Chad Hardy -- the guy who was excommunicated from the LDS church for creating a Morman [sic] beefcake calendar -- has now had his college degree yanked as well.Hardy completed the requirements for a BA from BYU, the Mormon-run school in Provo, Utah. But since he's is no longer a member in good standing of the LDS church, BYU gets to place a "hold" on his degree. Meaning it's like he never graduated. Read the letter from BYU here.
All BYU students are required to sign and live by the Honor Code, so Hardy knew that if he violated church standards, he was risking his degree (I even had a few run-ins with the Honor Code when I lived in Provo for a summer, even though I wasn't a BYU student.).
In the long run, this will hurt the church more than it does Hardy; he's garnered enough media attention that he could probably just show a couple of AP articles to any future employers should the issue come up in interviews (If he was smart, he got copies of his transcripts and his coursework before all of this went down.). The LDS church, already getting plenty of bad press for supporting Proposition 8, just keeps shooting itself in the foot. I kinda feel bad for them.
OK, no, not really.
Any BYU grads care to chime in?
Update to the update: Hardy plans to fight BYU "tooth and nail." MSNBC has picked up the story.
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I'm sure BYU has it's lawyers all over this, but I'm wondering if there isn't a "property right" issue here regarding his degree. In the public school system you can't even with hold final grades if a student has a library fine. All-in-all I think BYU is stuck on stupid with this one.
But BYU is a private school, and they make it very clear, very often, to all students (even non-Mormons) that any violation of the Honor Code could put their academic standing in jeopardy.
Of course, if history is any indication, all it takes is major public embarrassment for the church to make any changes. Perhaps a lawsuit would be the best way get certain parts of the Honor Code dropped once and for all.
OMG. That's unbelievable. This is EXACTLY why I left BYU. I sincerely hope they don't get away with this - I wouldn't want ANY school to be able to get away with this. Does a hold mean that he can't have his records transferred to another school? I would certainly hope that the institutions that provide accreditation to universities would not put up with this.
That pretty much makes me feel absolutely disgusted. I'm glad I didn't end up with their name on my diploma.
If anyone knows him, have him transfer his credits to TESC.EDU. They'll probably take all of them. For the application fee he can have them evaluated to see where he stands. Then he can enroll, take a course or two if needed and then graduated. They are accredited.
This is BS. I am currently living in Provo and going to BYU. It is a great school with outdated ideas. It is cheap, and convenient, and gives a lot of Mormon students the opportunity to go to a college where their standards are not put in jeopardy (in regards to drinking and such). However, the 'honor code' causes much more harm then good. It takes the idea of free agency and turns it into a forced choice. What he did was wrong in the church's eyes. While I do not agree, I can see why they got upset. But to take it to this extreme is a power trip that is bound to end in embarrassment. I am not ashamed to go to BYU, but I am ashamed of their decisions.
PS - Not all Mormons are in favor of taking away people's rights. Please keep that in mind.
If you think it is crap/unfair/anachronistic don't go to BYU. As tedrick said everyone who attends the school agrees to follow the Honor Code or face penalties so really he's got no one to blame but himself.
I seriously doubt there is a "property" issue, but more likely it's contract issue and he breached the contract so BYU has no duty to give him a degree.
Seems to me those Mormons are just one big cult. Not surprising for a group that made up their own "book".
jess
http://www.privacy.mx.tc
Sorry but the church nor the school will ever change its position on an issue based on public opinion or outcry. Dude is pretty much out of luck with his degree.
The church just like any other organization has the right to suspend or revoke membership, should a member speak out against or put a bad light on the organization.
If he just modeled on his own in some calendar without giving it the name of "return missionaries" or whatever it was called, he would have been fine, but because he gave it in that connotation and connected it the church, he had to face the consequences. He knew the risk he was taking but just didn't take the time to think through the consequences. Nobody's fault but his own.
It's amazing how our society stands for absolutely nothing these days. There is no respect for upheld rules and laws when society finds the consequence "uncool"
Congratulations to BYU and the church for sticking to their guns. What an idiot this kid must have been to make a calendar called "return missionaries" and disgrace something that is a symbol of morals and charity in this world. He deserves to kicked out with no degree because he knew well in advance the consequence and now he deserves to pay that consequence. You all should respect that and not act like everyone should be sheep and followers of a degenerate society that doesn't know up from down.
mormons suck hands down rich asses
Mormons have caved in to public pressure many times before, adjusting their "dogma" frequently depending on which way the winds of public opinion blow. For instance, until recently the official mormon teaching was that black people are direct decendants of the devil. This was changed after extensive external pressure.
They will cave in this time too, and they should. BYU's behavior is a complete outrage.
Yep. That Mormon church sure does stick to its guns. Like with polygamy. Oh wait. Nevermind. But they did with not letting black men receive the Melchizedek priesthood. Oops. Scrap that. Well, they still don't let you drink Coffee. Or was it hot beverages? Oh, who gives a shit. I used to be one until I couldn't take the hypocrisy anymore. I hope this kids gets his degree, but he should have known to never go to school at BYU.
Oh, and as far as never having your "morals" compromised there. Cha right! Cougars party, man. Cougars party. They just keep it on the DL.
BYU proves once again that its no more then a seminary training religious service recruits, not a university of higher education in the tradition of western civilization
I agree with Ben, it's a contract issue.
We have freedoms in this country, and an unlimited right to contract. The college has the freedom and the right to have their "Honor Code" contract, and the student has the freedom and right to sign it, or find another college.
As for whether or not an employer would accept his degree, I think this student would find it harder than they might think. If he can't uphold a simple "Honor Code" contract with a school, what employer would want to risk him where stricter contracts like NDAs are required.
@anonymous re sticking to your guns:
While agree that it's good to hold on to principles, this issue isn't about sticking to one's standards. This issue is about a nationally accredited university withholding a degree based on morality.
The various state accreditation boards have a duty to ensure that a college or university is upholding the education standards it necessary to produce a quality education.
The idea of the honor code is a sound, if not outdated one. However, if a university wants to maintain state and national accreditation, they should limit honor codes to minor academic sanctions.
Holding a diploma because it violates the code is outrageous and should result in the pulling of their accreditation.
I used to teach at a junior college local to me that was in danger of losing it's accreditation and let me tell you that nothing lights a fire under the tails of the administration like the threat of loss of accreditation.
i bet he didnt think the honor code was inconvenient when the church payed most of his tuition. Its a church guys, theyre not gonna spend their money on people who dont follow VERY BASIC christian principles, at least while theyre at such church school
Okay ypu guys really need to lay off the church. The church changed their beleifs on polygamy and racism for the better. Hardy knew of the standards and he willingly participated in breaking the modest standard. BYU is also a private university and can do what they please if any other school had a student break one of their most important rules it would be thought necessary for them to take action, He signed the Honor Code and had a scholarship to BYU on the code it states that if broken expulsion and degree withholding might be a consequince. Hardy does not blame the church or hold a grudge HE UNDERSTANDS so why cant you guys?
This is a contract issue, and nothing else. He was a missionary, for goodness sake. He knew what was wrong and right. In order to be excommunicated, he would have had to deny any wrongdoing, and blatantly continue to do whatever he was doing without compromise. When he signed the contract, he knew full well that his actions would put his education in jeopardy - especially once he got in trouble with the Church itself. He broke the contract, and that's that. If you don't think you can keep it, then go to a public school.
And by the way, by sticking to it's standards, the Church has not shot itself in the foot. It's done the opposite. When the Church stopped practicing illegal polygamy, and extended the Priesthood to members of all origins, it was because it was the right thing to do. But giving up our age-old moral standards to a fierce minority group is a very wrong thing to do. Especially when it comes to the degradation of our most sacred institute - the family.
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