New York Just OK'd Tuition-free College

April 20, 2017

Well, now don't this beat all?

Starting this fall, undergraduate students who attend a State University of New York or City University of New York school will be eligible for the Excelsior Scholarship if their families earn no more than $100,000 a year. The income cap will lift to $110,000 next year and will reach $125,000 in 2019.

After they graduate, students who receive the scholarship must live and work in New York for the same number of years they received funding. If they leave the state, their scholarship will be converted into a loan. [This is what some European countries, like I think Denmark, does. It makes sense, and this seems more flexible, as from what I think I recall for Denmark, they must work for the government. Staying in NY means that they contribute to the overall NY economy, so that seems fair.]

There are mixed feelings on this, but overall, I'm supportive of it. There are those that whine that "...I paid for my tuition, paid off the loans...they should pay theirs off." The nice way to respond is "...different people, different circumstances." The mean way: "...no one said life is always fair. Deal with it!" [And maybe pray to God for help to make your life better/easier.]

With the corruption of the for-profit mills, pretending to be "schools," yet being anything but, has caused some students to do the only thing they can--especially when the government refuses to act, in the pockets of lobbyists--which is what one publication calls rebelling.

Students who default can lose their paychecks, tax refunds, or even a portion of their Social Security. Not paying back debt can also ruin someone’s credit, making it difficult to buy a house, car or get a job. [Yet there is no punishment to these fake schools, that tell students that they can get great jobs, and to not worry about the loans, as the job will pay for it. Worse, these FakeSchools don't offer any great jobs. Instead, they refer people to various job boards of jobs they could get an employment offices, which are nowhere even remotely near what's needed to pay off the obscene debts. The FakeSchools get their money, and that's all they truly care about!]

Corinthian, which runs Everest Institute, Wyotech and Heald College, has become the poster child for the worst practices in the for-profit education sector, including high loan defaults and dubious programs. Clouded by allegations of deceptive marketing and lying to the government about its graduation rates, Corinthian lost its access to federal funds last year, forcing the company to sell or close its schools. [These practices are what FakeSchools are all about]

Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass) and other Senate Democrats wrote Education Secretary Arne Duncan in December, urging him to at least discharge some of the loans on the grounds that Corinthian broke the law and “failed to hold up their end of the bargain”–the same argument the protesters are making.

“Corinthian took advantage of our dreams and targeted us to make a profit,” the so-called Corinthian 15 wrote in a letter to the Education Department. “You let it happen, and now you cash in. We paid dearly for degrees that have led to unemployment or to jobs that don’t pay a living wage. We can’t and won’t pay any longer.”

An attorney working with the Collective is helping the Corinthian students file what’s known as a defense to repayment claim, an appeal to the Education Department to discharge the federal loans on the grounds that the for-profit school broke the law.

“Our attorneys say it’s a very untested law and no one has really done it because the process is unclear,” Larson said. “But rather than wait for the Department of Ed to clarify the process, we’re just going to dispute the legitimacy of the debt and see what happens.”

The Education Department has broad authority to cancel federal student loans when colleges violate students’ rights and state law. There is even a clause in federal student loan agreements that says: “In some cases, you may assert, as a defense against collection of your loan, that the school did something wrong or failed to do something that it should have done.”

You can find out more info on their site.