Want to go to Med school in Florida? Donate to a Republican: no test required!

[Sancho]

http://www.gainesvillesun.com/article/20080410/NEWS/804100319/1007/NEWS

Apr 10, 2008
Med student lacked MCAT, committee members say

By JACK STRIPLING
Sun staff writer

A student admitted to the University of Florida's College of Medicine by its dean, over the objections of the college's selection committee, had not taken a required admissions examination, according to committee members.

When the committee considered the 2008 application of Benjamin Mendelsohn, the son of a prominent Republican fundraiser and contributor, Mendelsohn had not taken the Medical College Admissions Test, or MCAT, according to three members of the selection committee and two other sources close to the situation. The MCAT is a standard admissions requirement for regular admission to the program, selection committee members said.

The sources who spoke with The Sun did so on condition of anonymity, citing concerns about discussing confidential student information.

"There were portions of the application that were unacceptable," said a fourth member of the selection committee, who also asked for anonymity because of confidentiality concerns.

-------snip------

According to one search committee member, Mendelsohn did not complete a secondary application through the service that UF requires before admission. Another member characterized it this way: "He never took the MCAT and did not apply through AMCAS by the usual deadline - instead, he applied by special permission, given by Dr. Kone, in February."

UF requires that all materials be submitted by Jan. 15, according to the university's Web site.

"Incomplete files will be canceled from further consideration," the Web site states. "No application materials will be accepted after this date and there are no extensions of the deadline."

UF officials would not respond specifically when asked if deadlines could ever be extended under any circumstances, only saying the dean controls admissions.

[DAGDA56]

1. Damn...as a UF Alum, I find this really embarrassing.

Almost as bad as the "don't tase me Bro" incident.

[bluevoter4life]

2. I am a die-hard Gator hater

But even I expected more from the state of Florida's top university. This is just disgraceful and embarrassing to Floridians and Gators all over.

[The Backlash Cometh]

3. Maybe everyone is finally catching on that this is a way of life in Florida.

These shameless abuses of position are standard in Florida. It's so blatant, and anyone who speaks up against them, is targeted. If they can reward, they can also punish.

[peace frog]

4. Amen to that

I read a quote recently: "What's going on in Florida today is the future of the rest of the states" - and I agree. The Florida Democratic party is so thoroughly infiltrated by Repukes in Dem disguise that we have little hope of reclaimimg Florida in the forseeable future.

[The Backlash Cometh]

5. Not Repukes, per se, but opportunists.

They are connected by business ties, Republicans and Democrats, and I know of one instance where both were involved in the construction of a development which involved a retention pond which failed miserably within the first two years and they resolved it by passing the obligation and costs onto the homeowners. Why the SJR Water Management partook in this deceit, is beyond me, but so goeth the politics of Florida.

And the reason why these crookeries continue is very simple. Because political connections are protecting the culprits, who are in essence, selling a service. They take up important positions in government and facilitate access to cronies in the private sector. They ignore the bidding process or encourage practices that lower the standards meant to safeguard against abuses. For instance, they skirt the minimum requirements for construction by lowering the minimum, then create a two tier system, one for the private cronies who are then allowed to build communities on the cheap, the other for public construction (especially important if there's federal dollars involved.) I obviously ask, when did homeowners who move into these sub-par private communities, stop being members of the public and deserving of less protection? And isn't this two tier system an infraction of the Fourteenth Amendment?

Spotting the activities of good ole boys is possible. It's like following an elephant stampede two days after it happened. Some you can follow their treks in the last two decades as they hop skipped from Brevard to Lake to Seminole to Orange. If they get caught doing something terrible, they pass it off as "sloppiness" and then they're off to the next county with an assignment that allows them to lobby for cronies in the last county. And this is very important, because what they are doing, even if they claim that the person they're bringing in to do the job is highly qualified, is that they're spreading hush money. That's how it plays out. Who is going to take down someone who has a history of hop-skipping all over Florida, continually doing reckless things, or who is willing to take the blame for reckless things that occurred in the county, and has the political connections to move on to the next big public position with just a slap on the wrist? That's power. And over scotches and leaning over billiard tables in private game rooms, they just laugh off what they've managed to get away with. I don't for one minute believe that they have any respect for the public.

The person that can get away with these things, is the hen that lays the golden egg. It's also the reason why Florida will and shall remain corrupt and communities will always be left rocking with distrust issues in their wake. And that's why Florida shouldn't lead in anything, because this example is terrible if we're really trying to cultivate good honest citizens. No one stays honest for long under this system. But maybe I'm the one who doesn't get it, and maybe dishonest merchants is precisely what we're trying to cultivate in Florida?