Disgruntled Students Petition Washington Post Company to Close Kaplan U.

Discussion in 'General Distance Learning Discussions' started by Hokiephile, Jan 28, 2011.

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  1. major56

    major56 Active Member

    If this particular student has been defrauded, she should forget the insignificant petition route and take her case directly to a law enforcement agency (e.g. forget the lawyers). However for instance and per CalDog's recent insert “She had been pursuing a bachelor's degree in paralegal studies, and was already more than 60 percent of the way through…” Per The Washington Post story … this student was upset that she was in actuality enrolled an associate degree program vs. paralegal bachelors. How could she have completed more than 60 per cent of a bachelor degree, but yet enrolled in an associate program; which was it?
     
  2. major56

    major56 Active Member

    Isn't fraud both a crime, and also a civil law violation? Fraud can be committed through many media, including the mail, wire, phone, and the Internet. For example; counterfeiting, embezzlement, insurance fraud, Ponzi schemes, forgery, securities fraud, and tax fraud are all frauds and would likely bring criminal charges. Nonetheless, my take on this is the complainant is seeking relief through a civil settlement. Hopefully, there’s an attorney participant who’ll contribute their expertise.
     
  3. NorCal

    NorCal Active Member

    I have a few fraud cases and several identify theft cases to my credit (more than I'd like to admit unfortunately). You are correct, fraud is a crime. However, most district attorney's will not ascertain such an investigation unless there is a clear cut violation or some kind or a slam dunk. (Some DA's have more balls, but most do not)

    If the victims civil litigation is successful, and as part of that investigation, evidence is presented that points toward a criminal act, then the district attorney's office will have more ammunition to push a criminal complaint.

    Thats my experience with fraud cases, but again, that is just were I'm an LEO and the crap we have to deal with. Your area may differ. . .
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Jan 29, 2011
  4. Tom H.

    Tom H. New Member

    There is an allocation of scarce resources, both investigative and prosecutorial, involved in these matters. There are very few underworked prosecutors in any jurisdiction and the LEO's management likely isn't going to assign personnel to investigate matters which have no chance of being prosecuted.

    That said, Kaplan is one of the poster boys for the second-rate higher education being offered to a willing American public via DL. The fact that they are part of the Washington Post Company, famous for the liberal editorials in their flagship Washington Post, just shows the power of greed.
     
  5. SteveFoerster

    SteveFoerster Resident Gadfly Staff Member

    Just checking

    Did you mean this straight, as in liberals are suppose to be higher and mightier of purpose than everyone else? Or did you meant this ironically, as in liberals are already so greedy that they want to spend everyone else's money?

    -=Steve=-
     
  6. gbrogan

    gbrogan Member

    Two different situations. The "she" in CalDog's post was named Jennifer. Shannon was the person in the OP with the associates vs. bachelors issue.
     
  7. major56

    major56 Active Member

    Okay thanks for your clarification. My comments have been toward The Washington Post article re the complainant /petitioner Shannon Croteau; sorry if I hadn’t made that clear.
     
  8. PaulC

    PaulC Member

    There must surely be some mistake. I happen to know that Morris Brown College is a brick and mortar, not-for-profit institution. These kinds of shenanigans are the domain of the for-profits. Not-for-profits prefer their pockets to be lined with the far more civilized endowment.
     
  9. Kizmet

    Kizmet Moderator

    I agree with Paul at least to the extent that if you're going to say that someone was convicted of a felony then you should at least provide a link that corroborates that information.
     
  10. mcjon77

    mcjon77 Member

    Sorry guys. I forgot to link to some articles about this:
    First, here is the Wikipedia entry about the scandal:
    Morris Brown College - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

    Here is an article that talks about the initial indictment:
    Former Morris Brown College president, financial aid director indicted for fraud: federal authorities say Dolores Cross, Parvesh Singh were involved in student loan scheme | Black Issues in Higher Education | Find Articles at BNET

    Here is an article that talks about the felony convictions of The former college president and the director of financial aid:
    Former Morris Brown College president, financial aid director indicted for fraud: federal authorities say Dolores Cross, Parvesh Singh were involved in student loan scheme | Black Issues in Higher Education | Find Articles at BNET

    Here is a quote from the third article to give you an idea of what happened.

    Here is a quote from the second article to explain how this was discovered and how it affected the students:
    The president, Dr. Cross, left MBC in February of 2002, and later that year, SACS pulled the it's regional accreditation. The result is that the school has been virtually destroyed. At one point, it was down to as few as 44 students.

    This case is special to me because both the President and the financial aid adviser who were convicted had previously worked at the university I worked at, before they went to Morris Brown College. Although I arrived at the university after they had left, the story was pretty big on our campus. Interestingly enough, no one I spoke with was the least bit surprised.
     
  11. takenumdown2010

    takenumdown2010 New Member

    So Typical..Another one who does not get the whole story first

    First off, I am a nurse and very intelligent, thank you very much. While enrolled at Kaplan I only saw papers in my name that said "Bachelors of Paralegal Studies”. It was when I was leaving I found and copied all paperwork I could find in every corner. I found an award letter WAS NEVER SIGNED BY ME or anyone, that stated I was in the Associates Degree for Paralegal Studies and had a different lender that I FOUND OUT I HAD. In the last few month I have been told by Kaplan personnel I was in the Advanced Start Paralegal Program (no way I would have needed to have an associates in Paralegal Studies already & I DON'T). I was also advised I was signed up for the Bachelor in Legal Studies and I was NOT!
    To end this needless comment, I never signed a thing in the beginning; I was told I was accepted, gave my $95.00 fee (that was never taken out of my bank acct), & was told to show up in class on 7/3/2008. I never heard from financial aid even when I harassed them to get answers they did not care. My borrower’s rights were never exercised. This is a criminal enterprise from the very first phone contact. Next time please know the story before making a judgment.
    Mrs. Shannon Croteau
     

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