Yale Daily News on Aleksey Vayner's "charity subterfuge"

This morning's Yale Daily News has an article on Aleksey Vayner which starts off talking about the questionalble claims made on his "fake charity" site called "Youth Empowerment Strategies".  But the most interestesting parts of the story are the tidbits from fellow Yalies on his ability to spin tall tales:

Some Yalies said they think Vayner's attempts to pass himself off as someone he is not are reprehensible, but others said they think the outrage over the resume and fabricated charity is unwarranted.

Daniella Berman '07, who knows Vayner through the Yale Ballroom Dance Team, said she has heard "outlandish" stories about Vayner both from him and from other students. Among the claims she said she has heard is one that Vayner is one of four people in the state of Connecticut qualified to handle nuclear waste.

Berman said that while she thinks that kind of claim is fairly harmless, she thinks Vayner crossed a line by misrepresenting himself to a potential employer.

Nuclear waste?  HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

A video made by a senior in Calhoun College as part of an investment banking application has flown around the Internet in recent days, at the same time that he has come under scrutiny for creating a fraudulent charity, the IvyGate blog reported this week.

Aleksey Vayner '07 featured an unapproved "Charity Navigator Four Star Charity" icon on the Web site of his fake charity Youth Empowerment Strategies, Leonie Giles, a program analyst at Charity Navigator, told IvyGate. Charity Navigator certifies the legitimacy of nonprofit groups. Vayner also included a reference to the fabricated charity in a resume he submitted to several investment banking firms, including UBS.....

"There is a big difference between stretching the truth to show yourself in the best possible light, which I think a lot of Yalies are guilty of and [Undergraduate Career Services] even tells you to do, and on the other hand, doing something so extreme that you're manipulating other people," she said. "With the lies, I can understand that maybe he just wants to show himself off and it doesn't hurt anyone else. But with this he is manipulating people for his own advantage, and it is detrimental to other people if he's stealing money."

But Won Chai '07 said that while Charity Navigator has a right to be upset with Vayner, he thinks the humor of Vayner's resume should be appreciated.

"I think clearly he was trying to play a practical joke or just trying to draw attention to himself," he said. "Whether or not it was a good thing or not, I couldn't say. People seemed to be enjoying it. I-bankers are forwarding this stuff to each other. Maybe it's good for a laugh now and again."

Pieter Morgan '09, who has lifted weights with Vayner, said he thinks Vayner often makes seemingly unbelievable claims because he genuinely believes them to be true. Morgan said he thinks Vayner is a genuine person, despite his penchant for seemingly implausible stories.

"I think it's like in 'A Beautiful Mind' with Russell Crowe," Morgan said. "When he tells you these stories, it's completely genuine, which is what is completely amazing. He'll tell you with a completely straight face that he knows the Dalai Lama, and he is completely serious. I think he is fundamentally a nice guy."

Vayner faces scrutiny after charity subterfuge - Yale Daily News

Comments

[Gatah]

Great shit. Keep this stuff coming. You were the first blog we saw post this wacky story in the blog world. Between this site and IvyGate, the coverage has been great!

[WSF]

Thanks :)

We were pretty early on this thanks to some nice folks who emailed us. We must give kudos though to IvyGate -- they took the ball and ran with it. *APPLAUSE*