Mormon calendar creator faces music
A Brigham Young University student has been excommunicated by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and recently he learned that he won’t be getting the diploma he earned from the university.
The Religion News Service reports that Chad Hardy created a calendar featuring shirtless Mormon missionaries, resulting in his excommunication and his diploma being taken away.
After finishing his degree online in June, Chad Hardy walked in graduation ceremonies in August, and while waiting for his diploma to come in the mail, found out he would not be getting one.
Officials with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints said Hardy was excommunicated in July for creating the calendar they believed to be in poor taste.
Recently, Hardy told the RNS that he was told by a Brigham Young counselor that his diploma had been placed on nonacademic hold.
RNS reported that Hardy then received a letter from the school’s executive director of student academic and advisement services, Norm Finlinson, saying his name had been deleted and he would not be granted a degree.
“They were aware I had been excommunicated,” Hardy said, “and that was not a good honor. If I had been accused of adultery or apostasy, I’d be in the same situation.”
Carrie Jenkins, a spokeswoman for the university, had this to say: “You do not have to be a member of the church to go to BYU. Every student signs a principled-based honor code and on a yearly basis, students renew the agreement to uphold the code.”
Hardy said the matter isn’t over.
“The church censored me, and because of that BYU can dig their heels in,” Hardy told the RNS. “The issue I have is that I’m already finished and they allowed me to walk at graduation. They are backpedaling to make an example of me.”
Hardy said he plans to file a civil liberties lawsuit against Brigham Young University.
Carla Hinton
Religion Editor
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