10/05/2012 - Myclipp

USA Today/ - News, Seg, 14 de Maio de 2012
CLIPPING INTERNACIONAL (Supreme Court)
Editorial: Veterans are not 'dollar signs in
uniform'
The 1944 GI bill helped catapult a generation of
veterans into the middle class and beyond, financing
the education of three future Supreme Court justices,
three presidents and thousands of doctors and
scientists while democratizing many of the nation's
leading universities.
OPPOSING VIEW: Private colleges play a central role
In 2008, Congress, figuring what worked once would
work again, passed an expanded law that promised
the same opportunity to the new generation of
veterans who had served since 9/11.
But some of those GIs are seeing their opportunity
squandered by for-profit colleges with low graduation
rates, high costs and high loan default rates. In fact,
their new benefits might be propping up some schools
that otherwise would struggle to meet federal rules.
The failings of many for-profits — and the risks they
pose for both students and taxpayers — have been
widely publicized.
The average cost for tuition and fees at for-profits is
$14,487, 76% higher than the price that the average
in-state student pays to attend a public institution. Yet
by just about every academic measure, the for-profits
deliver results inferior to those at traditional schools.
Rate the debate
At public universities that accept virtually all applicants,
31% of the students graduate within six years. The
rate is nothing to brag about, but it beats the for-profits,
where just 22% graduate. Students also withdraw at
far higher rates —more than 50% at six of the schools
most popular with veterans. Loan default rates are
higher, an indication that students aren't faring well.
Still, veterans are flocking to the for-profits. Among the
top 10 recipients of GI educational dollars in the
2010-11 school year were eight companies that run
for-profit schools, led by Apollo, parent of the
University of Phoenix. Why so popular? Online
courses, flexible hours and, in some cases, an
effective education.
Many schools also aggressively mine the lucrative
veterans market. Veterans look like \"dollar signs in
uniforms\" to predatory schools, Theodore Daywalt,
CEO of VetJobs, told a Senate hearing last year. The
reason? A loophole in a federal law meant to ensure
that for-profit schools are solid enough to attract some
students who pay their own way.
USATODAY OPINION
About Editorials/Debate
Opinions expressed in USA TODAY's editorials are
decided by its Editorial Board, a demographically and
ideologically diverse group that is separate from USA
TODAY's news staff.
Most editorials are accompanied by an opposing view
— a unique USA TODAY feature that allows readers to
reach conclusions based on both sides of an argument
rather than just the Editorial Board's point of view.
These schools are required to get at least 10% of their
revenue from sources other than federal student
grants and loans. The idea is sound. But in a bizarre
twist, veterans benefits do not count as federal funds
and can be used to plump up the non-federal 10%.
The for-profits' trade association says many schools
surpass the 10% threshold, but tellingly, it opposes
raising the level to 15%.
Some schools also stretch the truth or worse. Thirteen
of 15 colleges investigated by the Government
Accountability Office gave agents posing as applicants
questionable, even deceptive, pitches about
graduation rates, guaranteed jobs or likely earnings.
This is a shoddy way to treat any student, and it's a
dubious way to invest taxpayer money. It's just all the
more offensive when applied to veterans. As Sen. Tom
Harkin, D-Iowa, says, the GI benefit is a life-changing
\"one-time shot.\"
His legislation to plug the 10% loophole is a sensible
response. But until for-profits improve or student aid
rules are overhauled, veterans will need to look out for
themselves.
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