Women sues university over MySpace photo

Rather than awarding her a teaching qualification, Millersville University last year granted Stacy Snyder a degree in English after learning of her Web-published picture, which bore the caption ‘Drunken Pirate’. According to a report on the AustralianIT site, 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. Jane Bray, dean of the School of Education, accused Snyder of promoting underage drinking, the suit states. Full report on the AustralianIT site

In other developments, MySpace will provide links from its Web site to a charity that aims to combat youth suicide. AustralianIT reports that the move comes a week after two Victorian girls were found dead in an apparent double suicide, after leaving a disturbing message on their MySpace site. The words ‘RIP Jodie and Steph’, references to Jodie Gater and Stephanie Gestier, were thought to have been posted on April 14, the day before the pair went missing. MySpace announced a partnership with the Inspire Foundation to promote awareness about youth suicide and provide support for troubled teens. Full AustralianIT report