Politics: Gordon gets her degree (UPDATED)
Jehan Gordon earned her bachelor’s degree. The lack of a degree (campaign literature claimed she had one) was an issue during the primary election. Still, she was elected the Democratic Party nominee to replace Aaron Schock in the Illinois House of Representatives.
Gordon is 27, which is just a bit old* to get a degree. If you graduate high school at 18 and go right off to college, you’ll get one at age 22. I was 24 was I graduated from Eastern Illinois University. Of course, I attended ICC party time for a few years and got the majority of my drinking and carousing out of the way.
Of course, I didn’t go through the ceremony shy a few credits, either. I think I still have an unpaid campus parking rocket, though. So God knows that EIU has been telling people when they call to check my credentials.
*UPDATE: I was going to ask the commenters to re-read what I wrote, because I didn’t state that she was TOO old to get a degree. Just that she is a bit older than most folks who get one.
Then I re-read what I wrote and realized I screwed up.
No, Jehan is NOT too old to get a degree. I meant to write that at age 27, she’s older than one would be who goes the traditional route and graduates college four years after graduating high school.
Folks, I’ve gone back to college for extra education TWICE since I got my BA from EIU.
My apologies.
August 19th, 2008 at 10:54 am
“The lack of a degree (campaign literature claimed she had one) was an issue during the primary election. ”
What else has she lied about?
August 19th, 2008 at 11:02 am
Hopefully, in her mind as well as the minds of voters this doesn’t wipe the slate clean for her. It doesn’t change the fact that she LIED about its existance in the first place, as well as a shoplifting arrest. Is this really the type of person we want representing us? I hope not.
August 19th, 2008 at 11:35 am
27 is too old to get a degree? Hardly. Good thing there’s not an age limit to education. What a ridiculous statement.
August 19th, 2008 at 11:52 am
Too old Billy? That is a stupid comment. I think it is never too late to learn. I was 25 when I earned my degree-with no regrets. Not everyone knows their focus right away. Hell, some people get their degree @ 40! They should be congratulated, not chastised.
August 19th, 2008 at 12:10 pm
We’re replacing that sniveling little shithead with someone who was a handful of credit hours away from a degree but said she had one, and we’re complaining? Hell, tell her to bring her friends.
August 19th, 2008 at 12:12 pm
Wait until Jenhan gets a hold of you Billy! She told me she reads your blog!
August 19th, 2008 at 12:44 pm
I was 30 when I got my Associate’s Degree and 45 when I got my Bachelor’s. It’s called going to college while working full-time and managing a home that includes a husband, three kids, and a dog.
August 19th, 2008 at 12:53 pm
Yeah, saying someone is too old for a degree makes you sound like a snobby frat boy. And no one likes frat boys, right Katie?
August 19th, 2008 at 1:11 pm
I still don’t see the relevance. At all. These days it quite rare for ANYONE to get a Bachelor’s in 4 years. I received mine at 21, my husband got his at 29. He’s had more work experience in his field and makes more $$ than I do despite getting his degree 9 years later.
August 19th, 2008 at 2:00 pm
I was in a similar situation as Gordon – one credit shy of completion due to a class scheduling snafu. Apparently this is a somewhat common thing. I already had an out-of-state job offer in hand prior to my scheduled graduation. Luckily my employer was understanding of the situation and gave me the time and resources to get that last credit worked out.
But the issue isn’t really how long it took her to complete her degree requirements, but rather whether she represented herself as a degree-holder. Given the other long-untended “messes” that only seemed to recently get cleaned up (when there was a political advantage in doing so), one has to at least take it all into consideration when evaluating this candidate.
Semi-related: Whatever happened to Alicia Butler?
August 19th, 2008 at 2:15 pm
It is frightening to realize the number of people who deem it acceptable to lie about some minor detail like a college degree. No wonder the world is going to hell in a handbasket. Those defending her (and voting for her) will deserve anything they get when it comes to representation.
Re: Alicia Butler, who made the same claims as Gordon got what she deserved. She was not re-elected.
August 19th, 2008 at 2:30 pm
No apology needed B. That’s the beauty of blogs-you can say what you want.
I enjoy the dialog.
August 19th, 2008 at 3:00 pm
Well, Anon, I’ll take lying about a minor detail over lying about a major one any day. Admit it, fix it, move on. What a concept.
August 19th, 2008 at 6:12 pm
[...] Politics: Jehan Gordon, the Democrat running for the IL-92 House seat (vacated by Aaron Schock) just got her degree from the University of Illinois. She completed a finite mathematics course to finish it [...]
August 19th, 2008 at 7:42 pm
Joan Krupa went and got hers early in life , and she has awards for all the great work she has done in our community and beyond. She is a team player and cares about all the people . My salf i can’t support a person who has lied about things, that she knew would come back to bite her in the end . If Ms. Gordon can’t take care of her personal business , that worrys me …
August 20th, 2008 at 5:51 am
just a thought: when I read Gordon’s literature and website, she had used the word “attended”. It was the radio ad that said “graduated”.
So, there is reason to believe that it was plain sloppiness rather than outright intentional dishonesty which is troubling but not as bad.
August 21st, 2008 at 10:22 am
No, postsimian, we are complaining about a young woman who commited a crime involving dishonesty, ignored it for almost 8 years, and who’s only regret according to her was, “if I’d known I was going to run for office, I’d never have stolen those bracelets”. Although she could have been charged with a felony, she received a break in the charging and wasn’t. And how did she repay that break from society? She didn’t pay her fine until she was in the middle of the campaign when the story was going to break. Had she been responsible, she’d have paid it off within the year as required. If she’d been politically astute she’d have paid it off in the summer when she first considered running for office. Instead, she waited until weeks before the election when the media was getting ready to tell the world. She was neither responsible nor astute and has no basis to represent us in Springfield except her pretty smile and vacuous references to hope and opportunity. And don’t get me started on her ignoring her traffic cases to the point where her license gets suspended. I believe in redemption, but it begins with accountability.
September 8th, 2008 at 8:53 pm
When I was very young woman, 16 years ago, poor and homeless, I made an error in judgment and was convicted of petty prostitution in an effort to survive.
God gave me a second chance and I started working in social work to help others in similar situations. I earned a community college degree and will be graduating with my 4 year degree next year, at 38.
I’ve talked to Jehan Gordon and I think she’s an awesome person who cares about the middle class and the poor. You can achieve your dreams at any age and you can overcome adversity. No one should be defined by one mistake in their youth. She seems to me to be a good educated person that will serve the people.
I’m voting for Ms. Gordon!
September 9th, 2008 at 6:43 am
“No one should be defined by one mistake in their youth. “
September 9th, 2008 at 6:43 am
*beat head against wall*
October 12th, 2008 at 8:59 pm
Well, has she gotten the degree which she said she would finish in spring 2008? Or was that a lie too?
Oh yeah, and it’s good to know that she has the ex-prostitute’s vote. That’s a ringing endorsement.