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| 11 suggested that I should further my education. With this
12 suggestion, I felt it best to simply pick up the same 13 tracks I was walking when I last attended college. 14 I reenrolled with Devry University and 15 began classes again during November 2010 under a 16 condensed schedule. I felt being able to isolate 17 classes and take a condensed curriculum, which amounted 18 to two classes per eight-week schedule versus four 19 classes for an entire 16-week semester offered me the 20 best opportunity to not lose focus, both on my mission, 21 foremost, and on my education. 22 The first offerings, I was granted while 23 using the student FAFSA and completed with above-average 24 grades. I decided to continue my degree into a second 25 semester by using my sponsor tuition assistance. After 
1 providing all of the documentation and paperwork for the 2 TA to be allotted, I proceeded to take additional 3 courses from Devry. Through this semester, I returned 4 back to Georgia, and while proceeding to enroll for my 5 follow-on courses, I hit a proverbial brick wall. 6 Through a series of conversations and 7 regulations, it came to light that the tuition 8 assistance which covered the course rate from my 9 previous classes was never allotted, due to the fact 10 that the institution had not converted my accounts or 11 received the payments. The only explanation I was given 12 was provided by the DOD Education Department which 13 stated that Devry never filled out paperwork to allow 14 for the payment. While Devry consistently deferred my 15 inquiries to another representative before finally 16 stating that it was my own fault, no matter how much 17 this explanation was belied by my paper trail. The cost 18 of the contested classes was then conveyed on to me at 19 the regular student rate rather than the active-duty 20 military tuition rate, thus, almost doubling the cost 21 that I was instructed to pay out of pocket. 22 Due to the amalgamation of horrid 23 happenstance, I was unable to receive recourse from the 24 DOD TA program due to the fact that a new fiscal year 25 had begun. And while I was able to get Devry to
1 eventually change my financial obligation to reflect my 2 active-duty status and the subsequent rate that 3 accompanied it, they refused to offer any further 4 assistance in resolving my issue beyond advising the 5 Yellow Ribbon Program. The program did not address my 6 frustration, and as all obligation was placed upon me, I 7 was left unable to further my education in light of this 8 brick wall. 9 On top of learning of my debt, it also came 10 to light that Devry had unceremoniously and without my 11 knowledge, changed my major, thus negating over half of 12 my credit hours. This was a chain on my life for the 13 next few years until I moved to Denver, Colorado to 14 begin my post-military civilian life. It was at this 15 point that I reconnected with a former friend and fellow 16 veteran who now runs Post One for the VFW who advised of 17 a university in the Denver Metro area. 18 Upon enrolling, I quickly found out that 19 the hysteria surrounding my post enrollment -- or my 20 past enrollment with Devry was coming back to haunt me, 21 A hold in the place of my status with Devry, and after 22 several conversations with Admissions, it became clear 23 that the institution would not provide my official 24 transcripts until I had paid the previously disputed 25 obligation. Thankfully, my counselors at Metro State
1 University were incredible and proceeded to waiver 2 numerous prerequisites to allow me to take my more 3 advanced curriculum. But every good thing must come to 4 an end. Eventually, I was advised that they could no 5 longer continue that practice and I was, again, forced 6 to withdraw from a postsecondary institution. To date, 7 I still have not been able to fully utilize my GI Bill 8 benefits without starting my education from scratch and 9 scrapping over 60 credit hours that I obtained from 10 Devry. 11 For my conclusion, I do not wish to rehash 12 my story but convey that this is not an isolated 13 incident. Through my distressed history with for-profit 14 colleges, I have listened to countless other veterans' 15 tales with abject horror at how they were treated. In 16 my own experience, I felt it was my own vulnerability 17 and ignorance that was exploited for -- 18 MR. MARTIN: Time. 19 MR. CLARK: -- further gains by the 20 institution over my best interests. 21 This would be my true conclusion, that, too 22 often, our education institutions who operate for 23 explicit profit are given the benefit of the doubt that 24 they're working in the best interest of the student who 25 is, in fact, simply viewed as a number and an invoice.
1 I was an active-duty deployed soldier and still felt 2 exploited. If this is a situation where one does not 3 call for the increased protections provided by these 4 rules, I am unsure how further an institution can fall 5 before sufficient action should be taken. Thank you. 6 MR. MANNING: Thank you. 7 MR. MARTIN: Next, we'll hear from 8 Dr. Janice Knebl. 9 DR. KNEBL: Good afternoon. I'll just pass 10 those to you. 11 My name is Dr. Janice Knebl. I'm an 12 osteopathic physician and chair of the American 13 Osteopathic Commission on Osteopathic College 14 Accreditation, known as COCA. Thank you for the 15 opportunity to present comments on behalf of the COCA 16 today. 17 I commend the Department of Education for 18 initiating a new negotiating rulemaking process to 19 address some of the shortcomings in the current Gainful 20 Employment regulations, particularly as they apply to 21 graduate and professional schools. 22 As the Department begins to consider the 23 preliminary agenda for the negotiated rulemaking Directory: policy -> highered -> reg -> hearulemaking policy -> American bar association adopted by the house of delegates policy -> The Threats of policy -> 2nd Quarter 2010 policy -> Nato unclassified north atlantic treaty organisation policy -> Department of the Navy Office of the Assistant Secretary (Research, Development and Acquisition) Washington, dc 20350-1000 navy marine corps acquisition regulation supplement policy -> Policy Manual June 2015 policy -> Executive summary Download 5.96 Mb. Share with your friends:
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