Southeastern University Implosion Update � The Quick and the Ed

Southeastern University Implosion Update � The Quick and the Ed

Southeastern University Implosion Update

by Kevin Carey

Last month I wrote about how Southeastern University in Washington, DC finally collapsed in de-accreditation after being allowed to persist in mediocrity and failure for far too long, leaving a trail of drop-outs, loan defaults, and frustrated students in its wake. Now comes news that seven of those students have sued the university for fraud in DC Superior Court–or to be more precise, sued theGraduate School, which absorbed the remnants of Southeastern after the university’s doors shuttered last fall. The plaintiffs are asking for $10 million in punitive damages and millions more in compensation. You can read the complaint here.
I don’t know how strong the case is from a legal standpoint. But its’s worth considering some excerpts from the particulars, all of which ring true:

In exchange for the promises made by the Defendant, the Plaintiffs paid substantial amounts of money in tuition, books, and cost. The amounts of money paid by the Plaintiffs and collected by the Defendant (as a result of the false promises, representations and omissions made by the Defendant) varied from as low as Ten Thousand Dollars ($10,000.00) to as high as Forty One Thousand Five Hundred Dollars ($41,500.00). The Defendant represented to the Plaintiffs that they would make significant salaries upon graduation.

And:

The Defendant…represented that is “prepares students for a successful and rewarding career…by focusing on academic and professional preparation in a supportive environment.”
Defendant also represented that it possesses learning resources that include “interactive”