A Return to Standards
It is difficult to believe that in 2007 this could happen, but it has. Stacy Snyder was a student at Millersville University. The day before she was to graduate with a degree in teaching she was informed that she would not earn her teacher’s certification and would graduate rather with a degree in English. This occurred because Snyder posted a photograph of herself on her MySpace site of her in a pirate hat drinking from a cup. The caption read, “Drunken Pirate”.
The Conestoga Valley High School, which is where Ms. Snyder completed her student teaching, objected to the MySpace photograph and informed the university it would not accept any further student teachers if Snyder was not punished. That was enough to withhold the certificate based on Pennsylvania’s Professional Standards and Practices.
My father was fond of telling me that when he first moved to Cape May, he would not frequent the local pubs. Teachers were not expected to be patrons of such places. That was in the early 1960s. Times have changed.
My high school expelled a student two days before graduation because he entered another student’s dorm room without permission. I believe he received a certificate of attendance, but not a diploma.
Back when I was a freshman in college, I dated a girl who attended Millersville. It was a state college back then. The college required permission to stay on campus and I had to sleep in a boys’ dormitory. This is “red” country folks.
It is interesting this is a story right now. Just a few weeks ago, Don Imus lost his job because he bucked some folks’ sensibilities. Just yesterday presidential-hopeful Fred Thompson railed against the thug mentality of sports in a Townhall.com piece.
Could it be that society is swinging back to a more “polite” time?
I know most folks will say that this is being politically correct and that this vanillanization of society is no good either. Perhaps. I used to post quotations and snippets on a bulletin board/door. One that I recall was spoken by a secretary on the television show The Paper Chase. She stated, “The consequence of a liberal society is saying ‘yes’ to everything.” It seems to me that is accurate.
Where do we draw the line? And shouldn’t we be able to draw such a line? Society needs to put limits on what it accepts. We should not be exposed to breasts while watching the Super Bowl. We should not use the public airways to denigrate races. We should not be subjected to your bragging and taunts because you think it is fun.
So, can a community expect its role models not to be drunken pirates?
P.S. I do not know Ms. Snyder’s course history, but I am concerned that the university “granted” a degree in English rather than education. Did Snyder have the coursework to earn a degree in English? If not, on what basis was it “granted”? How would you feel if you were an English major at Millersville and a student was granted the degree you worked four years to complete “just because”?
Our litigious society is such that Snyder is suing. I cannot fathom what the issue of the complaint is. Breach of contract? That seems like a stretch. Sure, the punishment may be more extreme than some would impose, but is that something to litigate?
Also blogged on this date . . .
- Getting the House in Order - 2008
- NJ Outsources Test - 2008
- AC Press Excuses Driving 91 m.p.h. - 2007
- What Is Free? - 2007
- Gun Control In Pictures - 2006
- Chitown Bans Food - 2006
- Neil Young's Living With War - 2006