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Apparently This Cat is Smarter Than Most College Students...

Discussion in 'BBS Hangout' started by kwik_e_mart, Dec 7, 2004.

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  1. kwik_e_mart

    kwik_e_mart Member

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    As indicated in this article:

    http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tm...ap/20041207/ap_on_fe_st/bogus_degrees_lawsuit

    Online School That Gave Cat an MBA Is Sued

    1 hour, 35 minutes ago

    By MARK SCOLFORO, Associated Press Writer

    HARRISBURG, Pa. - The Pennsylvania attorney general's office Monday sued an online university for allegedly selling bogus academic degrees — including an MBA awarded to a cat.

    Trinity Southern University in Texas, a cellular company and the two brothers who ran them are accused of misappropriating Internet addresses of the state Senate and more than 60 Pennsylvania businesses to sell fake degrees and prescription drugs by spam e-mail, according to the lawsuit.

    Investigators paid $299 for a bachelor's degree for Colby Nolan — a deputy attorney general's 6-year-old black cat — claiming he had experience including baby-sitting and retail management.

    The school, which offers no classes, allegedly determined Colby Nolan's resume entitled him to a master of business administration degree; a transcript listed the cat's course work and 3.5 grade-point average.

    The state is seeking a permanent injunction, civil penalties, costs and restitution for violating consumer law and restrictions on unsolicited e-mail ads.

    Prosecutors said more than 18,000 illegal e-mails were sent out this year with links to Trinity Southern's Web address, including 300 that appeared to originate from the Internet servers of Pennsylvania companies and institutions.

    Among the alleged victims are Penn State University and the University of Pennsylvania, as well as numerous Internet service providers, businesses and technology companies.

    The defendants are the school; Innovative Cellular and Wireless Inc. of Corpus Christi, Texas; Alton Scott Poe of St. Cloud, Fla., vice chancellor and dean of admission for Trinity; and Craig Barton Poe of Frisco, Texas, president of Innovative Cellular.

    A phone message left at Trinity Southern was not returned Monday. None of the other three defendants appears to have a listed or published phone number.
     
    #1 kwik_e_mart, Dec 7, 2004
  2. SWTsig

    SWTsig Member

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    and here i am wasting my time in school....
     
    #2 SWTsig, Dec 7, 2004
  3. meggoleggo

    meggoleggo Member

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    Haha. I'm not wasting my time in school anymore.







    I graduated..... 2 days ago. :)
     
    #3 meggoleggo, Dec 7, 2004
  4. Mulder

    Mulder Member

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    congrats. What degree?
     
    #4 Mulder, Dec 7, 2004
  5. meggoleggo

    meggoleggo Member

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    Thanks Mulder, I think the full technical title is:

    [deep breath]

    BS in Biology with an option in Human Biology with a concentration in Pathogenesis and Immunity


    but I usually just say a BS in Human Bio or Microbio (which is the comparable degree)
     
    #5 meggoleggo, Dec 7, 2004
  6. rimbaud

    rimbaud Member
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    Degree mills like this are all over tha place. I saw a news show on it a few weeks ago and there are CEO's of companies, teachers, etc. that have fame bachelors, masters, and even doctorates. All you need is money. You get a diploma and everything...all looks official.
     
    #6 rimbaud, Dec 7, 2004
  7. VooDooPope

    VooDooPope Love > Hate

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    Congrats. Now get a job you slacker! ;) :D
     
    #7 VooDooPope, Dec 7, 2004
  8. SamCassell

    SamCassell Member

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    Tried a case a while back, a low-level assault charge. Defendant's attorney referred to his client as "Dr. Smith" and "Doctor" repeatedly in direct examination, presumably to bolster his testimony. Funny thing was, I knew his doctorate was from a degree mill like this, and completely fraudulent. Was one of the most entertaining cross examinations I've done, and the argument was a blast too.
     
    #8 SamCassell, Dec 7, 2004
  9. tierre_brown

    tierre_brown Member

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    Hey, I'm majoring in micro and hope to get a degree in 3 semesters...what do you have lined up to do after graduating?
     
    #9 tierre_brown, Dec 7, 2004
  10. meggoleggo

    meggoleggo Member

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    Are you at UT? If so, take anything you can with Dr. Suzanne Barth. She's badass.

    I want to work for the State Health Services, either microbiologist or epidemiologist, if possible. Hell, right now, I'd take a lab tech job just to get my foot in the door. But really, I'll take just about any job to save up money for grad school, so I can get my PhD in public health.
     
    #10 meggoleggo, Dec 7, 2004
  11. rrj_gamz

    rrj_gamz Member

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    Just out of curiousity, what kind of job do you get with this...what about the pay?

    btw, Congrats and good luck...
     
    #11 rrj_gamz, Dec 7, 2004
  12. Uprising

    Uprising Member

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    still got ~ 1.5 left in my College career.
     
    #12 Uprising, Dec 7, 2004
  13. PhiSlammaJamma

    PhiSlammaJamma Member

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    I'm guessing, but lab techs/researchers (in the hard sciences) probably make about $34,000 in a hospital setting and about $45,000 to $55,000 in a pharm setting like Bristol Squibb. That's just speculation on my part for a first year lab tech.

    Microbiology was probably the most difficult class I took in all of undergrad. Class average was around 35-40 for every exam. Much like Organic Chemistry.
     
    #13 PhiSlammaJamma, Dec 7, 2004
  14. jcantu

    jcantu Member

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    I had a class with Dr. Barth, I think it was "epidemiology of pathogenic organisms" or something like that. Of course that was like 6 years ago.
     
    #14 jcantu, Dec 7, 2004
  15. PhiSlammaJamma

    PhiSlammaJamma Member

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    Mice are back to Defcon 3.
     
    #15 PhiSlammaJamma, Dec 7, 2004
  16. meggoleggo

    meggoleggo Member

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    You're pretty close on your guessing PSJ. To work for the state as a first year lab tech, you get paid around 20K. But when you get promoted, it pretty much doubles to around 40-45K, and each time you get promoted again, you're making another 20-25K.

    Micro wasn't so bad for me, once I figured out I liked it. I went through 3 years at UT as a general human bio major and I took everything from neurobiology to molecular biology; and when I finally took micro is when I finally picked my concentration.
     
    #16 meggoleggo, Dec 8, 2004
  17. thadeus

    thadeus Member

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    It's not like it takes a genius to get an MBA anyway.

    Degree mill, here I come!
     
    #17 thadeus, Dec 8, 2004
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