by Alan Wolfe

"There are some mistakes people can make for which 'I'm sorry' can be accepted, but this is one of those matters where the lack of integrity is sufficient all by itself." So spoke the chancellor of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Philip Clay, in response to the revelation that MIT's dean of admissions, Marilee Jones, had doctored her resume. Ms. Jones has resigned her position. I have no relationship with MIT and know none of the parties involved. Still, from what has been reported in the newspapers, it seems to me that Chancellor Clay is wrong. There is no doubt that Ms. Jones did not tell the truth; she claimed various degrees when, in reality, she had never graduated from college. But her story is human, all too human. When she applied for her first job at MIT, even though no degree was necessary, she lied. But she was good at what she did, was promoted over the years, became something of a national celebrity, and could not find the courage, many years after the fact, to admit her initial indiscretion. As sin goes, this seems a minor one to me. "I'm sorry" ought to be enough, especially when so many of our leaders, who have so much to be sorry about, express sorrow, not to be judged, but to avoid judgment. MIT could have done the whole nation a service by responding in a balanced and measured way to Marilee Jones. We are as a country too much given to the absurd idea of zero tolerance. Being able to distinguish between mistakes that are forgivable and those that are not is a sign of effective leadership. Only if we are able to pass over those that are not very important will we be in a position to condemn those that really matter.