On alt.education.distance, Pete Halbeisen wrote: <<<During your involvement with DIPSCAM, were you allowed to watch the raids? Any amusing or interesting anecdotes?>> Yes. I really didn't want to post them there. So I'm doing the old 'bait and switch' and I'll put stuff here from time to time. As the FBI pointed out, when I asked, these events were not without potential for danger. Pellar had once served years in prison for hiring a hit man to kill a rival. The very first school raided under DipScam, Southeastern U in South Carolina, was tragic. The school's founder and president, Alfred Jarrette, killed himself with a shotgun shortly after the agents left with his files. (He had been offering "degree completion" packages to current and former athletes, mostly NFL players. The moment I wish I had seen involved the phony Southwestern University, run by Tony Geruntino from Tucson. Arizona finally gave him the boot, so he marched north to St. George, Utah, awarded honorary doctorates to the mayor and police chief, among others, and announced in a big press conference that St. George was going to become the alternative educational center of America. But there was some local concern, despite his support in high places, so the city council announced a meeting to consider his business license permit. After more than a few local folk stood up to speak in favor of the plan, and what a fine fellow Geruntino was, the was a short lull. The chairman said, "Does anyone else have anything to say?" Whereupon a man in the back of the room stood up and said, "I am Special Agent Allen Ezell, of the FBI's diploma mill task force. I have a warrant for the arrest of Tony Geruntino." More stories as time permits. John
That is a GREAT story! You should put that in your next edition of Bear's Guide Or even better if you had enough stories to put together a small book, it would be a best seller.
Bill Huffman wrote, You should put that in your next edition of Bear's Guide Or even better if you had enough stories to put together a small book, it would be a best seller. Good idea. In fact, it's done. See p. 293. But I agree a separate collection of stories probably would work. I wonder about the title that the Times of London used many years ago for their columns on educational chicanery, which I've always liked: "Quackademia."
John, The day I got my copy of the 14th edition, the Geruntino anecdote was one that I found and read aloud to my husband. Would have been great to be in that room to see the faces. ------------------ Kristin Evenson Hirst DistanceLearn.About.com [email protected]
