Duquesne University Withholds Diplomas in Feud with Nursing Students

A dispute over a controversial standardized test has blocked the graduation of more than 20 Duquesne University nursing students, placing their parents at odds with school administrators.  The students — part of a nursing class of 156 students at the Uptown school — did not receive diplomas at Duquesne's May 12-13 graduation ceremonies because their scores did not meet a school-imposed minimum on a national preparatory test. The Health Education Systems Incorporated exam or HESI, is used by other schools in a similar way to prepare students for state licensing exams.