MORGANTOWN - As the spring semester comes to a close at West Virginia University, some students can't help but worry how a degree scandal involving Gov. Joe Manchin's daughter will reflect on their own diplomas.

"It's not nice that we have invested four years and a lot of money in this school ... to have this cloud over it," said Ahmed Mansouri, a senior studying finance in WVU's College of Business and Economics.

Mansouri, an international student from Saudi Arabia, said he chose to attend WVU for its reputation. Now he says he's concerned that WVU leaders' decision to retroactively grant Heather Bresch, a Mylan Inc. executive and the governor's daughter, a degree she didn't earn will hurt him when he applies for graduate school at other institutions.

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WVU students protest Gov. Manchin’s daughter getting a degree she didn’t earn.

Jared Newman, a sophomore business management major from Moundsville, said he is concerned that potential employers will look at his degree and think, "WVU just hands them out."

"It's pretty sad, no matter how you look at it," said Jeremy Zeiders, a junior from central Pennsylvania studying history. "It doesn't devalue my diploma, but it devalues the university."

Zeiders said the issue has been more a joke in his classes than an issue of disgrace. He said one of his professors added a "Heather Bresch question" to an exam. "[It] didn't matter if you got it right or wrong," he said, "because you'll still get credit."

Last week, a panel investigating Bresch's claim of a master's degree issued a report concluding that high-ranking administrators "cherry-picked" information and pulled courses "from thin air" to retroactively award her a degree in October.

WVU Provost Gerald Lang and College of Business and Economics Dean R. Stephen Sears resigned after the report placed much of the blame on them. They will continue to teach at WVU.

Zeiders said those resignations made sense. "Someone had to take the fall," he said. "They still have their jobs, so it doesn't really affect them except for some shame involved."

He said he sees no reason for WVU President Michael Garrison to resign, as many critics are calling for.

"I think it's fair [to ask for his resignation] if you can link him to it," he said. "There has to be evidence though."

He said many of the people calling for Garrison's resignation might still be upset over how he got the job in the first place.

"A lot of that ... is more because he's not an academic, he's more of a political appointee," Zeiders said.

MORGANTOWN - As the spring semester comes to a close at West Virginia University, some students can't help but worry how a degree scandal involving Gov. Joe Manchin's daughter will reflect on their own diplomas.

"It's not nice that we have invested four years and a lot of money in this school ... to have this cloud over it," said Ahmed Mansouri, a senior studying finance in WVU's College of Business and Economics.

Mansouri, an international student from Saudi Arabia, said he chose to attend WVU for its reputation. Now he says he's concerned that WVU leaders' decision to retroactively grant Heather Bresch, a Mylan Inc. executive and the governor's daughter, a degree she didn't earn will hurt him when he applies for graduate school at other institutions.

"We want to go to a first-tier [graduate] school, but [the scandal] is already out there," he said. "This is something that happens in Third World countries, not in the United States."

Jared Newman, a sophomore business management major from Moundsville, said he is concerned that potential employers will look at his degree and think, "WVU just hands them out."

"It's pretty sad, no matter how you look at it," said Jeremy Zeiders, a junior from central Pennsylvania studying history. "It doesn't devalue my diploma, but it devalues the university."

Zeiders said the issue has been more a joke in his classes than an issue of disgrace. He said one of his professors added a "Heather Bresch question" to an exam. "[It] didn't matter if you got it right or wrong," he said, "because you'll still get credit."

Last week, a panel investigating Bresch's claim of a master's degree issued a report concluding that high-ranking administrators "cherry-picked" information and pulled courses "from thin air" to retroactively award her a degree in October.

WVU Provost Gerald Lang and College of Business and Economics Dean R. Stephen Sears resigned after the report placed much of the blame on them. They will continue to teach at WVU.

Zeiders said those resignations made sense. "Someone had to take the fall," he said. "They still have their jobs, so it doesn't really affect them except for some shame involved."

He said he sees no reason for WVU President Michael Garrison to resign, as many critics are calling for.

"I think it's fair [to ask for his resignation] if you can link him to it," he said. "There has to be evidence though."

He said many of the people calling for Garrison's resignation might still be upset over how he got the job in the first place.

"A lot of that ... is more because he's not an academic, he's more of a political appointee," Zeiders said.

Newman disagrees. "Garrison should step down immediately," he said. "He owes the school an apology."

When asked about Bresch, some students admit they don't know who she is and haven't been following the dispute. A few even admit that they don't know who Garrison is.

Bresch is a longtime friend of Garrison. Mylan Chairman Milan Puskar is a benefactor of Manchin and donated $20 million to WVU in 2003 for its athletics department and scholarships.

The panel concluded that administrators lacked documentation to prove Bresch's claim that she substituted work experience for the final 10 credit hours of her executive master's degree in business administration. It also maintains that administrators relied too heavily on unconfirmed verbal assertions and caved to political pressure.

Sears officially submitted his letter of resignation Friday. He addressed the letter to Lang.

"I have benefited greatly from your mentoring and the financial support you have provided to the college to allow me to be as successful as one could expect being a dean at West Virginia University," Sears said in his letter of resignation. "Indeed, it has been my honor to have served under you while you have been the provost and vice president for academic affairs at West Virginia University."

Sears states in the letter that he intends to continue teaching as a tenured full professor in the Department of Finance in the business school.

Amanda Walker, a junior from Fairmont studying English and secondary education, said she approves of the resignations of Lang and Sears.

"It would have been kind of a black eye with them staying [in their positions]," she said.

She said, however, she does not believe Garrison should step down as well.

"I don't think that this is particularly his fault," she said. "Bad choices were made, but nothing was tied directly to him."

The report did not find fault with Garrison. On Monday, members of the Faculty Senate will vote on motions that call for the resignation or censure of Garrison.

Garrison has said he accepts full responsibility for the actions of his administration, but has no plans to step down.

To contact staff writer Veronica Nett, use e-mail or call 348-5113.