We so rarely get to celebrate something so momentous. Take time out to celebrate. Then get out and hit the doors tomorrow.
Her experience reflects what a class-action lawsuit alleges was an insidious scheme by Walden to lure and then trap students, especially those who were Black and female, in a cycle of debt and despair. The National Student Legal Defense Network, which filed the suit in January on behalf of former students, claims that Walden violated not only consumer protection laws, but also Title VI of the Civil Rights Act by preying on minorities and women and misrepresenting the costs and credits required for getting an advanced degree.
The lawsuit, filed in federal court in Maryland, charges that Walden intentionally stretched out the process of completing a capstone project, requiring students to re-enroll for semesters on end, paying tuition all the while, while they waited for approval from a three-member committee. As a result, the suit estimates, the school overcharged students by more than $28.5 million.
“Walden lured in students with the promise of an affordable degree, then strung them along to increase profits,” said Aaron Ament, the president of the National Student Legal Defense Network. “As if that’s not bad enough, Walden specifically targeted Black students and women for this predatory program, masking its discrimination as a focus on diversity.”
The lawsuit further claims that the school engaged in “reverse redlining,” a practice usually associated with housing discrimination, by targeting minority communities with its advertising and tailoring it to appeal to women.
Which reminds me–Southern New Hampshire University advertises almost as much as those incessant auto insurance companies. Call me a skeptic, but…
Has Too Much Religion And Not Enough Science Doomed America? I’ve long thought this–except for the ‘doomed’ part:
Two social psychologists, David Dunning and Justin Kruger observed that people with low cognitive abilities and little education tend to overrate their abilities. Their eponymous observation is now known as the Dunning-Kruger effect. It is prevalent among the new breed of Republican politicians. Not that all GOP politicos are dumb. But the smart ones know their base is. And they cultivate the base’s ignorance for votes. In much the same way as religious leaders milk morons for money.
And it is religiosity that is at the root of America’s decline. I am not saying that faith makes people bad — or dumb. But religion is a powerful tool in the hand of charismatic leaders. A person in the grip of religious delusion is not a critical thinker. And when you combine that with appeals to racism, homophobia, and misogyny, you create the perfect Republican voter. An unthinking idiot filled with rage and fear.
To reinforce their grip on the masses, the ruling class bowdlerizes the educational system while dismissing smart people as ivory tower-living ‘elites’. The Nazis designed school curriculums to celebrate Aryan Germans while denigrating the Jews — while their propaganda also made villains out of communists, socialists, gays, and gypsies. Mao’s cultural revolution sent Chinese academics to the fields to farm until they died of starvation. And Stalin purged everyone at any whiff of suspicion they might prove a threat to the party.
QAnon is the logical result. As little as four years ago even Republican authorities dismissed its claims as crackpot nonsense. But now they have adopted them as an official policy of the GOP. Republican Senators questioning Judge Jackson, in a dog-whistle to their base, frequently referred to her supposed molly-coddling of pedophiles. It takes a disturbed mind to believe that Hillary Clinton along with her Hollywood pals and fellow liberal leaders are not only running a pedophile ring but are “adrenochrome harvesting” from children to create a drug that promotes youthfulness.
Rethinking the ‘doomed’ part. Although every time an anti-vaxxer drops dead, our hopes for survival improve slightly.
McG, Attorney, Play ‘Rope A Dope. Too bad the dope has already been roped:
At Thursday’s hearing, Wood argued the indictment is “simply not specific.” He argued that it does not state McGuiness was aware of an investigation, does not state she was aware of witnesses and therefore the intimidation charge should be dismissed.
Mark Denney, the lead prosecutor, said Wood was relying on a “manufactured construct” to make such an argument. He and judge argued over what the definition of the crime requires prosecutors allege.
Denney argued that prosecutors need only to show that McGuiness was aware of potential witnesses to the actions that led to the other criminal charges against her and that she took actions to dissuade or intimidate those potential witnesses from participating in an investigation — regardless of whether an investigation had been formalized.
Wood also accused prosecutors of seeking to remedy the issues he’s raised by re-indicting McGuiness two weeks ago. The new indictment keeps the same charges but adds new allegations of intimidation that have occurred since the original, October indictment.
I wonder if McGuiness has a legal defense fund. Only makes sense to fleece the rubes.
I know, kinda truncated this morning. Headed to PT. Will be back in time to write a fairly-newsworthy Delaware Political Weekly.
What do you want to talk about?