‘Drunken Pirate’ sues school that nixed degree

Woman lost teaching degree over Myspace picture showing her drinking

Video: Education

New Braille dollar
July 3: The U.S. unveils a Braille silver dollar in Dallas. The coin honors Louis Braille, the inventor of a reading and writing system for the vision impaired. Msnbc.com's Dara Brown reports.

Religious community outraged at school bullying

Was there really a pregnancy pact?

School budgets running on empty

Prank cake cooks up trouble

Stand and be counted

What keeps you up at night? Gut Check America wants you to tell us what really matters to our country. Click here to learn more and get involved.

NBC Field Notes

NBC News correspondents and producers across the U.S. shed light on the news of the day.

Photo features

Zuma Press	The Week in Pictures A bird, a bee, and a Spanish kiss highlight a week of images from around the world.
Reuters	PhotoBlog View and discuss the pictures and issues that caught our eyes.

updated 6:49 p.m. ET April 28, 2007

MILLERSVILLE, Pa. - A woman denied a teaching degree on the eve of graduation because of a MySpace photo has sued the university.

Millersville University instead granted Stacy Snyder a degree in English last year after learning of her Web-published picture, which bore the caption “Drunken Pirate.”

“I dreamed about being a teacher for a long time,” said Snyder, 27, who now works as a nanny.

Story continues below ↓

The photo, taken at a 2005 Halloween party, shows Snyder wearing a pirate hat while drinking from a plastic “Mr. Goodbar” cup. It was posted on her own MySpace site.

Although Snyder apologized, she learned the day before graduation that she would not be awarded an education degree or teaching certificate.

Jane S. Bray, dean of the School of Education, accused Snyder of promoting underage drinking, the suit states.

The federal lawsuit seeks at least $75,000 in damages. Millersville spokeswoman Janet Kacskos referred questions to a state System of Higher Education spokesman, who declined comment.