Oregon Bill on Degrees Disclaimer--UA Schools

Discussion in 'Accreditation Discussions (RA, DETC, state approva' started by Rich Douglas, Jul 28, 2005.

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  1. Rich Douglas

    Rich Douglas Well-Known Member

  2. nosborne48

    nosborne48 Well-Known Member

    Hm. Well, it will do what they want it to do but I'd rather they found a way to make claiming bogus degrees illegal under ALL circumstances.

    So does this put ODA out of business?
     
  3. Jake_A

    Jake_A New Member

    That would have been the prized icing on the cake!
    I would think (and definitely hope) not. ODA actually appears to have been strengthened by this emergency Act - a good thing, in my view.

    According to Dr. Contreras, religious-exempt degree-awarding schools now have to file annual compliance reports. Someone or some unit (ODA) will have to receive and monitor those reports for veracity to ensure that they are upholding the spirit and intent of the Act.

    Also, to the extent that degree mills and mushroom schools do not appear to be disappearing, and will still infiltrate Oregon's workplace, ODA (or some such unit) still has to look out, at least, for the state of Oregon's interests. Arguably, some other unit could perform this task.

    BTW: Remember the mill shills and apologists who months ago used to proclaim that KWU won its duel over the ODA? I wonder where they are now or what their take is on this development. I would think that having to put a prominent disclaimer on an unaccredited degree each and every time that one cites it, is a major win for ODA and a Herculean loss for KWU, unaccredited entities and diploma mills.

    I say, the ODA (and the people of the good state of Oregon) have won big time! So, ODA must stay put!

    A question I have though, is whether or not, the ODA might not have to consider a name change - from ODA (Office of Degree Authorization) to, oh, say, something like, ODI (Office of Degree Investigations)?

    Just a thought. Don't hang me for it.

    :)

    Thanks.
     
  4. Lerner

    Lerner Well-Known Member

    Good news.

    So tell me if a person thinks his degree is accredited , lets say he was lied to and cheated by a mill that claimed bogus accreditation and he asumes his degree is fully accredited.

    Is the law clear that only recognized accreditation is required?
    I'm not familiar with the law details.

    Learner
     
  5. MichaelR

    MichaelR Member

    So, if Rep. Witt says that
    Does that mean he is in favor of people buying degree's? Because I mean come on, its just a degree.... :rolleyes:
     
  6. Guest

    Guest Guest

    Interesting. Thanks Rich. By forcing one to say degree is unaccredited I would think that this would make employers aware of difference. That in turn might make them curious enough to make net search which would bring up interesting results especially if one went to KWU.


    Dan
     
  7. Ted Heiks

    Ted Heiks Moderator and Distinguished Senior Member

    Hello! Wouldn't the big question be why in sheol/hades/gehenna would the employer not know? It should be his business to know. If he doesn't know, or if that just isn't his skillset, then he should buy the services of a good HR person whose skillset that is. If he's too dumb to even know that he needs to know (or buy someone who does know), then, hey, survival of the fittest.
     
  8. Guest

    Guest Guest

    Ted,

    I'm willing to bet most potential employers don't even know the difference. This has been addressed by others including Rich IIRC. By actually spelling it out on a resume it becomes known. A pretty good idea it seems.

    Dan
     
  9. CalDog

    CalDog New Member

    No win for KW

    The claim that KW "won" its lawsuit with the ODA never rang true. Before the lawsuit, KW wouldn't sell degrees to residents of Oregon. Whereas after the lawsuit...KW still wouldn't sell degrees to residents of Oregon. So what exactly did KW win ?

    Go to www.kw.edu and then "CLICK HERE to Request your FREE Catalog Today!" At the bottom of the catalog request form, it still states "This offer is not valid for residents of CA or OR". That same disclaimer has been there for months, maybe years.
     
  10. Lerner

    Lerner Well-Known Member

    I'm in support of this law but very sceptic.

    Look how immigration laws inforced, employers do what they want.

    Learner
     
  11. Peaceforall

    Peaceforall member

    Where could we find the bill text ?

    Is there anyway to get the exact text of that bill to see exactly what it contains?

    Is it already in the Oregon Statutes already?

    Good day for everybody on my National Holliday (August 1st )

    Regards and enjoy your summer.
     
  12. nosborne48

    nosborne48 Well-Known Member

    Probably, yes.

    Find the web site for the Oregon Legislature. They likely have a search page for bills and resolutions. Search that.

    Let us know what you find!
     
  13. agilham

    agilham New Member

  14. Jake_A

    Jake_A New Member

    Thanks, agilham, for the citation of this source document.

    This is sweet, merry, legal music to my (and I am sure, many others') ears:

    To wit --

    op.cit:

    < references to religious schools' exemptions snipped>

    ============================================

    "SECTION 10. ORS 348.609 is amended to read:

    348.609. (1) { - No - } { + A + } person who has been
    warned by the Oregon Student Assistance Commission, through the Office of Degree Authorization, to cease and desist
    { - shall - } { + may not + } claim or represent that the
    person possesses any academic degree unless the degree has been awarded to or conferred upon the person by a school that:

    (a) Has accreditation recognized by the United States
    Department of Education or the foreign equivalent of such
    accreditation;

    (b) Has been approved by the Oregon Student Assistance
    Commission through the Office of Degree Authorization to offer
    and confer degrees in Oregon;

    (c) Is described in { - ORS 348.594 (2) - } { + section 1
    of this 2005 Act + }; or

    (d) Is located in the United States and has been found by the
    commission to meet standards of academic quality comparable to
    those of an institution located in the United States that has
    accreditation, recognized by the United States Department of
    Education, to offer degrees of the type and level claimed by the
    person.

    " { + (2)(a) A person who has been awarded a degree from a
    school other than a school described in subsection (1) of this

    Enrolled Senate Bill 1039 (SB 1039-ACCA) Page 6

    section may claim or represent that the person possesses an
    academic degree if the claim or representation is accompanied by
    a disclaimer that states: '(Name of school) does not have
    accreditation recognized by the United States Department of
    Education and has not been approved by the Office of Degree
    Authorization. '


    (b) The disclaimer shall be made in any resume, letterhead,
    business card, announcement or advertisement in which the person is claiming or representing to have an academic degree from a school that does not meet the requirements of subsection (1) of this section.


    (c) This subsection does not alter any requirement for
    obtaining a license, admission into a school, teaching or
    employment or for other areas in which a degree from an
    accredited school is required. + }

    { - (2) - } { + (3) + } The Oregon Student Assistance
    Commission shall adopt, by rule, standards and procedures for
    responding to complaints about degree claims and for validation
    of degree claims. Failure of a person to provide documentation of
    a claimed degree shall be prima facie evidence that the claim of
    such person to such degree is a violation of this section.

    { - (3) - } { + (4) + } The Oregon Student Assistance
    Commission, by rule, may impose a fee on any school or person
    requesting validation of degree claims. The amount of the fee
    shall be established to recover designated expenses incurred by
    the commission in carrying out the administration of ORS 348.594
    to 348.615. Any fees collected under this subsection shall be
    deposited in the Office of Degree Authorization Account
    established under ORS 348.601.

    { - (4)(a) - } { + (5)(a) + } The Oregon Student Assistance
    Commission, through the Office of Degree Authorization, may cause a civil suit to be instituted in the circuit court for legal or
    equitable remedies, including injunctive relief, to ensure
    compliance with this section. The commission may recover attorney fees and court costs for any such action.

    (b) The commission shall adopt a schedule of civil penalties
    for violations of this section. A civil penalty shall not exceed
    $1,000 per violation.

    (c) In addition to any action or penalty provided by law, any
    person who violates this section shall incur a civil penalty in
    an amount prescribed by the schedule adopted by the commission.

    Any civil penalty imposed under this subsection shall be imposed
    in the manner provided in ORS 183.745. All penalties recovered
    under this subsection shall be paid into the State Treasury and
    credited to the General Fund."

    =======================================

    Holy cow!

    What is this that I see....... what merry rumblings do I hear?

    Do I see/hear of several other US states studying Oregon's ground-breaking statute and lining up to pass similar measures in their legislatures?

    Do I see US states seeking to take firmer consumer-protection shields to protect state residents from certain purveyors of unaccredited degrees who ofttimes seek to pass off their unaccredited degrees as "accredited," due to lack of widespread knowledge of some HR units about the important of legitimate accreditation?

    Do I hear Wyoming's Preston U, KW"U," etc., and other notoriously unaccredited entities' boots quaking ever so loudly?

    Well done, Dr. Contreras, OSAC/ODA, and Oregon State Legislature!

    :)
     

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