Ms [redacted] , Please allow me to respond to complaint ID#: [redacted] I apologize in advance, but this response will be lengthy as a result of the seriousness of the accusations, the fact that Sessions College needs to provide much information in defending its position, and the need for germane background information on the VA program the student is currently enrolled, and the credentials of the College Sessions College of Professional Design (Sessions) Credentials Fully licensed in the State of Arizona as an Institution of Higher Learning (IHL) Regionally Accredited by Middle States Nationally Accredited by Distance Education Training Council Approved by the Depart of Education (DoE) as an IHL and a Title IV school Approved by the Veterans Administration and the Department of Defense to offer programs to veterans, active duty service members, spouse and family members Member of the Servicemembers Opportunity Colleges (SOC) Sessions College has been a member of this elite group of colleges & universities since Currently there are only schools nationwide that have been accepted into this Program Early signatory of the President’s Executive Order # [redacted] and the Department of Defense’s Tuition Assistance Memorandum of Understanding Any/all information about the College, its programs, missions statements, students, student galleries, etc, can be viewed by accessing the College’s website [redacted] [redacted] Program – Department of Labor program, administered by the VA, that the student in question is enrolledLink to the government program the student applied for [redacted] The following information was extracted directly from the landing page on the VA.gov website that includes information on the [redacted] program What is the [redacted] Program? [redacted] offers up to months of training assistance to unemployed Veterans who: Are at least but no more than years oldAre unemployed on the date of applicationReceived an other than dishonorable dischargeAre not eligible for any other VA education benefit program (e.g.: the Post-9/GI Bill, Montgomery GI Bill, Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment Assistance)Are not in receipt of VA compensation due to unemployabilityAre not enrolled in a federal or state job training program To date, VA has received and processed more than 143, [redacted] applicationsOf over 126,approved applicants, more than 74,have enrolled in a training program VA has paid more than $700,000,in [redacted] benefits to unemployed Veterans, age 35- Veterans who have already been approved for [redacted] but are not currently enrolled in a training program can enroll and begin receiving benefits from now until March 31, 2014.Veterans who enroll in a training program today will not receive the full 12-month training benefitTraining benefits will be paid through March 31, Participants must attend full-time in order to receive up to months of assistance equal to the monthly full-time payment rate under the Montgomery GI Bill–Active Duty program ($1,effective October 1, and $1,effective October 1, 2013)DOL will offer employment assistance to every Veteran who participates upon completion of the program [redacted] benefits can only be paid for full-time trainingYou will not receive benefits for any time period during which your training drops below full-timeThis includes situations in which one or more of your classes ends before the others Participants must be enrolled in a VA approved program of education offered by a community college or technical schoolThe program must lead to an Associate Degree, Non-College Degree, or a Certificate, and train the Veteran for a high demand occupation [redacted] will provide training for programs of education that lead to a high demand occupation, as determined by the Department of Labor How student becomes [redacted] eligible? Student must apply directly to the VA to ensure that they meet the criteria for the [redacted] program If student is approved, they will receive a Certificate of Eligibility (COE) from the VA Student evaluates colleges to attend, and once decided, completes a form, and submits said form to the VAForm will indicate the name of the College and the program desired, including start and end dates and tuition for the program Once student completes paperwork in #3, he/she notifies the CollegeThe College must complete a form identifying the student and the program to the VA, and submitOnly Programs that are approved by the VA will be accepted If/when, #’s 1-are completed satisfactorily, the student is now approved to proceed to Orientation In summary, the student only attends Sessions after they have selected their College, selected their Program at said College, are cognizant of the start & end dates of the Program, total tuition, and any fees associated with their approved payment plan Certain factors germane to the Customer’s Statement of the Problem are critical as further background information Student only begins his/her Program after all of the above is completed, and after he/she receives an Enrollment Agreement (EA) from the CollegeBefore the student can begin Orientation, they must read, understand and accept the EAThe EA includes but is not limited to Program details, schedule of classes, tuition, Refund & Withdrawal Policy (if applicable), and Admissions Policy Student receives a Student Handbook outlining grading policies and criteria, expected behavior of student, etc Student receives an Academic Policies Guidelines so they know what is expected from them, on a month-to-month basis, as it relates to academic progress Critical in this [redacted] program the students tuition is FIXED, unless they withdraw or change their ProgramThis was never the case with this student Student is paid directly by the VA, usually the 1st week of the monthStudent must verify by calling the VA on the last day of the month or the 1st day of the next month, that they attended school full time Student pays in the arrearsSo, student is always ahead of the College as it relates to tuition paymentsExample, student attends classes the month of January student verifies at end of January, VA pays monthly stipend to the student during the 1st week of February Student pays the College on or about February 10thIn summary, the College is always chasing tuition College provides every [redacted] student a payment plan so that they never have to pay money “out-of-pocket”, but only after they receive their stipend from the VA Stipend as noted above in the “What is the [redacted] Program” is a monthly stipendTuition for this student is $per monthFollowing is the actual invoice and payment plan presented and paid by the studentStudent elected to pay by credit card · Paid $on 3/11/ · Paid $on 4/11/– refused to pay tuitionNeeded the money for other thingsAllowed him to continue and make payments over the next couple of months · Paid on 5/8/ · Paid on 6/8/ · Paid $on the following dates 7/12, 8/10, 9/13, 10/12, 11/12, 12/10, · Paid $on 1/15/ · Student refused to make tuition payment in February even though her verified for the month and collected his stipend from the VAIf student does not pay by e-o-w, student will be terminated for “non payment of tuition” · Total collected for tuition = $10, · Student by contract owes two (2) additional tuition payments Customer’s Statement of the Problem I have determined that the only way to effectively answer the student’s “complaint” is to dissect his statements, and respond to each line item Sessions.edu is stealing money from Veterans by aggressive marking tactics and tuition charges that are not considered standard for colleges across the countryAll military programs, including [redacted] are preapproved by the VA, and contained in a document that the VA representative checks prior to approving the students’ educationTuition for all military students is consistent based on the category of the benefit and the specific ProgramIn this student’s case, the tuition is the same as every [redacted] student of like program, is provided as part of their EA, and cannot and never is the student charged more than that which is outlined and approved on VA Form 22- They have many teachers that give D's and F's when passing work has been done to delay graduation and advancement so they can make more money by charging a monthly fee the longer it takes to graduateI thought my [redacted] benefits covered the entire certificate only to find there a monthly fee ($1000) to continue and finish the program that would have been finished if they were grading properlyGrades have nothing to do with tuition unless the student is dismissed for Academic ReasonsAs it relates to this student, this is not the caseFurther, any extension beyond the term of the Program defined in the EA, would not warrant any additional tuition for [redacted] studentsThis particular student is only lessons from graduation His Program ends on 2/28/We have offered and he has accepted a three (3) month extension (thru 5/31/2014) and no cost, so that he can complete his CertificatesWhy his complaints so close to graduation is perplexingBtw, all [redacted] students are offered a three (3) month, no charge extension, if needed, to complete their Program So 2/3rd's of their teachers and lessons are incompetent and unedited to the point that there are numerous mistakes and great confusion in their lesson plansVeterans think they are paying by the credit but in fact graduation is held hostage by a bunch of corrupt teachers that support the institution by handing out unfair grades not allowing one to passAll instructors are evaluated on an ongoing basis by a Sessions’ executiveSessions instructors are evaluated and meet the criteria of excellence as defined by the Department of Education, and/or our accreditorsSessions instructors must also complete & pass a rigorous “in-house” course as to “How to Effectively Teach Online”In addition, all instructors are evaluated by the College on a semi-annual basis, and by each student on a course-by-course basisAll of these evaluations become part of the Instructor’s file and If the instructor(s) does not meet the guidelines for excellence as defined by the College, the instructor is warned, and if the issue is not cured, they are released Incidentally, our instructors are paid by “lessons graded”It does not behoove the instructor to fail someone, as a failing grade is not considered a “lesson graded” I doubt more than 5% of Veterans graduate in this institutionSo false, and no basis for his 5% graduation rate commentthat steals [redacted] funds The fact remains, the Collect collects tuition in the arrears [redacted] students are always paid in advance of the College receiving paymentTuth be told, Sessions has lost hundreds of thousands of dollars on students that “verified”, were paid by the VA, and did not pay the College Sessions is also using unfair aggressive marketing tactics where most students that go through their doors believe they are paying by the credit but in reality once everything s pushed past the graduation dates the student must pay a monthly fee to continue the education at their collegeAddressed in #above This unfair fraudulent technique of charging students is not used in general across the country by most collegesThis unfair practice results in Sessions as holding the students as hostage to have to keep paying them to obtain the proper credentials to gain equal access to the employment process of obtaining a jobThis statement is especially upsetting since the student is only lessons away from completing his ProgramThat is approximately days of workI personally have repeatedly asked him to stop this crusade, complete his education, graduate & receive his Certificates, and if he still wants to make issues, go ahead And again, the extension beyond the end date of his Program (2/28/2014), is offered at “no cost” This is a violation of the civil rights of Veterans and those they choose to block as they are not allowed the liberty to compete in the market place being blocked so this college can line their pockets with monies on the backs of the poverty stricken and veterans in this countryAs part of being a college that is entitled to offer Programs to VA students, we are audited on an annual basisThe VA audit Sessions annuallyincluding, but not limited to Program terms & conditions, web site materials, tuition rates, student EA’s, VA forms, Learning Management System, education records, etcThe due diligence completed by the VA, and the College’s desire to remain an elite art & design school make this accusation absurd Sessions college is encouraging its teachers to issue lower grades to block and delay graduation rates so they can charge and make more money forcing students to pay a monthly fee to continue taking the coursework to graduateThis is unfair and deceptive business practice since it does not follow the norm in society at large when compared to colleges across the united states, most charge no monthly fee and charge by the creditTotally redundant and answered above Purchase Price: $Amount is incorrect, total tuition = $11,With fees the students total = $11,Student has only paid to date = $10, Disputed Amount: $Please be advised that what the student is requesting is fraudulent The student has collected $17,from the VA, and any refund that is deemed required would be made by the VA, and repaid to the VATo request additional money from the College actually shows the Revdex.com and anyone else looking at these documents, where the fraudulent behavior lies Note: only lessons short of completing and he refuses to do any workHe refuses to pay last month’s tuitionHe was given a free month extension to completeWho is holding “who” hostageVA is receiving no value for their dollar Desired Settlement: 2/3rd's of amount paid in tuition over the last year should be refundedAgain, fraudulent requestIncidentally, all of this response and the Revdex.com inquiry will be forwarded to the VA and Department of Justice for their action The Better Business B should issue a scathing report exposing these unethical practices being used against these poor unemployed Veterans, and those using public monies like Pell Grants, Student loans as such, who are also using using VA benefits, and these other public monies to attend school thus allowing open public scrutiny by past and present students in the grading process, complaint process, charging process, graduation rates, and all statistics that the public can learn from to correct incompetent institutions and teachers that steal from the public dole in various ways by allowing institutional corruption to continue that increase student loan defaults dramatically as becoming heavy weights upon the poverty stricken class of society as a wholeI am a veteran, taxpayer and an educator, and I applaud Sessions College for consistently passing their many annual audits by AZ state, our accreditors, the DoD, the VA and the DoEAll the statistics that the student mentions above are required by law and are available on our website if he only took the time to review Sessions.edu should be investigated on their [redacted] graduation rates in the last year, and the overall graduation rates over the last yearsPrior veterans students that did not graduate should be interviewed to determine the cause of the low graduation rates of this college As mentioned above, we are audited annuallyIn addition, our Certificate graduation rates are published, as are all of our Title IV students that receive funding from DoE Apologize for the length of this response, but I feel that I cannot effectively tell our story without the detailIt is also important to note, that any/all conversations that the student had with Admissions prior to his signing his EA are archivedIn addition, all phone calls made to Student Services are also logged, as are a plethora of e-mails penned between the student and various employees of the College, including myself Finally, you have requested in your letter that ”If you prefer, the customer may be contacted directly to resolve this matter” I have tried repeatedlyI have the e-mail documentation to prove itI would much rather you spend your time on other matters, and the student on his finishing his ProgramUnfortunately, there does not seem to be a positive resolution too bad he is so close to graduation Best Regards, [redacted] EVP & Military Liaison Sessions College for Professional Desing [redacted] ***
COMPLETE [redacted] I WOULD NOT RECOMMEND EVEN TO MY WORST ENEMY
Ms [redacted] , Please allow me to respond to complaint ID#: [redacted] I apologize in advance, but this response will be lengthy as a result of the seriousness of the accusations, the fact that Sessions College needs to provide much information in defending its position, and the need for germane background information on the VA program the student is currently enrolled, and the credentials of the College Sessions College of Professional Design (Sessions) Credentials Fully licensed in the State of Arizona as an Institution of Higher Learning (IHL) Regionally Accredited by Middle States Nationally Accredited by Distance Education Training Council Approved by the Depart of Education (DoE) as an IHL and a Title IV school Approved by the Veterans Administration and the Department of Defense to offer programs to veterans, active duty service members, spouse and family members Member of the Servicemembers Opportunity Colleges (SOC) Sessions College has been a member of this elite group of colleges & universities since Currently there are only schools nationwide that have been accepted into this Program Early signatory of the President’s Executive Order # [redacted] and the Department of Defense’s Tuition Assistance Memorandum of Understanding Any/all information about the College, its programs, missions statements, students, student galleries, etc, can be viewed by accessing the College’s website [redacted] [redacted] Program – Department of Labor program, administered by the VA, that the student in question is enrolledLink to the government program the student applied for [redacted] The following information was extracted directly from the landing page on the VA.gov website that includes information on the [redacted] program What is the [redacted] Program? [redacted] offers up to months of training assistance to unemployed Veterans who: Are at least but no more than years oldAre unemployed on the date of applicationReceived an other than dishonorable dischargeAre not eligible for any other VA education benefit program (e.g.: the Post-9/GI Bill, Montgomery GI Bill, Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment Assistance)Are not in receipt of VA compensation due to unemployabilityAre not enrolled in a federal or state job training program To date, VA has received and processed more than 143, [redacted] applicationsOf over 126,approved applicants, more than 74,have enrolled in a training program VA has paid more than $700,000,in [redacted] benefits to unemployed Veterans, age 35- Veterans who have already been approved for [redacted] but are not currently enrolled in a training program can enroll and begin receiving benefits from now until March 31, 2014.Veterans who enroll in a training program today will not receive the full 12-month training benefitTraining benefits will be paid through March 31, Participants must attend full-time in order to receive up to months of assistance equal to the monthly full-time payment rate under the Montgomery GI Bill–Active Duty program ($1,effective October 1, and $1,effective October 1, 2013)DOL will offer employment assistance to every Veteran who participates upon completion of the program [redacted] benefits can only be paid for full-time trainingYou will not receive benefits for any time period during which your training drops below full-timeThis includes situations in which one or more of your classes ends before the others Participants must be enrolled in a VA approved program of education offered by a community college or technical schoolThe program must lead to an Associate Degree, Non-College Degree, or a Certificate, and train the Veteran for a high demand occupation [redacted] will provide training for programs of education that lead to a high demand occupation, as determined by the Department of Labor How student becomes [redacted] eligible? Student must apply directly to the VA to ensure that they meet the criteria for the [redacted] program If student is approved, they will receive a Certificate of Eligibility (COE) from the VA Student evaluates colleges to attend, and once decided, completes a form, and submits said form to the VAForm will indicate the name of the College and the program desired, including start and end dates and tuition for the program Once student completes paperwork in #3, he/she notifies the CollegeThe College must complete a form identifying the student and the program to the VA, and submitOnly Programs that are approved by the VA will be accepted If/when, #’s 1-are completed satisfactorily, the student is now approved to proceed to Orientation In summary, the student only attends Sessions after they have selected their College, selected their Program at said College, are cognizant of the start & end dates of the Program, total tuition, and any fees associated with their approved payment plan Certain factors germane to the Customer’s Statement of the Problem are critical as further background information Student only begins his/her Program after all of the above is completed, and after he/she receives an Enrollment Agreement (EA) from the CollegeBefore the student can begin Orientation, they must read, understand and accept the EAThe EA includes but is not limited to Program details, schedule of classes, tuition, Refund & Withdrawal Policy (if applicable), and Admissions Policy Student receives a Student Handbook outlining grading policies and criteria, expected behavior of student, etc Student receives an Academic Policies Guidelines so they know what is expected from them, on a month-to-month basis, as it relates to academic progress Critical in this [redacted] program the students tuition is FIXED, unless they withdraw or change their ProgramThis was never the case with this student Student is paid directly by the VA, usually the 1st week of the monthStudent must verify by calling the VA on the last day of the month or the 1st day of the next month, that they attended school full time Student pays in the arrearsSo, student is always ahead of the College as it relates to tuition paymentsExample, student attends classes the month of January student verifies at end of January, VA pays monthly stipend to the student during the 1st week of February Student pays the College on or about February 10thIn summary, the College is always chasing tuition College provides every [redacted] student a payment plan so that they never have to pay money “out-of-pocket”, but only after they receive their stipend from the VA Stipend as noted above in the “What is the [redacted] Program” is a monthly stipendTuition for this student is $per monthFollowing is the actual invoice and payment plan presented and paid by the studentStudent elected to pay by credit card · Paid $on 3/11/ · Paid $on 4/11/– refused to pay tuitionNeeded the money for other thingsAllowed him to continue and make payments over the next couple of months · Paid on 5/8/ · Paid on 6/8/ · Paid $on the following dates 7/12, 8/10, 9/13, 10/12, 11/12, 12/10, · Paid $on 1/15/ · Student refused to make tuition payment in February even though her verified for the month and collected his stipend from the VAIf student does not pay by e-o-w, student will be terminated for “non payment of tuition” · Total collected for tuition = $10, · Student by contract owes two (2) additional tuition payments Customer’s Statement of the Problem I have determined that the only way to effectively answer the student’s “complaint” is to dissect his statements, and respond to each line item Sessions.edu is stealing money from Veterans by aggressive marking tactics and tuition charges that are not considered standard for colleges across the countryAll military programs, including [redacted] are preapproved by the VA, and contained in a document that the VA representative checks prior to approving the students’ educationTuition for all military students is consistent based on the category of the benefit and the specific ProgramIn this student’s case, the tuition is the same as every [redacted] student of like program, is provided as part of their EA, and cannot and never is the student charged more than that which is outlined and approved on VA Form 22- They have many teachers that give D's and F's when passing work has been done to delay graduation and advancement so they can make more money by charging a monthly fee the longer it takes to graduateI thought my [redacted] benefits covered the entire certificate only to find there a monthly fee ($1000) to continue and finish the program that would have been finished if they were grading properlyGrades have nothing to do with tuition unless the student is dismissed for Academic ReasonsAs it relates to this student, this is not the caseFurther, any extension beyond the term of the Program defined in the EA, would not warrant any additional tuition for [redacted] studentsThis particular student is only lessons from graduation His Program ends on 2/28/We have offered and he has accepted a three (3) month extension (thru 5/31/2014) and no cost, so that he can complete his CertificatesWhy his complaints so close to graduation is perplexingBtw, all [redacted] students are offered a three (3) month, no charge extension, if needed, to complete their Program So 2/3rd's of their teachers and lessons are incompetent and unedited to the point that there are numerous mistakes and great confusion in their lesson plansVeterans think they are paying by the credit but in fact graduation is held hostage by a bunch of corrupt teachers that support the institution by handing out unfair grades not allowing one to passAll instructors are evaluated on an ongoing basis by a Sessions’ executiveSessions instructors are evaluated and meet the criteria of excellence as defined by the Department of Education, and/or our accreditorsSessions instructors must also complete & pass a rigorous “in-house” course as to “How to Effectively Teach Online”In addition, all instructors are evaluated by the College on a semi-annual basis, and by each student on a course-by-course basisAll of these evaluations become part of the Instructor’s file and If the instructor(s) does not meet the guidelines for excellence as defined by the College, the instructor is warned, and if the issue is not cured, they are released Incidentally, our instructors are paid by “lessons graded”It does not behoove the instructor to fail someone, as a failing grade is not considered a “lesson graded” I doubt more than 5% of Veterans graduate in this institutionSo false, and no basis for his 5% graduation rate commentthat steals [redacted] funds The fact remains, the Collect collects tuition in the arrears [redacted] students are always paid in advance of the College receiving paymentTuth be told, Sessions has lost hundreds of thousands of dollars on students that “verified”, were paid by the VA, and did not pay the College Sessions is also using unfair aggressive marketing tactics where most students that go through their doors believe they are paying by the credit but in reality once everything s pushed past the graduation dates the student must pay a monthly fee to continue the education at their collegeAddressed in #above This unfair fraudulent technique of charging students is not used in general across the country by most collegesThis unfair practice results in Sessions as holding the students as hostage to have to keep paying them to obtain the proper credentials to gain equal access to the employment process of obtaining a jobThis statement is especially upsetting since the student is only lessons away from completing his ProgramThat is approximately days of workI personally have repeatedly asked him to stop this crusade, complete his education, graduate & receive his Certificates, and if he still wants to make issues, go ahead And again, the extension beyond the end date of his Program (2/28/2014), is offered at “no cost” This is a violation of the civil rights of Veterans and those they choose to block as they are not allowed the liberty to compete in the market place being blocked so this college can line their pockets with monies on the backs of the poverty stricken and veterans in this countryAs part of being a college that is entitled to offer Programs to VA students, we are audited on an annual basisThe VA audit Sessions annuallyincluding, but not limited to Program terms & conditions, web site materials, tuition rates, student EA’s, VA forms, Learning Management System, education records, etcThe due diligence completed by the VA, and the College’s desire to remain an elite art & design school make this accusation absurd Sessions college is encouraging its teachers to issue lower grades to block and delay graduation rates so they can charge and make more money forcing students to pay a monthly fee to continue taking the coursework to graduateThis is unfair and deceptive business practice since it does not follow the norm in society at large when compared to colleges across the united states, most charge no monthly fee and charge by the creditTotally redundant and answered above Purchase Price: $Amount is incorrect, total tuition = $11,With fees the students total = $11,Student has only paid to date = $10, Disputed Amount: $Please be advised that what the student is requesting is fraudulent The student has collected $17,from the VA, and any refund that is deemed required would be made by the VA, and repaid to the VATo request additional money from the College actually shows the Revdex.com and anyone else looking at these documents, where the fraudulent behavior lies Note: only lessons short of completing and he refuses to do any workHe refuses to pay last month’s tuitionHe was given a free month extension to completeWho is holding “who” hostageVA is receiving no value for their dollar Desired Settlement: 2/3rd's of amount paid in tuition over the last year should be refundedAgain, fraudulent requestIncidentally, all of this response and the Revdex.com inquiry will be forwarded to the VA and Department of Justice for their action The Better Business B should issue a scathing report exposing these unethical practices being used against these poor unemployed Veterans, and those using public monies like Pell Grants, Student loans as such, who are also using using VA benefits, and these other public monies to attend school thus allowing open public scrutiny by past and present students in the grading process, complaint process, charging process, graduation rates, and all statistics that the public can learn from to correct incompetent institutions and teachers that steal from the public dole in various ways by allowing institutional corruption to continue that increase student loan defaults dramatically as becoming heavy weights upon the poverty stricken class of society as a wholeI am a veteran, taxpayer and an educator, and I applaud Sessions College for consistently passing their many annual audits by AZ state, our accreditors, the DoD, the VA and the DoEAll the statistics that the student mentions above are required by law and are available on our website if he only took the time to review Sessions.edu should be investigated on their [redacted] graduation rates in the last year, and the overall graduation rates over the last yearsPrior veterans students that did not graduate should be interviewed to determine the cause of the low graduation rates of this college As mentioned above, we are audited annuallyIn addition, our Certificate graduation rates are published, as are all of our Title IV students that receive funding from DoE Apologize for the length of this response, but I feel that I cannot effectively tell our story without the detailIt is also important to note, that any/all conversations that the student had with Admissions prior to his signing his EA are archivedIn addition, all phone calls made to Student Services are also logged, as are a plethora of e-mails penned between the student and various employees of the College, including myself Finally, you have requested in your letter that ”If you prefer, the customer may be contacted directly to resolve this matter” I have tried repeatedlyI have the e-mail documentation to prove itI would much rather you spend your time on other matters, and the student on his finishing his ProgramUnfortunately, there does not seem to be a positive resolution too bad he is so close to graduation Best Regards, [redacted] EVP & Military Liaison Sessions College for Professional Desing [redacted] ***