Crown College Former Officers Indicted

Well as the Seattle PI reported four former Crown College officers were indicted for financial aid fraud. This would include almost the entire office staff: former vice president, Sheila Mullineaux; the college's admissions director and registrar, Jesica McMullin; and financial aid director Misty Lee and Jennifer Byers, the fiscal manager and bookkeeper. Well, it took three years, but justice has never been known for its speed and the truth is easily obscured and obfuscated. Crown College was always been a business and that trumped every other consideration, including educating and honesty. Most people think accreditation is accreditation. Unfortunately, it is not. There is national accreditation, which is basically conferred to vocational, career schools and regional accreditation which is conferred on academic institutions. In many cases, the credits don't mix, i.e., most academic institutions do not accept credits from Crown College and other nationally accredited schools. Now there is quite a debate as to whether this is fair or not, however, that issue never excused Crown College from being honest with their students. Instead, they complained about the unfairness of regional accredited schools not accepting their credits for transfer while at the same time, telling their students, that Crown's colleges credits transferred. No problem.

Let's take a trip back in time. Crown College's success and even existence was always intricately tied to the ability of its staff to convince students that its credits were transferable to academic institutions. So they lied to students, bold faced lies, and they were able to get away with it, for a long time.

Each of these former officers, that have been charged by the federal grand jury lied to students in order to keep Crown College in the black and in fact it brought in $4,000,000 at its zenith. Your tax money boys and girls, since the money comes from the federal government. As far back as 1997 a complaint was filed against Crown College complaining that that credits that Crown College officials stated would transfer did not. Lola Jackson finally brought a case against Crown College and they finally settled out of court. However, Latisha Gonzalez filed a lawsuit and then a class action lawsuit was filed and then the media became involved. John Wabel, who basically was Crown College, had no choice but to stake his entire reputation on defeating the Gonzalez suit. It's amazing to see how he refuses to even accept the possibility that his administrators could lie, which, of course it appears that they did.

The publicity generated by the class action lawsuit exposed Crown College's practice of lying about the transferability of their credits and then, after an epic judicial struggle, Crown College lost the Gonzalez lawsuit, was saddled with paying Gonzalez's attorneys $70,000 and an injunction which prohibited them from deceiving students. They settled a second law suit for $70,000 and then hoped to resume their "business" practices. However, stuffing a cat back into a bag is no mean task, especially with the indelible stain that the internet can leave, but I'm mixing metaphors. Suffice to say, that once students realized that the Crown College's credits did not transfer, they no longer wished to pay the premium fee to attend it. Community colleges were a much better deal.

Crown College was never able to recover despite an influx of money and a new round of advertisements. It was already all over the internet that the school's credits did not transfer. Thus, it was clear it was going to close and that is when these officers hatched this scheme.

So I Called Herzing Myself

So, I called Herzing College as it was suggested "I" do. I had never called a for-profit school before and it was a very interesting experience. Not unlike calling a car lot or a health club, but more on that later. The deal that the person I spoke to you told me, after checking with the project manager, was that this school has "made a deal with Crown" (aka John Wabel) to accept all of Crown's students; credits. He also pointed out that I would "have a hard time" finding any school to accept Crown's credits, a fact that I was already well aware of. The deal is, as I was told, was that the discount -- wherein Herzing would lower its tuition to that of Crown's and provide free textbooks and software, was only available if the student started this "fall" semester.

Herzing College is not the first for-profit school to accept Crown's credits. University of Phoenix has accepted them for some time. However, many students were induced to go to Crown by misrepresentations made by Crown College admission representatives that there credits would transfer to schools such as public University of Washington and other schools which cost considerably less than Herzing or University of Phoenix. So the fact that Herzing will take their credits, though fortuitous, does not undue the fraud that visited upon them.

Herzing Will Now Accept All Crown College Credits From Current Students

In an earlier Tacoma News Tribune Article, a student stranded by Crown College's loss of accreditation lamented that, despite John Wabel's assurances, Herzing College would only take a portion of her credits and that it cost more than Crown College. Thus, she would have to attend Herzing College for two more years before she received her Bachelor's degree and borrow more money.

It appears, that in response to that article, Herzing has "reversed" course and now, as reported in a follow-up Tacoma News Tribune story, Herzing states that it will accept all the credits of Crown College students currently stranded by Crown College's closure as long as they are earned a "C" or better which is standard practice for transfer. Also, Herzing will charge them reduced tuition and give them complimentary software and books.

Hmmmm, it would appear that Herzing changed (or clarified) its position not out of some kind of everyman, altruistic concern for the academically shipwrecked students but out of perhaps embarrassment at the previous story which appeared to contradict the first reports that they would take all the credits. They are after all a for-profit institution so unfortunately, their motives are suspect. This is an opportunity for them get an influx of students and some name recognition. It also displays the power of the media. Had the Tacoma News Tribune not published the story of the Crown College student whose credits were not going all be accepted and the higher tuition, would Herzing College have changed their position? Somehow I do not think so.

However, the end result will be that the last batch of Crown College students will be the most fortunate inasmuch as they will end up with a credits and degrees from a regionally accredited institution making them truly transferable to most institutions. Something none of the previous 17 years of Crown College students had despite the fact that many admission representatives told them that. Ironic, that they are saved by Crown College's demise! Truly ironic.

Crown College Key Employees Investigated for Financial Aid Fraud

As the Seattle Times reported, federal investigators suspect several Crown College employees of financial aid fraud, conspiracy to defraud and bank fraud. The Department of Education, Office of Inspector General served a search warrant on Crown College and seized records, a lot of records as the returned search warrant details. Apparently, some clever Crown employees, when they suspected that Crown College was going to close, applied for federal loans and grants though they were not and had no intention of attending classes. They figured that once Crown closed the loans would be discharged under Department of Education rules governing school closures and they would retain the funds thus unjustifiably enriching themselves. Unfortunately, Crown did not close when they thought it would, so they dummied up documents giving the appearance that they were attending the school.

Well considering how these employees excel in contriving documents and lying to prospective students, (Read the Declaration of Adrienne Rocco, a former admissions representative and her complaint to the ACCSCT) this was easy enough for them to do. Especially since many of them lack a moral compass, traits that made them quite valuable to school whose profits were premised on lies. There are a few honest employees at the school, as misplaced as they are, and one of them reported the fraud to the HECB which reported it to the Department of Education.

Mr. Wabel informed the Seattle Times that he was unaware of the investigation and declared that the perpetrators were innocent. It seems that Mr. Wabel, as is his habit, was looking the other way, or perhaps behind his back (as he is in the above picture of a Crown College employee get together). However, the affidavit filed in support of the search warrant strongly implies that Mr. Wabel was indeed aware of the investigation, notwithstanding his statement to the contrary. Moreover, the affidavit cites a kaleidoscope of evidence pointing to the potential culpability of all the Crown College administrators named in the search warrant which include Sheila Mullineaux, the director of the school, Jesy McMullin, the senior admissions representative (who allegedly lied about the transferability of Crown credits to several former Crown students), Misty Lee, the financial director and Jennifer Byers, the business manager.

Mr. Wabel is quoted as saying that the employees listed in the warrant "are good at what they do." Would that be lying and stealing? The fact that some of the most trusted, and senior administrators at Crown might endeavor to defraud the federal government simply because they felt that they could get away with it, shows you how casually they could defraud the very students who depended on them for guidance and truth. It might well be why they rose so high in the organization. Mr. Wabel has to be proud of his employee selection process!

John Wabel, Humanitarian to Students ... In His Dreams!

After recovering from laughing so hard at the quote "not a dry eye in the building" in the Seattle Times article referring to the state of Crown College's shuttered employees I was confronted with the Tacoma News Tribune article which quotes John Wabel (pictured with Randi Jones, Director of Education, left, and unknown employee) stating that "That is the only thing that mattered to us then, and it's all that matters now," referring to his efforts to assist students in jumping from the wrecked ship that is Crown College. Strange that he is attempting to help the students now, when he could have provided them much more assistance in not lying to them when they first had the misfortune of crossing the "virtual" threshold of his school and getting their "virtual" education. Instead he and his admission representatives lied about the accreditation of the school and the transferability of their credits. Ironically enough, Mr. Wabel was quoted in a Seattle Times article: "Crown College owner John Wabel remains adamant that Crown credits transfer in many cases." However, if the credits transfer "in many cases" he wouldn't have to be scouring the nation to find a school that accepts them now, so far locating only an obscure online school in Wisconsin which apparently will not take all the credits.

Mr. Wabel laments that his school was closed by the ACCSCT as opposed to the ACCSCT trying to help him place more students in jobs. Mr. Wabel does not identify how the ACCSCT was supposed to assist his school. However, this a continuation of Mr. Wabel's attempt to shift the blame for his own shortcomings. Now its the accreditation's agency's fault that the education that his students pay so dearly for, is inadequate. When he was sued successfully it was the plaintiff's fault. In fact, he is quoted in the article as calling her a liar:

"It did not happen," Wabel said. "We are not wrong, and it sets a precedent for the entire industry. Anybody can make up a story, but what is in writing?"

Well I guess its sets a precedent for the part of the industry -- and for-profit education is indeed an industry -- that lies to its prospective students, which is, well most of the industry. The for-profit education industry is notorious for having admission representatives tell ever increasing fibs about key aspects of the school which are disavowed by the contract. These students who tend to be trusting and somewhat naive, tend to trust the admission representatives who they assume are there to assist them.

John Wabel's Fantasy Land - More on Crown College Closure

Reading Crown College’s press release regarding its closure is hilarious as it speaks of “being removed from the ACCSCT’s list of accrediting schools” in terms most clinical. It's as if losing its accreditation was a coincidental occurrence devoid of any negative connotation attached to Crown College itself. It was if they left the accreditation on the top of their car as they drove off and it fell off, just a happenstance, an unfortunate accident. According to article today in the Tacoma News Tribune, the revocation of Crown's College accreditation by the ACCSCT was the result of Crown's failure to place enough (70%) of the students in the fields they were training for. Thus, one could reasonably conclude that Crown's curriculum, facilities and/or faculty were inferior. Or, it could also be their reputation was such that employers were reluctant to hire their graduates.

The "management" of Crown, attribute their loss of accreditation to the supposed "turmoil" in education and Crown’s lack of nimbleness and finances. It is hard to understand how "turmoil" in education or nimbleness is relevant to their inability to place 70% of their graduates in the jobs they are paying Crown to train them to fill. However, the lack of finance might well be at fault, inasmuch as not enough money is going into the process of education vis a vis promoting or inducing students to attend. The amount of money charged, $17,000 a year for a truncated, quickie education program should pay enough for a good education considering how much less community colleges charge. Perhaps that money was not being properly utilized? More likely that money was obviously not being properly utilized! It was going into John Wabel's and Sheila Mullineaux's collective pockets instead of to a sound system that worked. The fabled Cloudroom that Mr. Wabel totes as so innovative has never worked right according to many of the students I have spoken to.

Crown College Loses ACCSCT Accreditation!

Finally, it has happened, Crown College's accrediting agency the ACCSCT could not ignore the antics and misadventures of John Wabel and Sheila Mullineaux (both pictured) and their merry gang of deceitful thieves who have been running a reverse Robin Hood scam, stealing from the poor and giving to the rich, mainly themselves. They have systematically instructed their admission representatives to lie to students about the transferability of their credits since at least 1998. About 50 victims of this fraud have come forth and the testimony of ten of them was instrumental to the jury finding that Crown College had violated the Consumer Protection Act in early 2006. It takes a "special" person to blatantly lie repeatedly to poor students who are attempting to improve their economical standing. A letter from the ACCSCT dated July 31, 2007, that it has revoked Crown College's accreditation. Unfortunately, many of the students that they swindled will not get their day in court or any other recompense. One of the reasons that Crown College was able to get away with their little charade was because they fell into a regulatory crack. Since they granted degrees the were not under the auspices of the WorkForce Board. Since they had been operating in Washington state for some time accredited by an agency recognized by the Department of Eduction, to wit, the ACCSCT they were exempt from the HEC Board. By virtue of the ACCSCT pulling their accreditation, they have lost that exemption. If they "reopen" they will have to apply to the HEC Board for approval. Hard to see how they will merit such approval and if they do, the HEC Board will certainly by a more stringent master than the ACCSCT and will not put up for their deceptive practices.

Hmmm, does that mean that regulation works, well eventually maybe and helped out by other factors, mainly a trio of successful lawsuits and the resulting mass of bad publicity. The ACCSCT has had Crown College on probation more times than Alan Sandler had bad dates. In fact, they were on probation when they were first sued back in January of 2006. A Pierce County jury found that they had violated the Washington State Consumer Protection Act and the judge awarded a $6,000 judgment and $77,000 in attorney fees. They settled another lawsuit for $87,000. Those lawsuits shined a decidedly unflattering light on the school. According to an article in the Puget Sound Business Journal, this may well be the final demise of a school which was built on not too subtle lies and deception.

There is an article in the Seattle Times about Crown College closing. I thought I might die from lack of oxygen, it being very difficult to breath while laughing. "Not a dry eye in the building." Who knew that crooks could cry, well apparently when it comes to be separated from their money. I wonder how many dry eyes are among their many student victims. Sheila Mullineux talks about how they are the Little Engine That Could School which is apparently the party line. In reality, they are a school that has generated money based completely on lies and they have lied with astounding impunity and a disregard for reality that is astonishing in its scope. They have probably built up such an immunity to truth such that their tongues might break out in sores if they spoke it! John Wabel denials that Crown's admission representatives lied to prospective students ratchets up in direct proportion to the evidence they they did. At the Gonzalez trial, one of the jury members told me that Mr. Wabel was his own worst enemy and he continues to be. In a Tacoma News Tribune they claim they will do some restructuring and reopen. Perhaps they mean the installation of truth monitors...

Approximately 50, and counting, former students have come forward and told attorneys or news media that they have been told by Crown College admission representatives that Crown College's credits would transfer to regionally accredited schools. Crown lost one lawsuit and settled two. There are two more pending lawsuits right now. Dale Pryor v. Killebrew/Dalton, Inc., John Wabel and Sheila Mullineux, Pierce County Case No. 07 2 060885 and Roberta Swigert and Janelle Page v. Killebrew/Dalton, Inc. and John Wabel, also in Pierce County Superior Court. In the second lawsuit, the plaintiffs have schedule a motion for default as the defendants have not filed an answer.

Corinthian Colleges Settles California Lawsuit

One of the largest players in the lucrative "business" of for-profit education, Corinthian Colleges, has settled a lawsuit with the California Attorney General's Office. The hits just keep on coming apparently, leaving one wondering if there are any for-profit schools which are not attempting to cheat their students or marks. Corinthian will pay $6.5 million to settle a lawsuit "alleging" that the chain engaged in deceptive business practices by lying about their job placement record. This is an extremely common practice among for-profit schools, along with lying about accreditation or the transferability of credits, ala Crown College or Florida Metropolitan University. For-profit education's business model favors the bottom line at the expense of the students and thus is fatally flawed. There is a press release from the California Attorney General's Office which includes a copy of the complaint and the final judgment. There are so many instances of students being fleeced by these schools that one might wonder if any of these schools are legitimate. When you have the leaders in the for profit industry admitting that they are lying about their capabilities, then can the others be far behind? The for profit education industry is very much like the health club industry according to this article about American Intercontinental University.

California Regulation of For-Profits and Why National Accreditation Does Not Stop Fraud

Per a Inside Higher Education article, California's Governator characterized the statute and regulations that created Bureau for Private Postsecondary and Vocational Education, which regulates for-profit vocational post-secondary schools, “fundamentally flawed,” in a message vetoing an extension of it. This will leave the state's for-profit, career, technical and vocational school industry unregulated if the legislation is not replaced by July 1, 2007. Actually the statute worked rather well until it was amended in 1997 by a Republican legislature in response to complaints from for-profit schools as explained by a 2000 article San Francisco Weekly which details the the history of regulation of for-profit trade schools in California. It is a must read for anybody wondering about how California vocational school regulation came to this somber state. The article details how California went, from its haven as a diploma mill in the early 1980s, to the passage of the Maxine Waters School Reform and Student Protection Act in 1989, which created the Council for Private and Postsecondary Education and which cleaned up the for-profit education. That act expired in 1997 and Governor Pete Wilson vetoed an extension of it. Then of course, the for-profit vocational schools lobbied to eviscerate it and the Republican legislature gave the for-profit industry its wish and diluted the protections in the original legislation not to mention reducing the contributions schools had to make to a tuition reimbursement fund. Thus here were are now..

The bill being argued before the California legislature would exempt institutions regionally accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges, or WASC, from the state’s private college oversight system, which has always focused on unaccredited, or nationally accredited for-profit colleges. This is not new, the old law also exempted WASC. However, nationally accredited schools want the same exemption arguing that their accreditation is just as good as regional accreditation and is recognized by the Department of Education.

This is an argument these schools have been circulating for some time now, just like water in the toilet before it hits the drain. The schools who have a history of deceiving students are nationally schools, Crown College (Tacoma), Court Reporting Institute, Florida Metropolitan University, Brooks College, Bryman College and these are just the ones that come readily to mind. Did their accreditors do anything to stop them from deceiving students? That would be negative. Court Reporting Institute (CRI) was shut down by the Washington state licensing agency and finally filed for bankruptcy protection while the Accrediting Council for Independent Colleges and Schools (ACICS) did nothing and that isn't the first time this has happened. The Department of Education and New York State regulators shut down two ACICS accredited schools while ACICS stood idly by. If California is going to exempt nationally accredited career, technical and vocational schools from its regulatory scheme, why bother having regulations at all?

National accreditors have shown precious little inclination to regulate the schools they accredit. Accrediting isn't regulation I guess. I watched while educators and students sent extremely serious complaints to the ACCSCT about Crown College and yet they continued to deceive students and offer a sub par education. ACICS ignored the problems with CRI as the state finally shut them down. These accreditors time appears to be taken up more with lobbying for their schools and against regulating them.

Western Career College Sued, Another For-Profit Education Fraud?

Reading the story it certainly has the blueprint of the prototypical for-profit career school scam. Twenty students who graduated from the ultra-sound program are now suing the school for fraud and misrepresentation claiming they were lured into enrollment with misrepresentations about the quality of placement, accreditation, facilities, teaching, internships, whatever they deem necessary to enroll students. Once the student enrolls they find that the promises were illusionary. When the fraud is well prepared, the student does not discover the fraud until they have expended valuable time and money. Watching the KCRA3 broadcast of the story is even scarier as these students claim that they were thrust into ultrasound internships with insufficient training or supervision and that doctors were depending on their accurate diagnosis, a diagnosis they felt unsure about.

Schools that end up in the inquisitive scope of the news media tend to react in two ways. They get on camera or on print and answer the allegations, generally denying them, sometimes with distinct disdain like John Wabel of Crown College did. Others, simply do not comment to the media, like Alen Janish and Mike Girgus of CRI. In this case, the president of the school takes the Crown College avenue, steadfastly defending the school despite the fact that three-quarters of the graduating class is suing them.

In response to the allegation that the students who were interning at the hospital felt that they did not have the training to render competent ultra sound diagnosis, the president states that it is not unusual that a trainee would feel unsure in that position. The president also admitted that the school lacked the proper accreditation a fact that was disclosed in writing to students. However, admission representatives and staff assured the students that the school would get accreditation. That is a standard fraudulent practice by for-profit trade schools and was used by Crown College. Students signed a vague statement that stated that their was no guarantee that the credits would transfer. However, the language was designed to leave the students thinking the credits would transfer in most cases when that was exactly the opposite and Crown College staff knew this. This nebulous statement coupled with admission representatives assuring the students that the credits would transfer completed the fraud.

Many fraudulent schools employ this tactic. We don't have the proper accreditation and/or licensing and/or authorization but we will get it soon, not to worry, by the time you enroll/graduate everything will be in order. He also admitted that some of the students did not get the proper health screening. It will be interesting to see how this shakes out. Reading the plaintiff's attorney's press release certainly makes the school look like the classic for-profit education con.

Ironically, Western Career College is one of only five regionally accredited vocational/trade schools in California. So I can't pound on national accreditation because of their fraud. However, several for-profit schools which are nationally accredited have resorted to fraud, most notably University of Phoenix.

For-Profits Want Their Credits Accepted By Regionals To Increase Profits, Not For Concern For Their Students.

Since 2001 nationally accredited schools, which are overwhelmingly, for-profit, career, technical and vocational, have had the Transfer of Credit Blues as detailed in the Chronical of Higher Education and have been working to make it more difficult for regionally accredited schools to reject their credits, if not compel them to accept them. This last failure to accomplish this feat has to be frustrating. As I have stated before, they are fundamental reasons why nationally accredited schools which are trade, technical, career and vocational schools are fundamentally different from regionally accredited schools, which are academic. One of the nationals' biggest arguments is that the Department of Education recognizes both accreditations as a reason why regionally accredited schools should accept their credits. This is a bogus argument however, the Department of Education does not set educational standards, the accrediting agencies do, so the fact that the Department recognizes an accrediting agency does not mean that they are all equal in requirements and quality.

One of the reasons that nationally accredited schools have fought so hard to make it hard for regionals to reject their credits, is not because of any concern for their students. If their credits were transferable, this would enhance the value of their schools aka their businesses and investment.

In an article in Inside Higher Education, Elise Scanlon, executive director of the Accrediting Commission of Career Schools and Colleges of Technology and Mark Pelesh, executive vice president for legislative and regulatory affairs at Corinthian Colleges, Inc. "both acknowledged, as has been clear in the for-profit sector’s push for new rules or laws on transfer of credit, that part of the reason the issue is so important to commercial colleges is because of what the perceived discrimination says to students and others about their institutions."

Many of for-profit students have complained about the fact the their credits do not transfer to traditional universities and some have sued. Ironically enough, Nancy Broff, general counsel for the Career College Association (CCA), which represents for-profit schools once said: "Students often don't know if their credits will transfer until after switching schools. Most students and parents are unaware of the pitfalls they may encounter if they switch from a career college to a traditional four-year institution." Obviously if the nationally accredited schools are petitioning the government to have them "regulate" acceptance of their credits by regionals, they know there is a problem. Strange how many of their students are not informed of this, huh?

In other words, the real problem, is that many nationally accredited schools purposely don't tell their students of the transfer of credit problem before they enroll! Some go further, and lie and state that the credits transfer, though they know they don't, e.g. Crown College and Florida Metropolitan University.

For-Profit's Lose Out On Transfer of Credits Clause - Money Can't Buy Everything

Well the Senate has revealed the Higher Education Renewal Act and after a cruel feint, that almost gave this blogger a restless night, the for-profit education industry and their campaign contributions have failed to bend reality to their liking again. Despite the fact, that it was included in an earlier draft, there will be no provision mandating that traditional academic universities not solely take into account accreditation when considering whether or not to accept credits from for-profit nationally accredited schools which are overwhelmingly career, technical and vocational in nature. Now that's a mouthful but in essence, as we stated before, for-profit, nationally accredited schools have wanted legislation that dictates that regionally accredited schools cannot reject their transfer credits just because they come, well, from nationally accredited schools.

Now nationally accredited, for-profit schools have been screaming that they are being discriminated against when regionally accredited schools consider the accreditation of nationally accredited schools when making a determination whether or not to accept credits transfered from those schools. Ironically enough, though for-profit schools trumpet the virtues of the free enterprise system, they have sought recourse in the regulatory process, at least as concerns righting this perceived wrong. They have appeared to be on the precipice of such a victory several times, especially with a Republican Congress quite sympathetic to their "plight". However, the Republicans didn't have enough time to pass their version of the Higher Education Act renewal which would have included this language.

When that Congress was replaced by a Democrat one, the Senator of Education, Margret Spelling (pictured) and her Commission on the Future of Higher Education set about to rewrite the accrediting rules to include this provision. What was interesting about this committee that was appointed to rewrite the accrediting rules is the fact that it was overly weighted with representatives of the for-profit education industry while no members of the research and liberal universities who would most be affected by this clause were on the committee. It was as if the Department of Education was trying ensure the outcome by the selection of the persons on the rule making committee. Even with things weighted toward a "positive outcome, the vote to include the transfer of credit provision still failed. As "Inside Higher Education" reported, the person who voted against the provision was then "urged" to resign her seat on the rules committee. That would have resulted in the transfer of credit passage passing.

Well Congress watched Ms. Spelling's attempt to circumvent Congress's jurisdiction build in a series of rule making meetings on accreditation and sent several signals of its discontent, including, a letter from several members of Congress, a letter to Spelling from Lamar Alexander, a republican senator and former secretary of education, protestations from the states, finally in its proposed passage of the higher education act Congress has prohibited the Secretary of Education would prohibit the Education Department from changing federal regulations on colleges’ transfer of credit policies. In fact, Spellings conceded that Congress had trumped her and that her department would not issue new regulations.

For-profits have contributed much money toward getting this provision passed, alas, to no end and that would appear to be one of the reasons that Republicans and the Republican Secretary of Education has pursued this transfer of credit legislation and then rule change. The Department of Education is filled with refugees from for-profit education and the House Committee governing Education was headed by two republican representatives who took a great deal of contributions from for-profit education. Well, money can't buy you everything.

Crown College Lies

Crown College, in Tacoma, Washington, is the biggest reason not to choose for-profit education. Crown College is a vocational, mostly on-line school which holds itself to be an academic institution because it issues issues bachelor and associate degrees as if that's all it needed to do. However, its still just a vocational, "career" school and its credits and degrees generally don't transfer to academic aka "real" schools. It has managed to deceive many customers, oh students, into believing that its degrees and credits do transfer. This has resulted in it being sued three times by eleven different students! Crown settled two of these Lola Jackson v. Killebrew/Dalton, Inc. and Joanne Black v. Killebrew/Dalton, Inc. lawsuits were settled and Crown College lost the Latesha Gonzalez v. Killebrew/Dalton, Inc. case at trial. IF YOU WANT YOUR CREDITS TO TRANSFER TO A REGIONALLY ACCREDITED SCHOOL DON'T GO TO CROWN COLLEGE.

Incidentally, the logo states that they were founded in 1969, well Crown College of Hair Design was founded in 1969. However, that school was purchased 1990 by John Wabel and now bears little resemblance to a beauty school ... actually it might, at least in quality. Mr. Wabel, who despite the fact that he does not possess even a nationally accredited college degree, has come across a fantastic way to make money: having students borrow it from the federal government and then turning it over to him for an online, inferior education. In fact, Mr. Wabel has been providing a sub par education for students for over 10 years now. As far back as 1997, complaints show that Crown College has been misleading students regarding the quality or lack there of its educational programs much like a used car salesman might mislead you about the facts concerning several mechanical occupants of his lot. More importantly, he and his staff have misrepresented (lied) about the nature of their accreditation and the transferability of their credits for the same amount of time. Crown College is accredited by the American Commission of Career Schools and Colleges of Technology (ACCSCT) and is on probation yet again.

A former admissions representative came forward and filed a complaint against Crown College alleging that she was instructed to mislead (lie) and misrepresent (lie) and deceive (lie) prospective students about many pertinent facts including Crown College's accreditation (national accreditation is better than regional accreditation), whether Crown College was being sued (Oh, its not this Crown College that's being sued), whether or not Crown College's credits transfered to other schools (well we educate students all over the nation so our credits are transferable to all schools). Why, why would they lie to prospective students? Well the bottom line. This school is a money making enterprise and let's say they are highly motivated when it comes to generating revenue ... ummm, recruiting students though not as motivated when it comes to educating their students but then education is a mere by-product of making money. It's a great scam, an unlimited supply of money from the federal government. This student is a conduit, a middle man, a funnel, through which loan money flows into the school's bank account. Thus education is not the end, its a means to the end. The end is making money.

For-Profit Education's Admission "Standards"...

Well, they don't have any because they are businesses. If you are running a car dealership and a customer comes in wanting to buy a car and has a driver's license you are going to sell him one! If one comes in vaguely thinking about buying a car you're going to try to sell him (or her) one. If one comes in because he wants to use the bathroom, you're going to try to sell him a car. If they need a loan you will do everything within your power to arrange one. You are not concerned with his driving record or if its the right car for him. The first problem belongs to his insurance agency, the second one to him. That's how businesses operate, that's what they do, they sell things that's the only way they can profit.

Well for-profit educational institutions are like car businesses, and they don't operate much differently. If a student comes in with a GED and wants an education they will sell him one and if he's not sure he wants one from them they will do everything they can to convince him that their education suits him. If ultimately it doesn't suit him that's not their problem.

Ohhh, but for-profit education has a huge advantage over car dealers and other like businesses. They have no worries about customer's credit records, don't need to have a service department and no pesky warranties. The customer always gets the loan regardless of his credit record and the for-profit educational institution always gets their money ... well as long as the customer stays in school. If the customer doesn't like the education and it doesn't end up suiting their needs, well that's too bad, its non-returnable and non-refundable!

Now, under those circumstances, do you really expect for-profit educational institutions to turn customers, ummmm.... students away!!!


Crown College is like that. Students came in wanting an education which they could transfer to a traditional school. What did the admission representatives do, tell them that they could transfer Crown College's credits to a traditional school? Why, because the Crown College makes a profit from each student it enrolls and profit is what concerns them. There has been amble evidence that this is the policy of other for-profit educational institutions. The Chronicle of Higher Education published an article concerning an investigation of Career Education Corporation which revealed that they were very reluctant to turn anyone away. "If you can breathe and walk, you can get into the school," says a professor who wished to remain anonymous."

The Chronicle has talked to credible sources and reviewed documents that strongly suggest that, over the last several years, administrators at the campus here have:

* Regularly admitted students who had not graduated from high school or earned a General Educational Development certificate, and directed many of those students to unaccredited high schools where they could obtain high-school diplomas the very same day.

* Improperly counted as "starts" students who never showed up for class or dropped out before they had completed their first week of courses.

* Encouraged admissions officers to sign up themselves, as well as family members and friends, and counted them as "starts" even if they never actually attended.

* Routinely misled prospective students about the college's classes and programs, as well as about the nature of the institution itself.

University of Phoenix paid a $9 million to the Department of Education to settle charges that it gave admission representatives incentives to enroll students regardless of whether they were academically suited to for the program of study. Moreover, University of Phoenix, still faces a false claims lawsuit which the Supreme Court refused to throw out according to the Los Angeles Times.

A report issued by the department said the company promoted an intense sales culture that rewarded recruiters who encouraged large numbers of students to enroll, even if they were not qualified.

For-profit educational institutions are business regardless of what they might want you to believe and its extremely hard for them not to conduct themselves accordingly. They simply cannot help themselves.

BCTI, CRI, Bryman and Crown College? Something in the Putrid Sound area? Yes, irregulation!

All in around a year or so, all these schools fell off the tightrope, between profiting and educating, the dilemma faced by all for-profit schools. Well in these cases the tightrope was between deceiving students and deceiving students so blatantly that they get caught! Remember its a business first and a school last. We have already covered Crown, let's look at Business Career Technical Institute aka BCTI, now there is a spectacular failure which is still being unraveled though the school has closed up shop. There is a huge class action lawsuit. BCTI seems to be the scam school of all scam schools and that's saying a lot considering its most worthy competition! BCTI amassed huge sums of money by sucking at the Department of Education and the State of Washington's teats not that either agency seems to care that much.

Bryman College, a component of the Corinthian Group which is one of the largest for-profit education companies, is being sued in Tacoma because the school allegedly misrepresented its medical program.

Regulation or lack thereof is certainly part of the problem here! Let's say that it is a "friendly regulatory market" for for-profit schools. Well its a friendly market for any thing that is for-profit. Regulatory agencies are lax, overworked or unduly influenced, or some combination of both.

Remember the savings and loan debacle and what caused it? The Reagan administration unregulated the S&L industry but continued to insure the deposits. So the S&L's got to gamble with the house's money. That's what we have here. These schools would not exist but for federal and state loans and grants and this situation is even more pernicious because of the victims. BCTI preyed on poor and unsophisticated people who will never escape the yolk of the loans that only BCTI benefited from.

I will quote from an article in the Tacoma News Tribune about BCTI by Dave Wickert of the Tacoma News Tribune:

"Its finances were shaky. Its graduation and job-placement rates were substandard. Its students filed lawsuits and complained.

Regulators saw the warning signs. But the Business Computer Training Institute remained open for years, and taxpayers continued to pay millions of dollars to support a school that hundreds of students say defrauded them.

BCTI, a Gig Harbor-based for-profit vocational school, closed last year amid government investigations and a student lawsuit. But government records show the school had a history of run-ins with regulators stretching back more than 20 years.

In the 1990s, federal officials twice threatened to stop funding BCTI, citing financial problems and high default rates on student loans.

A private accrediting agency doubted the quality of BCTI programs as far back as 2001.

Washington state officials dismissed student complaints similar to those now made by more than 400 students in a lawsuit in Pierce County Superior Court.

In each case, BCTI and its co-presidents, Tom Jonez and Morrie Pigott, evaded serious consequences – sometimes with the help of elected officials."

"These people were pros at skirting the law and skirting the ethics,” said Phil Rockefeller, a former U.S. Department of Education supervisor and now a state senator from Bainbridge Island. He oversaw one federal investigation of BCTI.

Irregulation, yes I made the word up but it should have been in the dictionary! State and federal regulators and accreditors had evidence of the fact that this school was failing financially and educationally, yet they gave it the benefit of the doubt or deferred to pressure from elected officials.

I have some knowledge of the Washington State Training and Education Workforce Board and this is not the first case where they were conned, or lured to sleep or overworked or [insert variable excuse]. The schools they were supposed to police got off, survived and kept receiving taxpayer money. Actually, that's a redundant statement since, survival for these schools is receiving taxpayer money.!

If the these regulators were police, I wouldn't even break a sweat if I saw one of them in the rear view mirror, because they'd let me off with a warning each time. Hmmm, maybe the state patrol and the Workforce Board should switch places...

Superior price for inferior product!

Why in the world would anyone pay such a SUPERIOR price for an INFERIOR Crown College, BCTI, CRI education? I know why. It's because it's SOLD to you that way in the admissions office. Even though most states make it against regulations to pay recruiters and admissions employees bonuses or commissions for students they recruit, a lot of schools get around it by giving their reps several "raises" a year instead. And we can only assume many get paid "under the table." But make no mistake about it - it's ALL about the money - and they do get paid well. Unlike the teachers who get a pittance by comparison. They're like bands - they only love you when they're playing. And you, the unwitting student, are the band's audience - they love you when you're giving them your money.

The first person you meet when you visit a private vocational school is the admissions rep. You are his mark, just as surely as if he were the hunter and you were the hunted. He is a SALESMAN - pure and simple - schooled in the art of covering people with snake oil and making them them think it's holy water. They could tell you to go to hell and have you looking forward to the trip - because they have been TRAINED TO DO SO.

Look at the video of Mr. Wabel telling you your credits may not transfer from his school while pointing at his catalog. You get no guarantee even after paying all that EXTRA money!!! And I bet the fine print in his catalog still doesn't tell the whole truth - that being they very RARELY transfer anywhere.

I have an inkling that video obviously isn't often played for prospective students in the admissions office. No - it was a broadcast after Mr. Wabel was sued! Very telling.

Beware - if it walks like a duck and talks like a duck .......

A Crown College Admissions Rep Ate My Education!

This may happen to you because for-profit education admission representatives may have to eat your education so they can eat! This happened to numerous students who believed that their Crown College credits would transfer to regionally accredited schools aka real schools. Crown College, and many other non-profit school's like University of Phoenix and Career Education Corporation, admission representatives are not necessarily there to give you good advice, unless good advice happens to coincide with them getting you to enroll and make money for the school. Remember, these schools are businesses, just like car dealerships, insurance companies, pawn shops. If they can provide a good education AND make money, its all good, but if they can't, they would rather make money. Just make sure you remember that when an admission representative is telling you exactly what she or she thinks you want to hear. Adrienne Rocco, a former admissions representative at Crown College and told about how admissions representatives work in a declaration and a complaint to the ACCSCT.

At Crown College, a lot of students listened to the siren song of some admission representative and ended up wasting their time based on their lies. Things like the sound system is great, it wasn't, we have a fantastic curriculum, they don't, and the biggest one, our credits transfer, no problem. You could end up in the news!

Crown Charges $17k for a Non Transferable Associates Degree!!!

$17,000+ is a lot for the education Crown College will give you. Did you know you can go to a Community College in Washington, which is regionally accredited, they all are, and get an associates degree which you could transfer to another regionally accredited school like say University of Washington, a real school. And it will cost you a lot less! $3,600! Don't take my word for it. Read the table in this article.

Now, when you are funding your education with federal and state loans and grants, it probably doesn't seem like that much. I mean, when I went to school, the loan money was like monopoly money. The concept of paying it back, or even how hard or how long it would take to pay it back was not something I dwelled on. However, you will have to pay it back. The Department of Education may toss it around as if they are some kind of philanthropic axis of giving which Santa Claus heads but don't be fooled. They will hound you, garnish your wages, take your tax return out of your mail box and you cannot dismiss it in bankruptcy. The schools can go bankrupt, but not you. That is a lot of money to pay for a degree which is not transportable. In other words, you can't take the Crown Associates to most regional accredited schools and start on a Bachelor's degree or take the Bachelor's degree and start on a Master's Degree and you will have a hard time transferring the credits. It's only good for the field you get it on. Hmmm, what if there is no work in that field or you get tired of guarding prison inmates? Well tough, you gave up your flexibility when you ended up going to Crown College and getting a dead-end education.

Read this if you don't think these schools will lie to you!

This is a declaration from a former employee of Crown College. In it, this woman details how they mislead, deceived, and just plain lied to students, lied to their accreditation board, and lied to the Dept of Education. She filed a complaint with the ACCSCT also, Crown College's accreditor.

I am getting my education about how NOT to get an education. I wonder if anyone from the Department of Education even cares about the way they do business? I doubt it. They get their money back from the students so it's no skin off their noses if they are taken for a few million now and then.

http://www.crowncollegelawsuits.com/

Can someone please tell me if anyone who attended Crown College in Tacoma ever got a decent job in their field of study without starting over at another school?

Scam School?

You decide.

Why in the world would the operator of this Crown "College" have to point out that it's printed in his catalog that his credits may not transfer? Why isn't it printed on the contract in big bold letters? Or on the front door in big block letters? Simply because you might see it, that's why! Why call them "credits" when in effect, they are just like the little stickers we give our children for their charts when they brush their teeth and do their chores. Except they cost more!!! A lot more! This man is a businessman - not an educator. The operator of a corporation out to make a profit first and foremost.

I watched the video of John Wabel responding to the Black lawsuit on the crown college lies website. He comes across as a pedantic, self-righteous and arrogant little creep. My opinion - crooked as a dog's hind leg! Run for your life and hide your money. It feels like he's taking advantage of people who want to better themselves through education by selling them a bunch of lies - and getting paid for it through the federal student loan program.

If I didn't know better, I would say he could have run Business Career Training Institute (BCTI) or Court Reporting Institute (CRI) - two other scam schools in the Puget Sound area that received recent attention for cheating and lying to students. Join the club, Mr. Wabel. BCTI CRI, and CC (Crown College). Crooks College? One really must wonder.