Student Access Student Choice Coalition Responds To Gainful Employment Rule

WASHINGTON, June 2, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Student Access Student Choice (SASC) coalition today issued a statement expressing disappointment in the decision to publish the U.S. Department of Education's (DoE) "gainful employment" rule.  The rule will essentially cut off badly needed financial aid to thousands of prospective students who want to enroll in career college and university programs.

"The overriding issue is that the rule and its extremely complex and extensive disclosure and reporting requirements is targeted almost exclusively on private sector colleges," said Henry G. Herzing, chancellor and founder of Herzing University. "Unfortunately, rather than addressing the student debt issue for all of higher education, this rule provides information to students for which they cannot make comparisons to other sectors. The DoE has put the whole regulatory burden on career colleges, and has handed over the responsibility for student debt to these institutions, with no ability to regulate how much a student borrows."

"As we've said time and time again, both the policy and the process behind the Department of Education's 'gainful employment' rule have been flawed from the very beginning.  While bipartisan members of Congress voiced continuous opposition to the rule, various reports illustrate just how political this issue has become," said Dr. Arthur Keiser on behalf of the Student Access Student Choice (SASC) coalition.  "Instead of looking at what is best for America's aspiring college students and the nation's employment potential, the Department of Education and certain Congressional committee leaders have exploited the issue for their own political gain.  Various reports continue to surface illustrating the desperate, rushed, and shoddy investigatory work that has gone into painting career colleges in a negative light."

"The original intent of this effort was to define gainful employment but it quickly turned into a punitive measure focused exclusively on private sector career colleges.  It is ironic that at the same time the White House decided to crack down on burdensome rules for American businesses, the Department of Education advanced this overreaching regulation that threatens to undermine one of the sectors that contributes to a thriving economy," Dr. Arthur Keiser added.

"But when a bipartisan group of 118 Members of Congress urge the Education Department to re-evaluate 'gainful employment'; when Members of the Congressional Black Caucus and Congressional Hispanic Caucus express concern over how the regulation would affect minorities; and when the department's own inspector general opens a probe into whether Wall Street short-sellers were given undue access and influence, you know it's time to take a step back and start over," said Lawrence Schumacher, president of Northwestern College.

"Tragically, we have now reached a point in this process where real people with real desires to obtain college degrees will be effectively shut out of opportunities to gain the specialty training and skills necessary for an ever-competitive job market," added Schumacher. "Instead of publishing this harmful, misguided rule, the 'reset' button needs to be hit, before real damage is done."

SOURCE Student Access Student Choice Coalition