Arias suspended by California State University !!!!!!

Discussion in 'The Monterrey Institute for Graduate Studies' started by Gert Potgieter, Dec 18, 2001.

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  1. Rich Douglas

    Rich Douglas Well-Known Member

    When I got out of there last August(as a student who hadn't done any work and as an unpaid graduate assistant doing grunt work in return for a break on tuition I never took advantage of), I e-mailed Armando, asking how he could continue to be associated with what had clearly become a bad situation. (This was after my discussion with a Florida official, who confirmed MIGS's application for licensure was returned as insufficient, and was astonished to hear they were still operating.) He did not answer.

    Rich Douglas
     
  2. John Bear

    John Bear Senior Member

    Chip White and I met with Dr. Arias last year. We liked the man a lot, and he certainly has fine credentials and writing credits in higher education. But when we asked some detailed questions about MIGS and the exact relationships among Sheila Danzig, MIGS, Arias, and the school in Mexico, we were really not sure whether he was clueless or evasive, but we surely did not get answers.

    Perhaps to our "Time Bomb 1" (real diploma from fake school) and "Time Bomb 2" (fake diploma from real school), we can add the Arias 2001 model, "Time Bomb 3" (official affiliation with non-wonderful school).
     
  3. Gus Sainz

    Gus Sainz New Member

    I’m certain a factor influencing this decision is the fact that California State University, Monterey Bay is still only a candidate for accreditation with WASC. In fact, they recently had an extension of candidacy report filed by the visiting WASC team. Having one of their deans affiliated with the Danzigs and their ilk does nothing to improve their chances for accreditation.

    But then again, it is just a suspension pending an investigation, right?


    Gus Sainz
     
  4. Right. But whatever else happens, you can bet he's in for one hell of a woodshed session.

    The only thing that MIGS seems to have left is the degree.com domain name, which they could probably sell for something. And they'd better do it soon before the negative associations become too well known.
     
  5. Gus Sainz

    Gus Sainz New Member

    It has been a long-standing practice of degree mills to list faculty that either are unaware that they have been listed, or not fully cognizant of the true nature of the school. If any kind of association can have serious repercussions for an instructor, can the bogus school be held liable? Not being an attorney, I am curious as to the opinions of those members of this forum who are.

    Wouldn’t it just wonderful fabulous if Dr. Arias sued el MIGS for damage to his reputation and career, loss of income, etc.? What would be the venue? Florida? California? Texas? We can only hope that it makes Court TV. Where’s Geraldo Rivera when you truly need him? :d


    Gus Sainz
     
  6. Rich Douglas

    Rich Douglas Well-Known Member

    I don't know how MIGS has damaged Arias. He lent his name and took the title of "President." (He said so himself when contacted by the Chronicle.) He went to Mexico to meet with CEU and educational officials. MIGS didn't appropriate his name; he gave it.

    Armando was always "hands-off" regarding the running of MIGS. That was left to Bruce Forman. But Armando had very high hopes for what would come of all of this. I wonder, though, if there wasn't a hidden agenda. One has been suggested to me that fits both the role Armando assumed and the nature of his activities on behalf of MIGS.

    Rich Douglas
     
  7. BillDayson

    BillDayson New Member

    I have to say that I'm glad that the CSU acted. They are protecting their own honor directly, and mine as a CSU graduate indirectly. And as Gus points out, CSUMB is still a candidate for accreditation and WASC is a stickler for integrity.

    But I'm not sure what the CSU should do with Arias. I guess a lot will depend on what MIGS truly was, what its relationship with CEU truly was, and what the Mexican government's involvement truly was.

    Whether Arias' participation was just a laughably naive underestimation of the time and effort needed to shepherd a promising new school into existence, or whether he was a knowing participant in creating a degree-mill scam, depends on the small print.

    On the best interpretation, he probably should keep his CSU job and simply be warned to use a little better judgement in the future. On the critical interpretation, he probably should be fired.
     
  8. Bill Highsmith

    Bill Highsmith New Member

    I'm not sure who owned the degree.com domain name prior to December of this year (the Danzigs I thought), but it appears that CEU now owns it as of the 11th; perhaps this has always been so since the MIGS/CEU marriage:

    Domain Name: DEGREE.COM
    Registrar: DIRECT INFORMATION PVT. LTD., D/B/A DIRECTI.COM
    Whois Server: whois.directi.com
    Referral URL: http://www.directi.com
    Name Server: NS1.HE.NET
    Name Server: NS2.HE.NET
    Name Server: NS3.HE.NET
    Updated Date: 11-dec-2001
    The Registry database contains ONLY .COM, .NET, .ORG, .EDU domains and
    Registrars.

    [whois.directi.com]
    Whois info for degree.com:
    Registrant:

    Centro de Estudios Universitarios,[email protected]
    Hidalgo 535 Pte.
    Monterrey
    NL,64000
    MX
    +1.8004591738 +1.8887434523

    Domain Name: degree.com

    Administrative Contact:
    Centro de Estudios Universitarios,[email protected]
    Hidalgo 535 Pte.
    Monterrey
    NL,64000
    MX
    +1.8004591738 +1.8887434523

    Technical Contact:
    Centro de Estudios Universitarios,[email protected]
    Hidalgo 535 Pte.
    Monterrey
    NL,64000
    MX
    +1.8004591738 +1.8887434523

    Billing Contact:
    Centro de Estudios Universitarios,[email protected]
    Hidalgo 535 Pte.
    Monterrey
    NL,64000
    MX
    +1.8004591738 +1.8887434523

    Record expires on 20-3-2011

    Domain servers in listed order:
    NS1.HE.NET
    NS2.HE.NET
    NS3.HE.NET
     
  9. Bill Highsmith

    Bill Highsmith New Member

    I meant to add that I was unable to connect to the degree.com site. COINCIDENCE? Inquiring minds want to know.
     
  10. Rich Douglas

    Rich Douglas Well-Known Member


    I just did some 25 minutes after your post.

    Rich Douglas
     
  11. Bruce

    Bruce Moderator

    I too was able to load the pages, but I'm wondering if the site was down for a little old-fashioned purging of unfavorable information? It certainly wouldn't be the first time.


    Bruce
     
  12. DaveHayden

    DaveHayden New Member

    "it appears that CEU now owns it as of the 11th"

    It is likely just the MIGs gang trying to cover their tracks. I am glad Rich and Peter out of that burning building.

    ------------------
    Best Regards,
    Dave Hayden
     
  13. bgossett

    bgossett New Member

    If you go to the site map, the links for the president's and vice-president's welcome letters point back to a page which no longer lists their letters. Arias's can be read here.

    The ceugraduate.com domain, incidentally, is registered to Sheila.

    ------------------
    Bill Gossett
     
  14. levicoff

    levicoff Guest

  15. Rich Douglas

    Rich Douglas Well-Known Member


    I'd be laughing right along with Steve, except nothing's changed. The site is up, they're still pretending to be Mexicans, etc. It would be nice to see it shut down and a definitive word given as to what really went on. (I know, I know, but I'm making out my wish list to Santa.)

    Rich Douglas
     
  16. Gus Sainz

    Gus Sainz New Member

    This is simply another in a long series of futile attempts at subterfuge and obfuscation with the sole intent of fooling the terminally gullible. The only relevant part is @degree.com. They could have just as easily have labeled it Harvard University, [email protected].

    Moreover, who ever heard of toll-free 1-800 numbers in Mexico? Guess where those phones numbers ring. Heck, I’ll even make it a multiple-choice question.
    a. Florida
    b. FLA
    c. FL
    d. All of the above

    Speaking of the CEU, I wonder what the College of Eastern Utah ( http://www.ceu.edu ) thinks of all of this.


    Gus Sainz
     


  17. Hmmm. The [​IMG] symbol doesn't really capture "laughing my ass off" very well.
     
  18. Chip

    Chip Administrator

    I agree with Gus. The changing of "ownership" of the degree.com domain name is an exceptionally transparent attempt to throw FL officials off the track.

    I also very much believe that the CEU toll free number rings in FL and is answered there.

    However, to set the record straight, it is quite possible to have AT&T (and probably other carriers) toll free numbers ring to a number in Mexico (Tijuana, at least.)

    But anyone who wishes to check this need only (as someone has already done) call the CEU directly at its non-toll-free number. The last time I heard a report of someone doing this, it was almost impossible to find anyone actually *at* the CEU campus in Mexico who knew anything about the program... but the report I heard said that when the one person was located who did know about it, he essentially acknowledged that the whole thing was a "business relationship" with the Danzigs, and that CEU had almost nothing to do with any part of it (other than, possibly, issuing the diplomas.)
     
  19. Rich Douglas

    Rich Douglas Well-Known Member


    Let's really emphasize "possibly." From what I can tell, it is likely the diplomas, transcripts, and all other academic information would be managed in Florida. The most involvement by the CEU would likely be a signature by the Rector on the diploma. It does NOT appear likely that graduates from MIGS will receive properly issued degrees from the CEU. I think the CEU just rented out their name and signature to MIGS.

    I didn't have a problem with a properly organized U.S. operation running things with a lot of autonomy. Theoretically, this could not only work, but it could serve to enhance the on-campus school. But that would demand an effective organization and a stock of qualified people. Instead, we get one guy handling academics (Bruce Forman), and another (Ric Feinberg) taking care of everything else. That was fine when I first got involved. But I remember soon afterwards remarking to John, "There's no 'THERE.'[/]" And there never has been. The result: a Keystone Kops version of a start-up with nothing to show for it except a further-sullied name and a huge judgment against it. Where the hell is Florida in all of this? Degree.com is still up and running, and the phone continues to ring in Fort Lauderdale.

    Could this be/have been, as one person suggested privately, a grab for funding by running a school with a large Hispanic enrollment? Otherwise, for a degree mill, it's pretty pathetic. (Not that I'm calling it a degree mill--it would have to issue degrees to be that.) Where's the money?

    Rich Douglas
     

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