Clayton College of Natural Health Shutting Down

The latest from Clayton College of Natural Health

 

Some Clayton nostalgia for those saddened by its closure YouTube - Clayton College of Natural Health.There there now. It's ok.

 

So, don't slam me for this, but I have a friend who was enrolled at Clayton, who completed only a very small portion of the program, and who now wants his tuition money (paid in advance of course) back.
If we could avoid getting into a discussion about the merits of the college or what kind of person would actually enroll there, I would so appreciate some solid advice about the steps he can take to try to get the money back. As you can read in the letter from clayton above, they are refusing to talk with students. I'm thinking legal action, but am unfamiliar with what can be done, and of course don't want the lawyer fees to suck up all the reimbursed money.
Thanks.

 

Class action lawsuit against Lloyd Clayton et al a.k.a. Clayton College of Natural Health

CCNH Lawsuit - Clayton College of Natural Health Lawsuit

 

My first thought is that this is a ripoff by the school. However, it's possible that there is language in the contracts signed by the students that allows just this sort of action by the school. If anyone has one of these contracts it would be interesting to see if there are any provisions allowing the school to unilatterally back out of all deals. Beyond that it just seems sleazy.

 

The school's contract stated that it would provide a degree to students in exchange for paid tuition. There was nothing convoluted in the language of the contract. The students enrolled and paid (most paid some portion in advance since a discount was offered for doing so). The school closed without notice. The staff scattered like ticker-tape and to date none of the students have recovered any of their money. The contracts were legal and binding except to those who wrote them. Lawsuit pending...

 

Clayton College of Natural Health's 2nd birth as Coltsfoot College of Natural Health

Clayton College of Natural Health offers self-paced distance learning degree and certificate programs in traditional naturopathy, natural health, holistic nutrition, iridology studies, herbal studies and healthcare professional studies and companion

Holly molly! They even forgot to change the page heading!

 

^^ I didn't even know this existed, but you can bet that they'll be sending in a schill to promote and defend it eventually. Some might even call that defender a schiller...

 

To be fair, it should be noted that the "Coltsfoot College of Natural Health" does not actually claim to offer any degrees (despite the term "College" in its name). Coltsfoot only claims to offer "certificates".

On the other hand, you could argue that a "Doctor of Naturopathy" certificate from "Coltsfoot College" certainly sounds like a degree. Coltsfoot has posted a disclaimer for this credential, perhaps to protect themselves from such interpretations:

 

oops...clearly not relevant

 

Global College of Natural Medicine (GCNM), one among many Clayton College of Natural Health clones, has also shut down Holistic Health Education Accreditation: How to Avoid Jumping from the Frying Pan Into the Fire

 

I had never heard of a "Doctor of Naturopathy" until I just read through this thread. They must represent an extremely small subset within the medical community. In reading about them, I also notice they offer no distance or online options, not even part time from the handful of legitimately accredited schools that offer the degree path. What a very interesting field to read about. Thanks for bumping this.

 

In terms of academic credibility, Clayton degrees are meaningless.

 

Because they are not in the medical community, they are in the wellness community...not the same thing.

 

Real naturopathic doctors are licensed primary physicians. While they may very well be a part of the wellness community, they are also part of the medical community.

[video=youtube;j__cJb4iWwg]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j__cJb4iWwg[/video]​

 

Of course, the thread got here through the very unaccredited Clayton College of Natural Health. Graduates of the former Clayton, even of their Doctor of Naturopathy, are not in, or anywhere near, this category of licensed (or license-eligible) naturopathic doctors. Background: FAQ from the Council on Naturopathic Medical Education, the DOED-recognized specialized accreditor that accredits AANMC schools and basically represents the path to licensure in U.S. states and Canadian provinces that license naturopathic doctors; see also Naturopathy: Practitioners on Wikipedia.