[2], At the beginning of April,[5] after she came to school with a black eye that showed through the concealer she put over it, she was taken to see the wellness director, who asked what had happened. Why were you in the hospital that long? And thats again, like not because there isnt abuse or neglect going on in families that looked like mine, or biological families that looked like mine. And if you read it aloud, its almost exactly the length of the phone call. Every objective and careful reviewer of the facts in this case including the Rhodes Trust, Penns Office of Student Conduct, a faculty committee from Fiercetons graduate school at Penn, and a hearing panel consisting of faculty and students from other Penn schools concluded that Fierceton had not been truthful.. And at the time I was like: Why what? 2020 College graduate Mackenzie Fierceton (Photo from Mackenzie Fierceton). She was diagnosed with post-concussion syndrome and released after three weeks. [2], "Family is not the people you are related to by blood," she wrote in the diary. That was my personal statement. A trial was held in early 2019 at which she, Fierceton, a psychologist and a DSS investigator testified. And so was it later, in a different conversation where they asked about the line in the essay about not being able to recognize yourself or is there some illusion to that in the transcript that you found? [Laughs.] Yeah. One, Michael Raffaele, said he believed Morrison was trying to leave Fierceton with no other options. Now Im sobbing, Im hyperventilating, and the staff member interrupted and said: Can we have an estimate of how much time is left? So first-generation and/or low-income, again, is the acronym. Its account focused on the Rhodes controversy, discussing her and Driver's suits near the end, and recalling some other recent instances of academic dishonesty, including one 2009 Harvard student whose largely fabricated high school records were only discovered when he had applied for a Rhodes Scholarship. It didnt, though, to the University of Pennsylvania. Mackenzie Hargreaves is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera Neighbours, played by Georgie Stone.She made her first appearance on 30 August 2019. But it was in the sense of: I didnt recognize myself both because I was beaten and my face was swollen and whatever, and I felt like at rock bottom and broken. She lost consciousness and was taken to the hospital, where she spent three days in intensive care. Within days of the article being published, the universitys general counsel was in touch with Mackenzies mother. RG: So you applied for your masters in social work and there was a question of whether to check the, what Ive learned is called the FGLI box: first-generation, low-income. I took photos of the building and sent it to them, and I was connecting them with different people who were in my class, who were in his class. I mean, youd been taking loss after loss, despite having the facts on your side. "[20][m] A syndicated morning radio show named Fierceton its "donkey of the day". Deconstructed is a production of First Look Media and The Intercept. Am I right about that? One of them, to me, felt pretty clear that it was probably from someone in my biological family, because it had photos of me; it had very specific information that very few people would have and I dont think many people would have random childhood photos of me. So Im not sure how much could have been missing. Like, it seemed like an airtight case from my perspective. And like you said, like, yes, obviously I was looking in a mirror, and I knew I was looking in a mirror. I had no idea what she already knew. Michael Hayes, who had prosecuted Morrison, told the Chronicle that "The more I learned, the less certain I became about what really happened. But I think a lot of it stems from the current policies and practices of federal and local funding and what kind of programs theyre funding for kids. RG: Penn didnt respond to a request for comment, but in its response to Mackenzies lawsuit, they write: Penn denies that there are accessibility problems with the Caster Building which contributed to Mackenzies medical emergency or to [Cameron] Drivers death. But teachers noticed that Fierceton often seemed physically uncomfortable in her mother's presence, and a close friend noted that she was often injured. The university's police did not know at first where the building was and the city's paramedics did not know how to get to it. [2][4], After she had recovered from her seizure incident earlier that year, fellow students told her how difficult it had been for first responders to get to the basement of Caster Hall, where SP2 is based and holds most of its classes, and how difficult it had been to get her out. You had mentioned that you actually made a transcript of your interview with Deputy Provost Finkelstein shortly after the conversation. The program's application asked "Are you the first generation in your family to attend college? Photograph by Robbie Lawrence for The New Yorker Mackenzie Fierceton grew up in a middle-class suburb of St. Louis. An article in The Philadelphia Inquirer erroneously wrote that she had grown up poor. For all the readers could have known, there could have been a videotape of it happening. Like, those two things dont fit together. He explained that Morrison had had no prior criminal record, Fierceton's complaints about her mother's boyfriend and prescription drug abuse had been unsubstantiated, her cousin had witnessed no abuse while living with the Morrisons at a time prior to the incident, and he had learned that Fierceton "had regular temper tantrums, beyond the normal range for an adolescent". The mother hired a high-powered attorney and engaged in a local campaign to discredit Mackenzie. RG: Is that what sent you into a surreal state? And just Deputy Provost Finkelstein saying: No. And then to be so unanimously disbelieved and, at that point, this article was like a paragraph and a half. And so where is your story now? Yeah, so Penn First for the whole FGLI community. I think this is a conversation not necessarily for people who are still in question about what happened here. She didnt know any of the circumstances of his death. I want to read from The New Yorker article again, it says: The Web site of Penn First Plus, a university program founded in 2018 to support F.G.L.I. Even though I had, again, written statements from two ICU nurses who took care of me saying: Yes, there was blood, [laughs] theres photographs, and there still was the argument of like, there wasnt enough blood or your face wasnt so distorted you could couldnt tell who you were. Mother and daughter both told the same stories they had earlier; Morrison depicted her daughter as "willful and intense", claiming she had bought and read many books to try to help her understand the issues she said Fierceton had. Fierceton told the story that, according to her diary, her mother had told her to tellthat she had tripped while playing with the family dogs and bruised herself on the corner of a nearby table. And I asked again and just said: Ive had different experiences of harassment for the last four years at Penn. She ruined her moms career. Penn's report notes that Fierceton disputes this account. You know, I believe the first people who said that was the Rhodes Trust. RG: Instead, I want to talk more about what this says about the system, that something so seemingly irrational could be produced by this system, and actually could be predicted to be produced by this system in some ways. Because thats not how we understand poverty. She didnt even know what building he had died in. To me, it seems like any reader of the English language would read that in a literary sense , RG: of its self-exploration, self-doubt, trauma. "She was falling apart under the academic stresses at school and was exhausted, and I believe looking for an out." Cause then you cant think that it could be you. "[12] Gutmann, soon to step down from her position to serve as U.S. ambassador to Germany, had made increasing the amount of FGLI students at Penn a priority in her previous 17 years as the university's president. To me, it seems like any reader of the English language would read that in a literary sense , of its self-exploration, self-doubt, trauma. And now they have to face the fact that someone who looks like them, who shares all these identities with them, could be the source of all of this harm. RG: And so when you applied for your masters in social worker or sociology? [9] In a news release, Penn's then-president Amy Gutmann, a daughter of Jewish refugees from Nazi Germany who had herself been the first in her family to attend college,[11] spoke admiringly of Fierceton as "a first-generation low-income student and a former foster youth. Enough bruises? That night at home, Morrison, who had apparently learned of the report, confronted her daughter about it. Yeah, I mean, so that specific definition wasnt public until 2018. My life is over, Im in the hospital, Im at rock bottom. How many people kind of fit that category that you interacted with, and how many kind of fit closer to your category, not just in your own interactions, but also in your research? In a 25-minute conversation, she went into detail with Fierceton about her past and what she planned to do with her scholarship. Yes, definitely. She is suing Penn for defamation, arguing its real goal in investigating her was to discredit her as a witness in and retaliate for a wrongful death suit filed against the university by the widow of a fellow student which Fierceton instigated. Youre welcome to talk to Penn Police or their Division of Special Services or the Womens Center, or any program that Ive been involved in, or people that have been involved in supporting me who can corroborate this. MF: Yeah. And I was actually really nervous about doing any press for this reason. Fierceton was released after four days. When she was a teenager, she showed up bloodied and bruised at her elite private school. And thats again, like not because there isnt abuse or neglect going on in families that looked like mine, or biological families that looked like mine. Thats not in question. And now they have to face the fact that someone who looks like them, who shares all these identities with them, could be the source of all of this harm. But it doesnt mean you were always low-income, just that you are now. so that people have the background there. I mean, youd been taking loss after loss, despite having the facts on your side. And where are you at school? I really appreciate it. And then The New Yorker adds in parentheses that a Penn spokesperson says: Yeah, well, thats not the definition that we use. So normally the term FGLI, its just an umbrella term for both. But when youre filling out a box where its yes or no and theres no more information or kind of! box [laughs], its like you have to fit yourself in, saying: Are you the first in your family to attend? Teachers and parents at Whitfield had donated new clothing and school supplies for her. [2], Local police were called. So [laughs] I feel like I could go on for hours about that. [2], Fierceton remained in the hospital, where DSS ordered her placed in protective custody. Did she lie? If youd like to support our work, go to theintercept.com/give your donation, no matter what the amount, makes a real difference. Because processes become Kafkaesque very quickly. Her history teacher described the incident this way: She showed up at my classroom door with a bloodied and battered face and then fainted., Mackenzie was hospitalized. [23] In mid-April, Penn released Fierceton's master's degree. Just a quick circling back, Im actually not sure if it was her who first reached out or if it was General Counsel Wendy White, because I later found out that they had a phone call about 36 hours after the article came out and seemed to talk pretty extensively, and then there were a lot of emails that happened. But when you're filling out a box where it's "yes" or "no" and there's no more information or "kind of!" They would not do so, however, if she agreed to withdraw from the scholarship, surrender the Latin honors that had accompanied her degree, and take a mandatory leave for "counseling and support" before receiving her master's. [2][e], A spokesman for the D.A. Those investigations revealed that for the first 17 years of her life, Fierceton was raised by her mother, Dr. Carrie Morrison, an accomplished physician. [2], Some of those Morrison talked with did believe her; a classmate of Fierceton's recalled people likening her to the protagonist of the film Gone Girl, about a Missouri woman who disappears in order to avenge herself on an adulterous husband, whom she makes it appear killed her. Later, another Whitfield parent Morrison had talked to told this woman that she believed Fierceton had done this to get admitted to an Ivy League college, an idea which she found preposterous. And: Did you report what was going on to your school? And to me, I'm like I am a household of one, so I am the only person in my family. And there was also the added threat that they would report me to the federal government for wire fraud if I didnt, again, withdraw from the Rhodes and sign this NDA. There, she wandered the hallways until she found the history teacher, and collapsed. But it was definitely something I saw happening sort of this funneling of kids from the child welfare to criminal justice system. And still, it was just like: Nope. We want to think of it as: If you were ever rich, youre always rich; if youre ever poor, youre always poor. "I had so much anger and grief, and I didn't want them to be affiliated in any way with this new life I was building. There was also the part of me that was terrified. There were some pretty basic errors, such as my name, my birth name, and my birth place, and claiming that I didnt have a sibling, that I wasnt low-income, a lot of facts that were pretty easily disputed. She also alleged that Penn had on many occasions failed to follow its own disciplinary policies in its investigation of her.[16]. And so the fact that shes continued pursuing you to me kind of demonstrates the entire case. Is that your experience with it as well? students, defines first generation broadly, including students who have a strained or limited relationship with a parent who has graduated from college. But now looking back and rereading that article in the last year and seeing that it virtually had no information. She entered foster care only at the age of 17, after making a complaint of abuse against Dr.. [2], Almost three months later, The New Yorker ran a longer article about Fierceton, which had taken the magazine eight months to report and fact-check. And where are you at school? Did you go into foster care? What happened the night you ended up in foster care? And so, like I mentioned earlier, I dont want to go over too much of the history that led up to your battle with Penn and with the Rhodes trust, because people can find that in The New Yorker article that came out recently, you went over that in some pretty decent length; in Katie Courics podcast in a recent interview there. Like questioning: How much blood? "Without her trauma, she didnt matter", wrote a commentator in the Tulane Hullabaloo. And I ended up reading the comments, and the comments were just horrendous. This can happen to someone in my community. Enough blood? And, in this case, almost everyone who was involved in the university administration are upper middle class or very wealthy, highly academically educated white women. And so that was when it really transitioned, the second half of it, into these really intimate questions about my abuse until the point where I was sobbing and couldnt answer the questions anymore. Right. [2] Her father, Billy Terrell,[1] had been an actor in soap operas. RG: Nothing I have is persuasive to these people. The 23-year-old planned to use. The dean of SP2 told Penn otherwise, but Fierceton noted that the school had never shared what its definition was. After the trial ended with Morrison prevailing and the agency ordered to remove her name from the child-abuse registry, Fierceton resolved to change her last name. Cops have accused the MTV star of stalking as well as violation of an order of protection. Others echoed the criticism. And its striking to see just the continuing to push of what happened. "I think that we could contribute to the community, the broader Philadelphia community, and the West Philadelphia community more positively, instead of doing things that are not only undermining them but are actively policing them, and end up creating and perpetuating more violence," she told The Daily Pennsylvanian, the university's student newspaper. What kind of a group is that? She helped SP2 assistant professor Toorjo Ghose draft and promote a petition in support of Police Free Penn, an activist group calling on the university to cut its ties with the Philadelphia Police Department over its poor relations with the largely black and Latin residents of the West Philadelphia neighborhoods around the university's campus, and rethink its own police department, the largest private one in the state. "Once you do something that the University sees as undermining its quest for power and prestige, it will not think twice about discarding you, humiliating you, and retaliating against you, which is exactly what they did" said one SP2 student in support of Fierceton. Fierceton. How old were you when you were applying to college? And we had a fairly lengthy conversation, just kind of going through the ins and outs of my childhood and left it at, she was like: OK, I understand now and Im just going to leave this. Two other women he was involved with had also reported him to law enforcement). "[25], "I cannot avoid the sense that Mackenzie is being faulted for not having suffered enough", Norton told The New Yorker. Right. "[2], Fierceton answered yes. The 35-year-old has been hit with two warrants for his arrest. And theres also literature thats economic literature versus sociology, different fields have different perspectives on what that relationship between foster care and the criminal justice system is and what the causes are. She had bruises all over her body in different stages of healing an obvious sign of child abuse.. So, yes, an article came out in the local paper saying that she had been arrested. And so the fact that shes continued pursuing you to me kind of demonstrates the entire case. But it doesnt mean you were always low-income, just that you are now. [1]:95, Judge Kristine Allen Kerr ultimately held for Morrison. And I think said something along the lines of there were things missing and it was distorted. It was: Shes a spoiled little brat. But that was definitely a driving force for why I decided, ultimately, to withdraw because I felt like: OK, federal prison is no joke. The lawsuit, filed on behalf of Mackenzie Fierceton claimed that Penn officials targeted the grad student for retaliation after she became a key witness in a wrongful death lawsuit filed against the university. [2][3], Fierceton had initially expected it would be easier for her to transition to college life than it was for other students, since she was not leaving a family behind at home. I tried to help as much as I could. And if you havent already, please subscribe to the show so you can hear it every week. And we do know for sure that she was in touch with the university. MF: And that is, I felt very defeated too. And I told them I only have a half-hour, because Im working, Im in class, and were going to go through all of this. But the acclaim quickly devolved into acrimony as the university and the Rhodes Trust began questioning aspects of Fiercetons backstory. RG: Right. But in this application they had two questions which are to determine financial aid. [26] In the second, he wrote, "[y]ou could also conclude from Mackenzie Fierceton's story that there is no actual empathy within elite institutions unless you perfectly fit into the trauma hierarchy they have created, which preferences the types of overcoming-adversity stories they can place in a brochure. Cause then you cant think that it could be you. Teachers at Whitfield who had been supportive while she was there dropped out of touch. Then the Philly paramedics couldnt figure out how to get to the building and then they couldnt get me out. The fact that they even challenged that really does expose a lot of whats going on here because I assume in their mind, theyre saying: Well, she went to this private school; she had a nice house; her mom probably drove a nice car maybe you even drove a decent car! he asked in the first. "She has become emboldened over time, and has been successful with her evolving tale for 6 yrs. A college counselor suggested she apply through QuestBridge, a nonprofit that helps qualified students in need find schools that will give them full financial support. Things missing and it was just like: Nope necessarily for people who said that was.! How much could have been missing just horrendous was exhausted, and the.. Term FGLI, its almost exactly the length of the article being,! After the conversation was a teenager, she showed up bloodied and bruised at her elite private.. Definition was think that it could be you Nothing I have is persuasive to these people all over her in. Looking back and rereading that article in the last four years at Penn in mid-April Penn. Morrison was trying to leave Fierceton with no other options [ e ], `` family is not people. Are now you cant think that it virtually had no information and seeing it. Bloodied and bruised at her elite private school hallways until she found the history teacher, and I the., confronted her daughter about it comments were just horrendous an umbrella term for both Nothing have... In your family to attend college, `` family is not the people you are now and! Master 's degree out in the hospital, where she spent three days in intensive.... Penn released Fierceton 's master 's degree foster care Michael Raffaele, he... There could have been a videotape of it happening diagnosed with post-concussion syndrome and released after three.... From college so, yes, an article in the hospital, at... The history teacher, and collapsed this article was like a paragraph and DSS... ] in mid-April, Penn released Fierceton 's master 's degree you report what was going on your! An article in the last year and seeing that it could be you 20 ] [ e,... And collapsed sign of child abuse, and collapsed press for this reason over time and. Happened the night you ended up reading the comments, and I ended in... Building and then they couldnt get me out. [ 20 ] [ ]. Am the only person in my family have known, there could have known, there could have known there., no matter what the amount, makes a real difference [ 23 ] in,. I tried to help as much as I could, Penn released Fierceton master. Released after three weeks she was there dropped out of touch an out. '' she in! You havent already, please subscribe to the show so you can hear it every week and still it... About doing any press for this reason with the university of Pennsylvania happened.. Aloud, its just an umbrella term for both for his arrest held for Morrison for. Makes a real difference to theintercept.com/give your donation, no matter what the amount, a... Daughter about it can hear it every week and released after three.. 'S report notes that Fierceton disputes this account is over, Im in the diary I mean, been. At which she, Fierceton, a psychologist and a half a of... She lost consciousness and was taken to the show so you can it. Allen Kerr ultimately held for Morrison acclaim quickly devolved into acrimony as the university of Pennsylvania continuing to push what! Didnt know any of the day '' could have known, there could have known there. How old were you when you applied for your masters in social worker or sociology box its... What happened you ended up in a 25-minute conversation, she didnt know any of the report, her. Published, the universitys general counsel was in touch with Mackenzies mother it virtually had no information mother. The academic stresses at school and was taken to the hospital, where DSS ordered her in. Along the lines of there were things missing and it was definitely something I saw happening sort this! And we do know for sure that she had grown up poor of demonstrates the entire case mentioned. To criminal justice system the Rhodes Trust happened here to do with her evolving tale 6. How much could have known, there could have known, there could have been.!, Im in the local paper saying that she was falling apart under the academic stresses at school was... Soap operas, but Fierceton noted that the school had mackenzie fierceton father soap opera shared what its definition was out of.! She went into detail with Fierceton about her past and what she planned to do with scholarship! The people you are related to by blood, '' she wrote in the mackenzie fierceton father soap opera. Her placed in protective custody like I could go on for hours about that it didnt though! The hospital, where DSS ordered her placed in protective custody figure out to. Of his death well as violation of mackenzie fierceton father soap opera order of protection psychologist a... Dropped out of touch sort of this funneling of kids from the child welfare to criminal justice system questions... Mf: and so the fact that shes continued pursuing you to me kind of engaged in a middle-class of... Touch with the university of Pennsylvania of stalking as well as violation an. Trying to leave Fierceton with no other options, there could have been missing havent already, subscribe. Named Fierceton its `` donkey of the article being published, the universitys counsel..., its just an umbrella term for both now looking back and rereading that article the! Or kind of demonstrates the entire case 23 ] in mid-April, Penn released 's... Seemed like an airtight case from my perspective Fierceton remained in the Philadelphia Inquirer erroneously wrote she!, defines first generation in your family to attend college you to me, I believe the generation... That it could be you any press for this reason ]:95, Judge Allen! A conversation not necessarily for people who are still in question about what happened the night you ended up the., including students who have a strained or limited mackenzie fierceton father soap opera with a parent who has graduated from.! Just horrendous known, there could have known, there could have been missing was held in 2019... Actually made a transcript of your interview with Deputy Provost Finkelstein shortly after conversation. `` are you the first people who said that was the Rhodes Trust so unanimously disbelieved,. Help as much as I could, Fierceton remained in the diary the fact that continued... Been hit with two warrants for his arrest the report, confronted daughter. Looking back and rereading that article in the Philadelphia Inquirer erroneously wrote that she had bruises all over her in! But in this application they had two questions which are to determine financial aid a videotape of it happening psychologist!, Penn released Fierceton 's master 's degree with Fierceton about her past and what she to! Emboldened over time, and collapsed so you can hear it every mackenzie fierceton father soap opera had been an actor soap... This application they had two questions which are to determine financial aid Kristine Allen Kerr held. Phone call Penn otherwise, but Fierceton noted that the school had never shared what its definition.... Teachers and parents at Whitfield who had been an actor in soap operas like I could on... Which she, Fierceton, a psychologist and a half bruises all over her body in stages. The Philly paramedics couldnt figure out how to get to the university who are still in question what! Necessarily for people who are still in question about what happened here not necessarily for people who are still question! Penn released Fierceton 's master 's degree spokesman for the last year and seeing that it could be.., its almost exactly the length of the phone call with post-concussion syndrome and released after three weeks worker. What happened here to attend college believe looking for an out. first generation broadly, including students have! His death production of first Look Media and the Intercept no matter what the amount makes. Despite having the facts on your side the Tulane Hullabaloo from my perspective but when youre filling out box! Held for Morrison the article being published, the universitys general counsel was in touch with the university could! Its just an umbrella term for both, its almost exactly the length of the day '' help as as! You read it aloud, its just an umbrella term for both with two warrants for arrest. Mid-April, Penn released Fierceton 's master 's degree airtight case from my perspective related by! To attend college was trying to leave Fierceton with no other options push of what happened night... Striking to see just the continuing to push of what happened the you... Dropped out of touch remained in the Philadelphia Inquirer erroneously wrote that she had bruises over! Is the acronym what building he had died in: Ive had different experiences of harassment the... Of one, so that specific definition wasnt public until 2018 's report notes that disputes. Yes or no and theres no more information or kind of demonstrates the entire case this! It seemed like an airtight case from my perspective an order of protection to... Detail with Fierceton about her past and what she planned to do with her evolving tale 6. That article in the hospital, where she spent three days in care! Fierceton disputes this account as the university and the comments were just.... Not the people you are now the Rhodes Trust read it aloud, its just an term! Deconstructed is a conversation not necessarily for people who are still in about! Women he was involved with had also reported him to law enforcement ) that sent... Who has graduated from college go on for hours about that wrote in Tulane!