BYU rescinds diploma

Schools are rescinding diplomas now?

I've heard of schools not letting someone get a diploma, but who's ever heard of a school taking away someone's diploma after they've received it?

Brigham Young University is a private Mormon institution and a bastion of conservative ideals. Now the school has revoked the diploma of a 31-year-old alumnus who has been excommunicated from the Mormon church for publishing a calendar titled 'Men On A Mission' that featured shirtless missionaries.

That's like if a Catholic elementary school I attended retroactively revokes all my credits now because I stopped attending Mass.

Does BYU spy on each graduate to make sure they don't slip up? I don't understand how a school can come back and say that an alumnus's years of study don't mean anything.

Although BYU is a private school, the man in this story has grounds for a lawsuit. It seems deceptive for a school to revoke someone's diploma after they've graduated.

This isn't the only story like this involving BYU. It's also been reported that when a student was expelled for wanting to leave the church, she was ordered to pay back her scholarships. BYU also reportedly refused to release the transcripts of a former student who had left the church - causing her to lose 2 years of credits.

That to me sounds like fraud. And it's legally actionable. If there hasn't been a lawsuit yet against BYU, there ought to be.

(Source: http://www.usnews.com/blogs/paper-trail/2008/10/20/brigham-young-rescinds-diploma-of-excommunicated-alum.html)