We previously wondered how The Star discovered that Quami Frederick used a fake degree to get into Osgoode.

Yesterday, The Star revealed how they came across the information,

Frederick’s name is on a list of bogus-degree buyers compiled by U.S. Homeland Security and Secret Service agents who took down a Washington State diploma mill in 2005.

Fine, but what if she had a more common or generic name like Jane Doe?  She probably would never have been cross-referenced to a law student in Canada.

And do we really want to rely on terrorist watchlists for law school admissions?  Privacy concerns around the admissions process are already discouraging some potential applicants.

Osgoode has proclaimed they will tighten their admissions process to ensure this doesn’t happen again.

Ontario graduates already have to go through OLSAS, which receives transcripts directly from the institutions in the province.  Foreign graduates are supposed to have their education reviewed by the World Education Services.  How Fredrick circumvented this last control is still unclear.

What this will probably mean is that foreign graduates, who comprise a small minority of law students, will come under greater scrutiny.  Those with non-traditional names will probably attract even more attention.

If minority students or those with diverse backgrounds, including educational experiences abroad, and inadvertently excluded or discouraged through the law school admissions process it would be truly unfortunate.

On the other hand, the new Osgoode admissions criteria is supposedly planned to  give greater weight personal statements, which could ensure that a rich student body is maintained.

Of greater concern are law firms like Wildeboer Dellelce, who may be reluctant to get burned a second time.  Let’s hope they continue to value the importance of diversity, in all of its forms, to the success and future of their firms.