By Shannon Gentry
The news of the Dhiyoh International School of Design website has spread like wildfire, thanks to SCAD-Atlanta’s Social Media Manager, Jason Parker. Parker posted a couple of links of the school on Twitter Jan. 24 and now SCAD students, faculty and staff are abuzz.
But are they for real? The Dhiyoh International School of Design website is almost a carbon copy of the SCAD website. When the web address loads, an extreme case of déjà vu ensues. Not only has the design of SCAD’s website been boosted, but even the content, like the mission statement, is SCAD’s. Even some of the ALT-tags, when one hovers over an image, are the same as SCAD buildings.
At first, one might think that DISD is the result of a Web prankster, or perhaps a tech-savvy student practicing his or her skills in Web design (in which case they would need to practice quite a bit more).
The degrees are diplomas, advanced diplomas and specialization in subjects that range from animation to interior and furniture design to film and television. Many of the information links and tabs either lead to the same About DISD page over and over, or to a “URL not found” message.
There is a list of 29 Faculty members, not separated by program, with a picture, description of background, and contact information. It is difficult to say if the emails and phone numbers are active because there has not yet been a response from the school. It doesn’t seem likely that a reply will be sent to District.
It also doesn’t seem likely that an accredited institution would purposefully or “accidentally” use another university’s website design, especially not copying the content, too.
“We are aware of the school in India and have already take[n] the appropriate steps to have their website removed,” said Harold Jones, SCAD’s Director of Interactive Communication.
Jones continued to say that he was “very disappointed when [he] learned about this duplication. Plagiarism is unacceptable in any way, shape, or [form]. Hopefully this will not paint a bad picture on the other fine institutions from India.”
It’s said that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, but in this case perhaps honesty is the best policy.
On Jan. 11, this story has been corrected with the following changes: Jason Parker is the Social Media Manager for SCAD. Parker’s title was previously incorrectly identified.
