this moment that I knew, I FUCKED UP
……
Two weeks have passed since that day and the professor has taken a month leave to recuperate emotionally from stress, but I wasn’t allowed any of that as I was not a professor, so I continued attending university a normal student in his last year who has only about three weeks to graduation.
I was at the campus today in order to hand in my graduation thesis for me to be able to graduate, since we have already completed all the exams and the results are out, the only thing between me and my graduation is the thesis that I’m on my way to hand in.
……
After handing in the thesis and heading home for the day, since I had to wait for the review to be completed and be given an appointment for me defend my thesis, I had nothing to do most of the time.
….
A week after handing in the report I received an email from the university. At first, I thought it was just an email about the date for my thesis defense but when I opened, I was met with a surprise I didn’t expect at all it was an email from the…
[
Subject: Disciplinary Committee Meeting Invitation – Accusation of Thesis Theft & plagiarizing
Dear Aron,
I am writing to inform you that a disciplinary committee meeting has been scheduled to discuss the serious allegations of thesis theft that have been brought against you. The meeting will take place on May 12, 2013, at 10:45 in faculty of engineering building.
The allegations of theft are a very serious matter, and we take them very seriously. As a member of our academic community, it is expected that you maintain the highest standards of academic integrity. We understand that this may be a difficult time for you, but it is important that you cooperate with the investigation to help us reach a fair and just outcome.
At the disciplinary committee meeting, you will have the opportunity to present your side of the story and respond to the allegations that have been made against you. We ask that you attend the meeting on time and be prepared to provide any information or evidence that you believe may be relevant to the case.
Please note that if you fail to attend the disciplinary committee meeting, a decision may still be reached based on the evidence presented to the committee. We strongly advise that you attend the meeting to avoid any adverse consequences.
If you have any questions or concerns about the disciplinary committee meeting or the allegations that have been made against you, please do not hesitate to reach out to us. We are here to support you and help you navigate this process.
Best regards,
[Julyan Lenny]
[Disciplinary committee]
[University of Columbia]
]
I was horrified rather than startled because I know what this is not true because is used five different thesis checker programs and he found nothing in a semblance similar to his thesis. So, he knows this must be a mistake or a conspiracy else I’m very much fucked.
…..
I wrote a reply to inform them that there might be a mistake but is seems it is not. so, I prepared myself for the discipline committee meeting in four days.
When the day came, I attended the meeting location and found four professors that were waiting for me to start and after my arrival they immediately started.
The meeting was skewed in a very clear direction even when I defended myself it seems like it was entering an ear and leaving the other one without being understood or trying to.
By the 45’th minute it became clear to me that the outcome was predetermined before we even began.
The meeting continued but since they continued with their accusation without acknowledging his evidence due to them having their own.
But what is strange is that they really had evidence with dates dating to seven years ago among the thesis’s they accused me of plagiarising and some of them were more recent, but I was pretty sure that these thesis’s didn’t exist until few days ago. So, how did they find the evidence that said I plagiarised them when they didn’t even exist.
It seems I have been targeted by someone. Though I don’t know who, but I do have some suspicion, but I can’t be sure since I have no evidence.
After the committee meeting ended, they informed me that their decision will be announced in 3 days and that I should wait for it.
I left for the dormitory to rest but I felt sad due to what was happening to me, but I had to wait for the conclusion of the committee before I decide to do anything.
…..
It was a warm spring day, and the campus of Columbia University was alive with excitement. Families and friends had gathered to celebrate the graduation of the Class of 2010 that’s graduating in 2013, and among the sea of gowns and hats was Aron, a young man brimming with anger, sadness and disappointment.
As he took his place among the crowd and looking at his friends in gown and hats, Aron couldn’t help but reflect on the journey that had brought him to this moment. It had been four years since he first stepped foot on campus, filled with hope and determination to make the most of his university experience. And now, here he was, on the brink of a new chapter in his life, with an expulsion notice in hand and the brutal world waiting for him.
Aron couldn’t help but shake in anger when he remembered how he was denied graduation on the day of graduation since they kept postponing the announcement of their decision. until the day before the graduation day only then was he informed by his professor of their decision.
And the decision was damn fucked up. It was his first time seeing someone get expelled by email. Like what the fuck? EMAIL!!!!
The reason they gave him was blatant use of plagiarism material without citing them as sources, like WHAT THE FUCK. How am I supposed to know that I have plagiarised something without knowing it existed even after using 5 theses checking programs and found nothing like my thesis.
But what was weird is how did they even find that much information in that short period of time. It seems like someone is trying to fuck up my already difficult life but who would want to do that to me?