KSDK - Durbin Takes Stand Against for-Profit Colleges

News Article

By Rhyan Henson

United States Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) is taking a stand against for-profit colleges from recruiting at on-base career fair and job training events.

In a letter Durbin wrote to Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel, per a report from the Marine Times, Corinthian Colleges, Inc., which owns several for-profit colleges including Everest College, is under investigation by four federal agencies and 20 state attorneys general and amidst a financial crisis.

"Allowing Corinthian to continue to enroll students is highly misleading and grossly negligent of our duty to protect students and unfair to taxpayers," wrote Durbin. "I made these views clear with the Department of Education and hope it takes action quickly to address the problem more broadly."

Based on the information Durbin acquired form the Marine Timesreport, the letter pushed for an end to the for-profit industry's "predatory marketing campaigns and recruiting" of the recruitment of service members and their families.

Corinthian is under investigation for falsifying job placement data used in marketing campaigns and allegations of skewed grades and attendance. The school is also facing a financial crisis that could force the university to sell or close its near 100 campuses across the country potentially exposing the 70,000 students.

The Department of Defense has voluntary military education programs, and a provision in this program is the 90/10 provision, which prohibits for-profit colleges and universities form getting more than 90 percent of their revenue from the United States Department of Education's federal student aid programs. This provision is in place to ensure that for profit schools do not solely rely on the federal government for revenue.

Service members and their families are often targeted because they receive G.I. Bill benefits and Department of Defense tuition assistance funds, which currently do not count toward the 90 percent.

"Allowing Corinthian to continue to enroll students is highly misleading and grossly negligent of our duty to protect students and unfair to taxpayers," Durbin wrote.

For the time being, Corinthian is allowed to continue enrolling students at a majority of its campuses.

Source