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A comment on Penn to reduce graduate admissions, rescind acceptances amid research cuts. Parent comment

Re:Penn to reduce graduate admissions, rescind acceptances a... by bko on Saturday February 22, 2025 @09:14PM (#43145669)
In Dan Simmons' novel "Hyperion," one of the characters describes a government agency that both builds monuments and provides medical care to children. When faced with budget cuts, they reduce the medical care while continuing to build monuments, because monuments are visible evidence of their work while the absence of medical care only shows up in statistics.

The administrators are the school at this point, why would they choose to cut there?

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Re:Penn to reduce graduate admissions, rescind acceptances a... by ptero on Sunday February 23, 2025 @05:34AM (#43148327)
I recently saw a term for this -- "hostage puppy", which I think is an excellent description. I think [1] is the original source for the definition.

[1] https://x.com/perrymetzger/status/1887896797575520673

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Re:Penn to reduce graduate admissions, rescind acceptances a... by soared on Sunday February 23, 2025 @10:27AM (#43149911)
Oof the US team I work for is beholden to a foreign HQ that runs the hostage puppy play, great term.
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Re:Penn to reduce graduate admissions, rescind acceptances a... by drfuchs on Sunday February 23, 2025 @01:49PM (#43151926)
Here's a literal "hostage puppy" that was quite the rage in 1973 (though National Lampoon didn't use that phrase): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Lampoon_%28magazine%2...
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Re:Penn to reduce graduate admissions, rescind acceptances a... by ModernMech on Sunday February 23, 2025 @11:27AM (#43150511)
The literal worst thing Penn could do for students at this point is to take more on they aren't sure they will be able to support through their Ph.D. They are protecting and looking our for the students they have by not accepting more.
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Re:Penn to reduce graduate admissions, rescind acceptances a... by skeeter2020 on Sunday February 23, 2025 @03:14PM (#43152785)
this is the same reason wealthy donors want a building with their name on it, but don't want to fund the janitors who will keep it clean.
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