Example for discussion
“College Sued Over “Drunken Pirate” Sanctions
Woman claims teaching degree denied because of single MySpace photo
APRIL 26, 2007 – A Pennsylvania woman claims that her teaching career has been derailed by college administrators who unfairly disciplined her over a MySpace photo that shows her wearing a pirate hat and drinking from a plastic cup. In a federal lawsuit, Stacy Snyder charges that Millersville University brass accused her of promoting underage drinking after they discovered her MySpace photo, which was captioned “Drunken Pirate.” The picture from Snyder’s MySpace page (which she says was snapped at a costume party outside school hours) can be seen below.
In her complaint, Snyder, a 25-year-old single mother of two, says that Millersville officials discovered the image last May, while she was a senior working as a student-teacher at Conestoga Valley High School. A university official told her that the photo was “unprofessional” and could have offended her students if they accessed her MySpace page. At the time the “Drunken Pirate” photo was taken, Snyder was of
legal age to drink, though her lawsuit notes that the photo “does not show the
cup’s contents. ”...
Despite good grades and solid performance evaluations, Snyder “Despite good grades and solid performance evaluations, Snyder claims that school officials improperly denied her a bachelor of science in education degree and a teaching certificate. The university, Snyder added, instead granted her a bachelor of arts degree last May 13. Because the school refuses to confirm that she satisfactorily completed her student teaching requirements, Snyder claims that she has been unable to secure certification from Pennsylvania’s Department of Education. Snyder’s lawyer, Mark Voigt, told TSG (TheSmokingGun.com) that his client now works as a nanny. He added that school officials should actually be “celebrating” Snyder, a mother of two young children who returned to school to get a teaching degree.
Source: "College Sued Over "Drunken Pirate" Sanctions." The Smoking Gun. TheSmokingGun.com, 26 Apr. 2007. Web. 03 Nov. 2013.”
Excerpt From: Common Sense Media. “Digital Literacy & Citizenship Student Workbook: Grades 9-12.” Common Sense Media, 2014. iBooks. https://itun.es/us/ek9qV.
Woman claims teaching degree denied because of single MySpace photo
APRIL 26, 2007 – A Pennsylvania woman claims that her teaching career has been derailed by college administrators who unfairly disciplined her over a MySpace photo that shows her wearing a pirate hat and drinking from a plastic cup. In a federal lawsuit, Stacy Snyder charges that Millersville University brass accused her of promoting underage drinking after they discovered her MySpace photo, which was captioned “Drunken Pirate.” The picture from Snyder’s MySpace page (which she says was snapped at a costume party outside school hours) can be seen below.
In her complaint, Snyder, a 25-year-old single mother of two, says that Millersville officials discovered the image last May, while she was a senior working as a student-teacher at Conestoga Valley High School. A university official told her that the photo was “unprofessional” and could have offended her students if they accessed her MySpace page. At the time the “Drunken Pirate” photo was taken, Snyder was of
legal age to drink, though her lawsuit notes that the photo “does not show the
cup’s contents. ”...
Despite good grades and solid performance evaluations, Snyder “Despite good grades and solid performance evaluations, Snyder claims that school officials improperly denied her a bachelor of science in education degree and a teaching certificate. The university, Snyder added, instead granted her a bachelor of arts degree last May 13. Because the school refuses to confirm that she satisfactorily completed her student teaching requirements, Snyder claims that she has been unable to secure certification from Pennsylvania’s Department of Education. Snyder’s lawyer, Mark Voigt, told TSG (TheSmokingGun.com) that his client now works as a nanny. He added that school officials should actually be “celebrating” Snyder, a mother of two young children who returned to school to get a teaching degree.
Source: "College Sued Over "Drunken Pirate" Sanctions." The Smoking Gun. TheSmokingGun.com, 26 Apr. 2007. Web. 03 Nov. 2013.”
Excerpt From: Common Sense Media. “Digital Literacy & Citizenship Student Workbook: Grades 9-12.” Common Sense Media, 2014. iBooks. https://itun.es/us/ek9qV.
- Do you think Millersville University was justified in disqualifying Stacy from earning her teaching degree because of her profile page? Why, or why not?
- How would the situation be different if the context of the photo were taken into account? For instance: What if the caption of the photo was not “Drunken Pirate,” but “Happy Halloween” or “My friend forced me to wear this pirate hat”? What if a post accompanying the photo said that it had been taken at a child’s birthday party and Stacy was drinking punch?
- What if Stacy’s friend Joe had posted the picture of Stacy without her knowing it, and tagged her with the “Drunken Pirate” caption? Does the fact that Joe posted the picture change the situation? Why or why not?
- Does Joe have a responsibility to ask Stacy before he posts (and tags) a picture of her? Do other people, including strangers who come across the photo online, have the responsibility to check with Stacy before they tag or repost the photo? Why, or why not?
For general discussion:
What are some examples of people sharing in a rewarding way?
What things can you do to minimize oversharing in your own life?”