A whack or a wrist slap?

As the St. Petersburg Times reported in this story this morning, Florida Metropolitan University and the state Attorney General's Office have reached a settlement agreement, and it touches on an issue some FMU students have been complaining about for years. But does the agreement give more weight to their claims about deceptive practices, or deflate them? Read the settlement here and decide for yourself. For some background, read this Wall Street Journal story here.

If there are any current or former FMU students out there in the wide, wide world of Gradebook fanatics, what do you think: Is there a problem with credit transfer? Is there a problem with full disclosure? And what do you think of FMU's decision yesterday to change its name to Everest University? Does it have anything to do with all the legal wrangling?

Comments

[Michael]

RE: Your article Blog: http://blogs.tampabay.com/schools/2007/11/a-whack-or-a--1.html?cid=89778858#comment-89778858 Dear Jeffrey, I too was a victim of student loan fraud at this school Tampa College located on Hillsborough Ave in Tampa, FL. I attended from 1990-1992 and went under pell grants and the federal factory closing law that paid for my tuition, However Tampa College took out additional student loans under my name and the total was over $13,000. I never graduated from this school because near the last term of study, Tampa College was under investigation by the DEPT of EDUCATION. I never received any diploma or graduated. I have refused to pay any of this fraud student loan scam, because I never received any of this money, The school was cashing these checks and I am now liable which with interest is now over $35,000. I did through the Freedom of Information Act back in 1997 manage to get the investigation report from the DEPT of EDUCATION Inspector General regarding Tampa College's fraud and violations of Title IV funding, and the report number is: The "Inspection Report on Tampa College (N0020921) issued in 1992. It is a 31 page document outlining all the violation of Fraud and violation of student loans. Today I still receive harassing phone calls from the hired guns Collection agencies of the Dept of ED. The Dept of ED has NO Clue what one hand of the Dept is doing from the other, and I remain a continued Victim like the other in your BLOG. I would like to know how to clear this Damaging collection data off my personal record. Although the default status victimized me for 7 years, until the bad data fell off my credit report, I still receive these harassing phone calls 16 years later. Many times over the years I sent this DEPT of ED Report to the collection agencies, but nothing is done to clear me of this Loan Fraud. The collections data gets kicked back into the Dept of Ed as uncollectable of disputed, then churned and kicked back out to the next collection agency in line to harass me. I have even tried many times contacting the Dept of ED to clear this off, to no avail. Federal Red Tape. But everytime I give this Investigative report info to the collection agency, they quit calling me and considers this as a dispute, and stops the collection process for about 6 months until the next collection agency starts on me again. And even the IRS kept several of my tax return refunds for about 2 years, until I sent them this Report info, and when I sent in my complaint the IRS, they did in fact return my refund to me, realizing I am a victim of this fraud. However the Dept of ED just can't seem to clear this proble off the books. Because they would have to write this off as uncollectable. And it is past the 7 years Statute of limitations, to go after the school that is no longer or the bank that funded the monies. However defaulted Student loans never get dismissed even in this case and we (the victims) still get harassed for default. What can the victims do in your blog like me do to file a class action law suit to sue somebody for the harm over the years of trashing my credit, and harassing phone calls from collectors? All the collection agencies tell me is that I have to file a law suit to clear my name. Like I can afford to do that. We are screwed... Is there, or was there any financial relief or otherwise, for the student victims of this FRAUD? Let me know please if you have any info or outlet in this case? I would really appreciate it. Please post this info on your Blog at the Link I posted above. Thank God the internet is here now, and we can research this and collect data, and net work with other victims. We still need help 16 years later. Thanks Michael -Tampa FL E-mail: ScubaReport@Yahoo.com The story below from your Blog sounds just like my complaint: If we could only get the school list and contact everyone who attended at that time. I am not sure why the Dept of Education did not interview every student when they investigated the college in 1991 and then make the Tampa College liable for this Fraud, instead of the victims.

[JW]

A recruiter for United Electronics Institute came to my house in 1984 and I bought into what she was selling. She stated that the credits I received would transfer to a 4 year university and even the professors there stated as such but after graduation in 1986 I wanted to further my education (and I was up to my ears in debt) I went to Hillsborough Community College and they informed me that all my credits from UEI were worthless and I would have to start over. Way to lie to me and put me in debt for years with a useless degree. Even the Air Force didn't recognize my Associated degree from that terrible school. A complete waste of money and their job placement program was a joke. I made more money delivering Domino's pizza than I did at the job they placed me at which was at Paradyn in Largo where I worked there for $6.38 an hour.
By the way, when I list my education and Embry Riddle and my employers want to verify that I attended and received an AS degree in electronics, they cannot get a transcript from UEI as it does not exist. Do not go to this school or it's various incarnation such as FMU or Tampa College. Whoever presided over this school should be in jail for deceit and fraud. Go to a 4 year college and get a real degree.

[Michele Meck]

I went to United Electronics Institute back in 1989 who changed their name to Tampa College then FMU and now I see they are changing yet again. I withdrew before my 3 months was up due to the fact I was pregnant and high risk. My doctor ordered me to complete bedrest, so I had no other choice. Now, 19 years later I am still being harassed by Department of Education for money I do not owe and for an education I did not receive. I do however, have a great son who is about to celebrate his 18th birthday. I wouldn't trade him for the world but what this school did was completely wrong. So this school has changed their name 4 times in 20 years. My dad always told me honest people don't change their names. Hopefully someone out there can help those of us who have been scammed.

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[Candi]

I went to "Tampa College" in 1991-1992 and am still paying the price for it. I STILL receive letters stating I owe on the student loan from Sallie Mae. I signed out of the school after 2 semesters because I was learning nothing and decided to take up something else. When Sallie Mae sends a check, the school is to keep the amount per time that the student is in classes and then they are actually to return the rest of the funds if the student drops out. My S-I-L just did this and her school was homnest and returned the unused funds when she decided to not enter into a master class. Tampa College does not do this. They keep the money when you drop out and then you are still stuck paying for the debt. I however have refused for 17 years to pay the portion I do not owe and have bad credit now because of it, but it's just the principal of it that keeps me refusing to pay this $. When I found out I was being charged the funds they did not return, I called Sallie Mae and they requested the paperwork I signed at TC and when I went to TC to get copies, they couldnt find my file!!!! This place is a SCAM and I feel so sorry for anyone else who believes they will get a worthwhile education there. And any worthwhile school would not have had 3 names in less than 20 years. I am not the only former student who is in debt because they refuse to pay on a student loan for time not attending this school.

[Janis Schoonmaker]

I think the article posted on November 6th is misleading.

Here’s why . . .

> The Times article omitted the key fact about the ability of FMU students to transfer credits to other institutions. That fact, which the Florida Attorney General’s agreement acknowledges, is that “FMU participates in Florida’s Statewide Course Numbering System (SCNS).”

> More than 600 courses offered by FMU are certified for academic transfer under the Statewide Course Numbering System, which is administered by the Florida Department of Education.

> Nationally accredited schools are required to meet a graduation benchmark of 60 percent and a job placement rate of 65 percent in order to maintain accreditation. However, regional accrediting agencies have no such requirement, as evidenced by the very low graduation rates in many Florida community colleges.

Further information about the SCNS and eligibility for transfer among participating institutions is available at the Florida Department of Education web site: http://scns.fldoe.org.

Janis Schoonmaker, President

Everest University
(Formerly known as FMU)

[tj]

Tampa College, FMU, and now Everest. All three are the same. They are names of a scam "college". They are supposedly accredited nationally but not regionally.

SACS is the REGIONALLY accr. body for FL. This means any credits from REGIONALLY ACCR. schools will transfer to others. But when I called they insisted they were accred. but by whom?

That is where there is misleading info.
If you are specific in asking if they are REGIONALLY accrd. then they will say no. But to JOE Q. PUBLIC there was no difference until credits wouldn't transfer.

Since FMU is a for-profit they can get around the REGIONAL accred. requirements.
What this means for the student is that NONE of the credits will transfer to any of the state or CC colleges.

The student will be told by the receiving college to redo all of the coursework that was taken at FMU aka Tampa College. Also, a person who received an advanced degree from FMU cannot even teach at any local CC college because of the lack of regional accrdn.

The Atty Gen's office needs to shut these type of diploma mills down also, not just the "by mail" ones.

[Deborah Doucas]

FMU
I also have been scamed by FMU, They took my federal pell grant money, they deceived me about there acreditdation from the beginning, when I transferred to USF less than 1/3 of my classes from FMU transferred with less than 2 credits for each class. They kept me enrolled even thought I officialy withdrew from the school(FMU) to get loan and Federal money threw there middleman Global Finacial Aid Services. I filed complaints everywhere with no results. I have to pay back these unauthorized loans and stolen money. The money is not being returned. They also did these practices under another name Tampa College about 7 years ago,they are changing names again; There are at least 2 current law suits against them in Hillsborough county. Do not go to school there. They are one of the most expensive schools around with less of an education.I pray for a class action lawsuit against them. I am not alone many hispanic and older students have no idea what this company CCI (FMU), (EVERST COLLEGE),(TAMPA COLLEGE)is doing and keeping threr money. Please help!!!!