Comments for Caveat Emptor at http://www.theind.com , comment 1 to 28 out of 20 comments http://www.theind.com Sat, 18 May 2013 22:59:23 +0100 FeedCreator 1.7.3 http://www.theind.com/cover-story/8810-caveat-emptor#comment-21818 I have seen first hand how proprietary schools work and it goes like this most of the time. Pass the students at any cost, flood the market with students with diplomas where they make minimum wage when they graduate, ride the instructors nonstop and then blame them for corporates woes, fear for your job, and your colleagues if the numbers aren't just right!! See the resistance at the corporate level if you seek to make any changes or dare to ask any questions. At the end of the day,the big loser is us- the Taxpayer. I walked out into fresh air and a clean conscience when I left proprietary education. - lookback Thu, 08 Sep 2011 20:09:51 +0100 http://www.theind.com/cover-story/8810-caveat-emptor#comment-20938 Simple: for-profit u education is just not university-level education. It's tantamount to some community colleges. That's why many companies blacklist these degrees straight at their HR department. They're privately instructed "FPU degree, need not apply." Happens over here all the time. Those garbage degrees get you almost nowhere, and with such a large quantity of them out there, those degrees get cheaper in quality everyday. - all_my_fault Tue, 16 Aug 2011 14:54:34 +0100 http://www.theind.com/cover-story/8810-caveat-emptor#comment-20869 Mystery, it can't be her. She isn't that smart, and there isn't enough profanity in it. - Anonymous Sun, 14 Aug 2011 19:56:12 +0100 http://www.theind.com/cover-story/8810-caveat-emptor#comment-20866 The only person responding in favor of Unitech is Deanna, seriously! - Mystery Sun, 14 Aug 2011 07:26:55 +0100 http://www.theind.com/cover-story/8810-caveat-emptor#comment-20857 .. "resonant" is an adjective, not a verb. The verb form of the word is "resonate". I can't believe you misused the word in a sentence insulting someone else for misusing words. And still, no serious answer to the author of the article about what specifically is incorrect in the story. - ragin_cajun Sat, 13 Aug 2011 06:20:08 +0100 http://www.theind.com/cover-story/8810-caveat-emptor#comment-20841 To ... I believe you may be connected to the school somehow. That's the only way anyone would support these people. Nobody who ever left has gone back. Nobody. Your bridge burns when you resign. They'll tell you how good you were, but at the end of the day, you're scum if you leave. You must still be getting a paycheck. - Anonymous Fri, 12 Aug 2011 14:29:22 +0100 http://www.theind.com/cover-story/8810-caveat-emptor#comment-20836 @a ghost that was... You were "tolded"? The "undercoverness"? Your choice of incorrect grammar resonants your Neolithic incompetence. - ... Fri, 12 Aug 2011 13:39:20 +0100 http://www.theind.com/cover-story/8810-caveat-emptor#comment-20832 The above article is so true. I was an instructor at the Houma Campus. I was tolded to pass my students by any means necessary. Believe me I know first hand they were more crooked than crooked could be. I would not send a blind dog to any of the Unitech campuses. I saw alot of employees lose their jobs and be put in a financial bind because they spoke up about the undercoverness that took place at the campus. - A ghost that was an instructor @Unitech in Houma Fri, 12 Aug 2011 12:50:26 +0100 http://www.theind.com/cover-story/8810-caveat-emptor#comment-20823 Public schools cost taxpayers much more than for-profit schools. Other than Pell Grant money, the only money that the taxpayer will have to pay for the for-profit education is on defaulted loans. Taxpayers subsidize every student at public schools. The biggest difference is that MOST for-profit colleges actually assist their students in finding a job. While some of the recruitment practices have been identified as shameful, the practices of state institutions cramming 300 students into freshman classes and calling that an education is equally shameful. I would love to know how many graduates from ULL are employed in their field of study within the first six months of graduation. They don't have a clue because they don't care. According to state universities, their job is education - not job preparation. The reason that private colleges have a lower default rate is that they are mainly attended by the higher income brackets. Exclusivity has its price. Public institutions bring crowds of students into amphitheater style classrooms and hope that 50% of their students drop out so that class sizes will become more conducive to learning. Potential students that come from low income or poor performing school systems do not have a chance in the public system and private schools are too exclusive. Does this mean that they should not have a shot at a better career? For-profit schools, on average, take the section of the population that is most difficult and therefore most expensive to educate. We need more technical professionals in Louisiana and our community college system is a joke. - Fritz Fri, 12 Aug 2011 00:13:39 +0100 http://www.theind.com/cover-story/8810-caveat-emptor#comment-20817 I too worked for the main school accused. Heather's story is true. I worked for them before they became accredited. They couldn't even pay their employees at that point. If you didn't cash your check THAT DAY at THEIR BANK, it bounced. And I was told 'nobody fails'. Essentially, you made the student pass, even if it meant compromising your standards. Unfortunately, they do prey on the lower income individuals and single parents. When students leave, they're no more prepared to work than they were before they enrolled. And further in debt to a horrible bank. What Ashley said is true; the owners only care about their money. If you cross them, especially her, you are in for the wrath of God. - Anonymous Thu, 11 Aug 2011 19:08:39 +0100 http://www.theind.com/cover-story/8810-caveat-emptor#comment-20812 i bet the one hating on heathers story is that dr stewart guy... just saying... - lol Thu, 11 Aug 2011 17:07:33 +0100 http://www.theind.com/cover-story/8810-caveat-emptor#comment-20806 Former employee: Unitech forges documents for COE and other auditing purposes, tells employees to get the job done by any means necessary, and refers to the students as (SOB's)-now isn't that something! The owners especially the woman is very unprofessional and curses and throws a fit at the drop of a dime. Its all about the money and the students and education are the last things on their mind. Rumor has it that they are opening new schools in Dallas and Metarie! I guess the more money for them the merrier! No respect for mankind-ever! - Ashley Thu, 11 Aug 2011 15:03:44 +0100 http://www.theind.com/cover-story/8810-caveat-emptor#comment-20805 I have worked for one of the schools mentioned and everything written is TOTALLY true! If the weekly would contact some of their subscribers I bet she (Heather) would get a very interesting Part 2 to this article. FA Fraud, forging student attendance records, Falsifying placement numbers to satisfy the requirements of their accrediting body, enrolling imaginary students, and enrolling students by any means necessary! And by the way.....I would not worry about a lawsuit as it pertains to writing this article, cause I PROMISE you they do not want their dirty laundry to come out cause it is really dirty!!!! - Lucy Guess Who Thu, 11 Aug 2011 14:56:42 +0100 http://www.theind.com/cover-story/8810-caveat-emptor#comment-20804 ... You've been asked twice, now. First by Farrow and now by the author of the story. You've been given the floor, here's your chance. What specific inaccuracies do you see in the story? Give a few examples. If Heather is such an irresponsible writer--and she may very well be--then put it to her. What exactly in the story is inaccurate? What example from the story she wrote demonstrates she did no research? What is in error? Post it up here. Let's see it. - ragin_cajun Thu, 11 Aug 2011 14:42:17 +0100 http://www.theind.com/cover-story/8810-caveat-emptor#comment-20797 Heather, Did you bother to do any research on the current status of these schools, more specifically the programs you out? I could tell you stories about LSUE an their ultrasound program that would blow your theories out of the water and they are FACTS. Don't be a typically Indy hack, heather. Oops, too late. - ... Thu, 11 Aug 2011 13:28:08 +0100 http://www.theind.com/cover-story/8810-caveat-emptor#comment-20792 Thanks for your input, Charles. The flexibility of the schools was mentioned in the article. As for labeling UoP a vo-tech school, that's not an accurate statement. MBAs and doctorate degrees don't fall under vo-tech status. The positive comments in the article from the UoP grad highlight how these schools can serve someone who's already in the professional world. The story also shines a light on a for-profit model that targets a population of people who aren't getting what they pay for. To "..." - I'd be happy to discuss and defend any issues you have with the article. But you'll have to be more specific about your perceived inaccuracies. So far, all I see are personal attacks. I won't engage with you on that level. - Heather Miller Thu, 11 Aug 2011 12:35:16 +0100 http://www.theind.com/cover-story/8810-caveat-emptor#comment-20787 As a former employee from one of the institutions mentioned in this piece, I do have to agree with its author. These schools have a terrible track record of taking advantage of lower income individuals who are trying to pull themselves up through education. Instead they graduate with 10s of thousands in loans, and return to their minimum wage jobs even more debt-ridden than before. My particular school inaccurately document job placement success, sometimes intentionally forging placements for COE compliance. On the flipside, I do find fault in these students for not doing their research regarding the income expectations postgrad. Any student that believes a criminal justice or dental assistant grad is going to make a fortune should have done their homework on salary.com. Unfortunately, many of these students simply trust these schools and end up disappointed. I truly hope that a strong reform happens soon in these proprietary "schools". - Anonymous Thu, 11 Aug 2011 07:39:26 +0100 http://www.theind.com/cover-story/8810-caveat-emptor#comment-20782 @nucklehead Fitting name for an comment of ignorance that lacks validation. - ... Thu, 11 Aug 2011 05:22:46 +0100 http://www.theind.com/cover-story/8810-caveat-emptor#comment-20780 Used to, most people had enough sense to smell a load of rotten fish when placed under their nose. But somewhere down the line, something was lost and now people jump on anything that gives them hope, especially if all it requries is paying through the nose for it. But who was it that said..."it's a sin not to take advantage of suckers"? - nucklehead Thu, 11 Aug 2011 01:26:50 +0100 http://www.theind.com/cover-story/8810-caveat-emptor#comment-20775 written by as "Phantom: For-profit schools have much much higher default rates which affect the tax-payer because we guarantee education loans. " ------------------------- My point was a matter of degree, For-profit vs Public schools. Nonetheless, Public schools affect the taxpayer directly since they are subsidized. So, whether it is subsidizes or loan defaults, the taxpayer carries the load. It is a difference without distinction. - Phantom of the Oprah Wed, 10 Aug 2011 20:47:25 +0100