I am in LA for the week on business. Driving on 405 and got off at an exit. At the stoplight is some homeless dude with a small cardboard sign asking for money. He had a large, clear plastic container with a cat inside, and the whole thing was taped to his bare chest.
I have seen it al now!
ghostsniperMay 1, 2024, 10:31 AM
Nobody gets to abuse a cat in my presence.
I’d have put it in park, taken the cat, and if the dood tried anything, knock his ass out, get in my ride and haul.
Then I would have went to a drive thru, got the kee kee a plain fish sando and a water, then took it to a shelter. Yeah, I might have been late the the meeting. But when I told them the story they’d have given me a standing O.
azlibertarianMay 1, 2024, 12:19 PM
Happy May Day to all the commies.
May you see the error of your thinking sooner rather than later. If not, then please keep your misery to yourselves.
Casey KlahnMay 1, 2024, 2:14 PM
Yeah, sure, Ya Betchya!
Pro-Israeli side starts violence at the UCLA protests (which is spilling off the campus now). There may be some counter-protestors who commit violence or who fight, but what I said yesterday is still what I’m thinking today. There are agents provocateur starting the violence and making the Hams look like the victims. This is boiling now, and soon will break into a rolling boil. The oil will spill onto the stove top and set L.A. on fire if left as is. Already the authorities have got in the game too late, but that’s fukn-fornia for ya.
We had a guy in my first NG unit in Wash. State who was fresh from the Watts riots, and he would sit in the armory staring a thousand miles into space.
Snakepit KansasMay 1, 2024, 2:34 PM
Read earlier today: Give the protesters a hickory shampoo. Mercy that is funny! Bust up they ass!
ghostsniperMay 1, 2024, 4:16 PM
I say, wait!
Hell, even give them some wide open staging area, where they can air their grievances at each other.
I have no dawg in this fight so, yeah, dish me up a laundry bag full of my favorite ghost pepper popcorn and a case of BIG Hamm’s.
Hail Yeah!
Chopper drop a hundred gross of hickory shampoos right in the middle of the foray.
Every 10th one should have rusty assed nails, 8″ screws, and barbwire wrapped around it – keep things inneresting.
May the bloodiest YouToobz win!
ghostsniperMay 1, 2024, 4:17 PM
BTW, anybody know what’s going on with WRSA?
Been off and on for 2 weeks. mostly off.
Snakepit KansasMay 2, 2024, 6:09 AM
That is quality entertainment over at WRSA. Something is ganked up over there with the website.
Got a rental car here in LA. Supposed to get some mid-sized Toyota or something. It wasn’t ready so they gave me a 2022 Mustang GT Convertible. 400HP+ I think. Fun to stand on it going up entrance ramps.
ghostsniperMay 2, 2024, 12:24 PM
Can it catch a wheel in 3rd gear?
Snakepit KansasMay 3, 2024, 7:38 AM
On full acceleration it will make my cheeks touch my ears!
chuckieMay 3, 2024, 6:42 PM
WRSA is currently a guest at mike’s coldfury.com site…..yer welcome
At the bottom of the article it shows how this piece of whale shit has forgiven over 160 billion so far. This is a slap in the face of every veteran that walks in America.
Biden-Harris Administration Approves $6.1 Billion Group Student Loan Discharge for 317,000 Borrowers Who Attended The Art Institutes
Today’s action brings total approved debt cancellation under Biden Administration to almost $160 billion for nearly 4.6 million borrowers
MAY 1, 2024
Contact: Press Office, (202) 401-1576, press@ed.gov
The Biden-Harris Administration today announced the approval of more than $6.1 billion in automatic student loan relief to nearly 317,000 borrowers who enrolled at any Art Institute campus on or after Jan. 1, 2004, through Oct. 16, 2017. The U.S. Department of Education (Department) found that The Art Institutes and its parent company, Education Management Corporation (EDMC), made pervasive and substantial misrepresentations to prospective students about postgraduation employment rates, salaries, and career services during that time. In October 2017, EDMC sold its remaining Art Institute campuses, and all existing Art Institute campuses closed under separate ownership in September 2023. Today’s action brings the total amount of student relief approved by the Biden-Harris Administration to almost $160 billion for nearly 4.6 million borrowers.
“For more than a decade, hundreds of thousands of hopeful students borrowed billions to attend The Art Institutes and got little but lies in return. That ends today—thanks to the Biden-Harris Administration’s work with the attorneys general offices of Iowa, Massachusetts, and Pennsylvania,” said U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona. “We must continue to protect borrowers from predatory institutions—and work toward a higher education system that is affordable to students and taxpayers.”
The Department independently reviewed evidence provided by the attorneys general offices of Iowa, Massachusetts, and Pennsylvania, which conducted multi-year investigations into, and brought lawsuits against, The Art Institutes and EDMC. The attorneys general of Pennsylvania and Iowa provided materials obtained from investigations into these entities, including internal employment data, admissions training manuals, and the school’s employment advertisements. The Massachusetts attorney general provided information obtained during an investigation into the New England Institute of Art—the Massachusetts Art Institute campus—including internal employment verification forms, other internal records of graduate employment outcomes, advertisements, and statements from former students and employees.
Today’s announcement is another example of the strong partnerships between the Department and state attorneys general and their shared commitment to protecting federal student loan borrowers from predatory schools.
“The Art Institutes preyed on the hopes of students attempting to better their lives through education,” said Federal Student Aid Chief Operating Officer Richard Cordray. “We cannot replace the time stolen from these students, but we can lift the burden of their debt. We remain committed to working with our federal and state partners to protect borrowers.”
About the findings
Based on the evidence, the Department found that The Art Institutes engaged in widespread and pervasive substantial misrepresentations that deceived students about the value they would be receiving from their education:
The Art Institutes advertised that more than 80 percent of graduates obtained employment related their fields of study within six months of graduation, but the school’s own records demonstrate that it inflated advertised employment rates. For example, The Art Institutes counted graduates as employed in-field when the school did not know graduates’ job titles, when a graduate’s job title was too vague to indicate that they worked in-field, and when a graduate’s job title was unrelated to their field of study. The school also excluded some graduates with out-of-field jobs from their calculations to inflate their in-field employment rates. When recalculated to account for these issues, The Art Institutes’ average in-field employment rate dropped from 82 percent to no higher than 57 percent, 25 percentage points lower than advertised. The true average in-field employment rate was lower than 57 percent because the school also falsified some internal data to make graduates appear to be working in-field when they were not.
The advertisements promoting The Art Institutes’ falsified employment rates also displayed inaccurate average salaries that graduates earned from their in-field positions based on the same flawed data as the employment rates. Testimony from former high-raking school officials supported the findings that school personnel made up graduate earnings and annualized the actual or estimated incomes of graduates working in temporary positions. They also included high-earning outliers in its averages and falsified incomes reported for graduates. For example, according to a former employee, one Art Institute campus included professional tennis player Serena Williams’ annual income to “skew the statistics and overinflate potential program salaries.” Another former employee described witnessing a coworker use salary.com to determine that a graduate’s salary was $25,000, when the graduate reported earning only $8,000 a year.
The Art Institutes also represented to prospective students that it had partnerships with employers and offered ongoing postgraduation career services. However, the evidence showed that The Art Institutes exaggerated its relationships with employers. In fact, the school had a negative reputation, so companies generally did not want to hire its graduates. Former employees and borrowers also described that graduates did not have access to ongoing career services after leaving school. For example, once students graduated, school staff did not return their phone calls.
The Art Institutes communicated these substantial misrepresentations to prospective students through its website and print materials, and school personnel distributed misleading information to prospective students before and during the admissions process. The school’s misconduct harmed borrowers by burdening them with high amounts of debt without the advertised employment opportunities or salaries necessary to pay. Many Art Institute borrowers also dropped out of their programs and defaulted on their loan payments. Even if borrowers did complete their programs, they did not receive the promised career services, which hindered their ability to obtain employment.
Next steps
This group discharge will provide relief automatically to borrowers harmed by The Art Institutes’ actions, including borrowers who have not yet applied for borrower defense. The Department will begin notifying eligible borrowers today that they are approved for discharges. Borrowers do not need to take any action. The Department will take immediate steps to pause loans identified for discharge so borrowers do not make further payments. This ensures that they will not face any further financial demands from these loans during the time needed to process their discharges. When their discharges are processed, borrowers will see any remaining loan balances adjusted and credit trade lines deleted. Payments borrowers made to the Department on their related federal student loans will also be refunded.
Borrowers who want to learn more about borrower defense can do so at StudentAid.gov/borrower-defense.
Unwavering commitment to relief
The Biden-Harris Administration remains committed to using all available tools to deliver the federal student loan relief that borrowers and their families deserve. In total, the Administration has approved almost $160 billion in relief for nearly 4.6 million borrowers, including:
$49.2 billion for more than 996,000 borrowers through improvements to IDR that addressed longstanding administrative failure and the misuse of forbearance by loan servicers.
$62.8 billion in forgiveness for almost 876,000 borrowers through fixes to PSLF.
$4.8 billion for almost 360,000 borrowers on the SAVE Plan. These are borrowers who originally took out smaller loans for their postsecondary studies.
$28.7 billion for 1.6 million borrowers who were cheated by their schools, saw their institutions precipitously close, or are covered by related court settlements.
$14.1 billion for more 548,000 borrowers with a total and permanent disability.
This is a slap in the face to every working American.
Biden-Harris Administration Approves $6.1 Billion Group Student Loan Discharge for 317,000 Borrowers Who Attended The Art Institutes
Today’s action brings total approved debt cancellation under Biden Administration to almost $160 billion for nearly 4.6 million borrowers
MAY 1, 2024
Contact: Press Office, (202) 401-1576, press@ed.gov
The Biden-Harris Administration today announced the approval of more than $6.1 billion in automatic student loan relief to nearly 317,000 borrowers who enrolled at any Art Institute campus on or after Jan. 1, 2004, through Oct. 16, 2017. The U.S. Department of Education (Department) found that The Art Institutes and its parent company, Education Management Corporation (EDMC), made pervasive and substantial misrepresentations to prospective students about postgraduation employment rates, salaries, and career services during that time. In October 2017, EDMC sold its remaining Art Institute campuses, and all existing Art Institute campuses closed under separate ownership in September 2023. Today’s action brings the total amount of student relief approved by the Biden-Harris Administration to almost $160 billion for nearly 4.6 million borrowers.
“For more than a decade, hundreds of thousands of hopeful students borrowed billions to attend The Art Institutes and got little but lies in return. That ends today—thanks to the Biden-Harris Administration’s work with the attorneys general offices of Iowa, Massachusetts, and Pennsylvania,” said U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona. “We must continue to protect borrowers from predatory institutions—and work toward a higher education system that is affordable to students and taxpayers.”
The Department independently reviewed evidence provided by the attorneys general offices of Iowa, Massachusetts, and Pennsylvania, which conducted multi-year investigations into, and brought lawsuits against, The Art Institutes and EDMC. The attorneys general of Pennsylvania and Iowa provided materials obtained from investigations into these entities, including internal employment data, admissions training manuals, and the school’s employment advertisements. The Massachusetts attorney general provided information obtained during an investigation into the New England Institute of Art—the Massachusetts Art Institute campus—including internal employment verification forms, other internal records of graduate employment outcomes, advertisements, and statements from former students and employees.
Today’s announcement is another example of the strong partnerships between the Department and state attorneys general and their shared commitment to protecting federal student loan borrowers from predatory schools.
“The Art Institutes preyed on the hopes of students attempting to better their lives through education,” said Federal Student Aid Chief Operating Officer Richard Cordray. “We cannot replace the time stolen from these students, but we can lift the burden of their debt. We remain committed to working with our federal and state partners to protect borrowers.”
About the findings
Based on the evidence, the Department found that The Art Institutes engaged in widespread and pervasive substantial misrepresentations that deceived students about the value they would be receiving from their education:
The Art Institutes advertised that more than 80 percent of graduates obtained employment related their fields of study within six months of graduation, but the school’s own records demonstrate that it inflated advertised employment rates. For example, The Art Institutes counted graduates as employed in-field when the school did not know graduates’ job titles, when a graduate’s job title was too vague to indicate that they worked in-field, and when a graduate’s job title was unrelated to their field of study. The school also excluded some graduates with out-of-field jobs from their calculations to inflate their in-field employment rates. When recalculated to account for these issues, The Art Institutes’ average in-field employment rate dropped from 82 percent to no higher than 57 percent, 25 percentage points lower than advertised. The true average in-field employment rate was lower than 57 percent because the school also falsified some internal data to make graduates appear to be working in-field when they were not.
The advertisements promoting The Art Institutes’ falsified employment rates also displayed inaccurate average salaries that graduates earned from their in-field positions based on the same flawed data as the employment rates. Testimony from former high-raking school officials supported the findings that school personnel made up graduate earnings and annualized the actual or estimated incomes of graduates working in temporary positions. They also included high-earning outliers in its averages and falsified incomes reported for graduates. For example, according to a former employee, one Art Institute campus included professional tennis player Serena Williams’ annual income to “skew the statistics and overinflate potential program salaries.” Another former employee described witnessing a coworker use salary.com to determine that a graduate’s salary was $25,000, when the graduate reported earning only $8,000 a year.
The Art Institutes also represented to prospective students that it had partnerships with employers and offered ongoing postgraduation career services. However, the evidence showed that The Art Institutes exaggerated its relationships with employers. In fact, the school had a negative reputation, so companies generally did not want to hire its graduates. Former employees and borrowers also described that graduates did not have access to ongoing career services after leaving school. For example, once students graduated, school staff did not return their phone calls.
The Art Institutes communicated these substantial misrepresentations to prospective students through its website and print materials, and school personnel distributed misleading information to prospective students before and during the admissions process. The school’s misconduct harmed borrowers by burdening them with high amounts of debt without the advertised employment opportunities or salaries necessary to pay. Many Art Institute borrowers also dropped out of their programs and defaulted on their loan payments. Even if borrowers did complete their programs, they did not receive the promised career services, which hindered their ability to obtain employment.
Next steps
This group discharge will provide relief automatically to borrowers harmed by The Art Institutes’ actions, including borrowers who have not yet applied for borrower defense. The Department will begin notifying eligible borrowers today that they are approved for discharges. Borrowers do not need to take any action. The Department will take immediate steps to pause loans identified for discharge so borrowers do not make further payments. This ensures that they will not face any further financial demands from these loans during the time needed to process their discharges. When their discharges are processed, borrowers will see any remaining loan balances adjusted and credit trade lines deleted. Payments borrowers made to the Department on their related federal student loans will also be refunded.
Borrowers who want to learn more about borrower defense can do so at StudentAid.gov/borrower-defense.
Unwavering commitment to relief
The Biden-Harris Administration remains committed to using all available tools to deliver the federal student loan relief that borrowers and their families deserve. In total, the Administration has approved almost $160 billion in relief for nearly 4.6 million borrowers, including:
$49.2 billion for more than 996,000 borrowers through improvements to IDR that addressed longstanding administrative failure and the misuse of forbearance by loan servicers.
$62.8 billion in forgiveness for almost 876,000 borrowers through fixes to PSLF.
$4.8 billion for almost 360,000 borrowers on the SAVE Plan. These are borrowers who originally took out smaller loans for their postsecondary studies.
$28.7 billion for 1.6 million borrowers who were cheated by their schools, saw their institutions precipitously close, or are covered by related court settlements.
$14.1 billion for more 548,000 borrowers with a total and permanent disability.
ghostsniperMay 1, 2024, 5:06 PM
Joe, your post is incomplete. It doesn’t describe HOW the loans will be discharged. If it means the cost of the loans will be TRANSFERRED to the taxpayers then I agree it is criminal. I didn’t make the loan and I will do whatever I can to get out from paying for it.
If, however, the loans simply “vanish” and are not burdened on others that are not responsible for them then I am all for it.
Clearly, as described in the article you posted, massive fraud was perpetrated and no one should be held accountable for loans agreed to under those specifications. Think it through dood.
ghostsniperMay 1, 2024, 4:45 PM
“Hey Bob, Hey Bob, read all about it! Hey Bob!”
============================
Morning Final
—————–
He cast a grim shadow
Through the busy street
Said he was a junkie
And he punctuated his walk with a gun
Motiveless murder
The papers scream
The cops all said
The crowd was iced by the sight
Oh baby don’t it make you feel so bad
Dark clouds are over the street
After what I read, I can hardly feel my heart…
My heart beat
Down the subway stairs
After him they leapt
An echo snap and scream of fire
The hot pursuit was done
For the last time he felt the light
And gave up his last fight
Oh baby don’t it make you feel so bad
Dark clouds are over the street
After what I read, I can hardly feel my heart…
My heart beat
Real World Address for Donations, Mash Notes and Hate Mail
Gerard Van der Leun
1692 MANGROVE AVE
APT 379
Chico, Ca 95926
Green Pants Interior by Klahn
Who Am I? by Carl Sandburg
My head knocks against the stars.
My feet are on the hilltops.
My finger-tips are in the valleys and shores of universal life.
Down in the sounding foam of primal things I reach my hands and play with pebbles of destiny.
I have been to hell and back many times.
I know all about heaven, for I have talked with God.
I dabble in the blood and guts of the terrible.
I know the passionate seizure of beauty
And the marvelous rebellion of man at all signs reading “Keep Off.”
My name is Truth and I am the most elusive captive in the universe.
Duty, Beauty, Liberty, Country, Honor, Family, Faith — Plus a few simple easy to follow rules for guys
Men saw the stars at the edge of the sea
They thought great thoughts about liberty
Poets wrote down words that did fit
Writers wrote books
Thinkers thought about it
Take it where you find it
Can’t leave it alone
You will find a purpose
To carry it on
Mainly when you find it
Your heart will be strong
About it
Many’s the road I have walked upon
Many’s the hour between dusk and dawn
Many’s the time
Many’s the mile
I see it all now
Through the eyes of a child
Take it where you find it
Can’t leave it alone
You will find a purpose
To carry it on
Mainly when you find it
Your heart will be strong
About it
[Chorus]
Lost dreams and found dreams
In America
In America
In America
Lost dreams and found dreams
In America
In America
In America
And close your eyes
Leave it all for a while
Leave the world
And your worries behind
You will build on whatever is real
And wake up each day
To a new waking dream
Take it where you find it
Can’t leave it alone
You will find a purpose
To carry it on
Mainly when you find it
Your heart will be strong
About it
[Chorus]
Change, change come over
Change come over
Talkin’ about a change
Change, change
Change come over, now
Change, change, change come over
I’m gonna walk down the street
Until I see
My shining light
I’m gonna walk down the street
Until I see
My shining light
I’m gonna walk down the street
Until I see
My shining light
I’m gonna walk down the street
Until I see
My shining light
I see my light
See my light
See my shining light
I see my light
See my light
See my shining light
Gerard Van der Leun
Comments on this entry are closed.
I am in LA for the week on business. Driving on 405 and got off at an exit. At the stoplight is some homeless dude with a small cardboard sign asking for money. He had a large, clear plastic container with a cat inside, and the whole thing was taped to his bare chest.
I have seen it al now!
Nobody gets to abuse a cat in my presence.
I’d have put it in park, taken the cat, and if the dood tried anything, knock his ass out, get in my ride and haul.
Then I would have went to a drive thru, got the kee kee a plain fish sando and a water, then took it to a shelter. Yeah, I might have been late the the meeting. But when I told them the story they’d have given me a standing O.
Happy May Day to all the commies.
May you see the error of your thinking sooner rather than later. If not, then please keep your misery to yourselves.
Yeah, sure, Ya Betchya!
Pro-Israeli side starts violence at the UCLA protests (which is spilling off the campus now). There may be some counter-protestors who commit violence or who fight, but what I said yesterday is still what I’m thinking today. There are agents provocateur starting the violence and making the Hams look like the victims. This is boiling now, and soon will break into a rolling boil. The oil will spill onto the stove top and set L.A. on fire if left as is. Already the authorities have got in the game too late, but that’s fukn-fornia for ya.
We had a guy in my first NG unit in Wash. State who was fresh from the Watts riots, and he would sit in the armory staring a thousand miles into space.
Read earlier today: Give the protesters a hickory shampoo. Mercy that is funny! Bust up they ass!
I say, wait!
Hell, even give them some wide open staging area, where they can air their grievances at each other.
I have no dawg in this fight so, yeah, dish me up a laundry bag full of my favorite ghost pepper popcorn and a case of BIG Hamm’s.
Hail Yeah!
Chopper drop a hundred gross of hickory shampoos right in the middle of the foray.
Every 10th one should have rusty assed nails, 8″ screws, and barbwire wrapped around it – keep things inneresting.
May the bloodiest YouToobz win!
BTW, anybody know what’s going on with WRSA?
Been off and on for 2 weeks. mostly off.
That is quality entertainment over at WRSA. Something is ganked up over there with the website.
Got a rental car here in LA. Supposed to get some mid-sized Toyota or something. It wasn’t ready so they gave me a 2022 Mustang GT Convertible. 400HP+ I think. Fun to stand on it going up entrance ramps.
Can it catch a wheel in 3rd gear?
On full acceleration it will make my cheeks touch my ears!
WRSA is currently a guest at mike’s coldfury.com site…..yer welcome
Nod.
gs….nae problemo……
At the bottom of the article it shows how this piece of whale shit has forgiven over 160 billion so far. This is a slap in the face of every veteran that walks in America.
Biden-Harris Administration Approves $6.1 Billion Group Student Loan Discharge for 317,000 Borrowers Who Attended The Art Institutes
Today’s action brings total approved debt cancellation under Biden Administration to almost $160 billion for nearly 4.6 million borrowers
MAY 1, 2024
Contact: Press Office, (202) 401-1576, press@ed.gov
The Biden-Harris Administration today announced the approval of more than $6.1 billion in automatic student loan relief to nearly 317,000 borrowers who enrolled at any Art Institute campus on or after Jan. 1, 2004, through Oct. 16, 2017. The U.S. Department of Education (Department) found that The Art Institutes and its parent company, Education Management Corporation (EDMC), made pervasive and substantial misrepresentations to prospective students about postgraduation employment rates, salaries, and career services during that time. In October 2017, EDMC sold its remaining Art Institute campuses, and all existing Art Institute campuses closed under separate ownership in September 2023. Today’s action brings the total amount of student relief approved by the Biden-Harris Administration to almost $160 billion for nearly 4.6 million borrowers.
“For more than a decade, hundreds of thousands of hopeful students borrowed billions to attend The Art Institutes and got little but lies in return. That ends today—thanks to the Biden-Harris Administration’s work with the attorneys general offices of Iowa, Massachusetts, and Pennsylvania,” said U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona. “We must continue to protect borrowers from predatory institutions—and work toward a higher education system that is affordable to students and taxpayers.”
The Department independently reviewed evidence provided by the attorneys general offices of Iowa, Massachusetts, and Pennsylvania, which conducted multi-year investigations into, and brought lawsuits against, The Art Institutes and EDMC. The attorneys general of Pennsylvania and Iowa provided materials obtained from investigations into these entities, including internal employment data, admissions training manuals, and the school’s employment advertisements. The Massachusetts attorney general provided information obtained during an investigation into the New England Institute of Art—the Massachusetts Art Institute campus—including internal employment verification forms, other internal records of graduate employment outcomes, advertisements, and statements from former students and employees.
Today’s announcement is another example of the strong partnerships between the Department and state attorneys general and their shared commitment to protecting federal student loan borrowers from predatory schools.
“The Art Institutes preyed on the hopes of students attempting to better their lives through education,” said Federal Student Aid Chief Operating Officer Richard Cordray. “We cannot replace the time stolen from these students, but we can lift the burden of their debt. We remain committed to working with our federal and state partners to protect borrowers.”
About the findings
Based on the evidence, the Department found that The Art Institutes engaged in widespread and pervasive substantial misrepresentations that deceived students about the value they would be receiving from their education:
The Art Institutes advertised that more than 80 percent of graduates obtained employment related their fields of study within six months of graduation, but the school’s own records demonstrate that it inflated advertised employment rates. For example, The Art Institutes counted graduates as employed in-field when the school did not know graduates’ job titles, when a graduate’s job title was too vague to indicate that they worked in-field, and when a graduate’s job title was unrelated to their field of study. The school also excluded some graduates with out-of-field jobs from their calculations to inflate their in-field employment rates. When recalculated to account for these issues, The Art Institutes’ average in-field employment rate dropped from 82 percent to no higher than 57 percent, 25 percentage points lower than advertised. The true average in-field employment rate was lower than 57 percent because the school also falsified some internal data to make graduates appear to be working in-field when they were not.
The advertisements promoting The Art Institutes’ falsified employment rates also displayed inaccurate average salaries that graduates earned from their in-field positions based on the same flawed data as the employment rates. Testimony from former high-raking school officials supported the findings that school personnel made up graduate earnings and annualized the actual or estimated incomes of graduates working in temporary positions. They also included high-earning outliers in its averages and falsified incomes reported for graduates. For example, according to a former employee, one Art Institute campus included professional tennis player Serena Williams’ annual income to “skew the statistics and overinflate potential program salaries.” Another former employee described witnessing a coworker use salary.com to determine that a graduate’s salary was $25,000, when the graduate reported earning only $8,000 a year.
The Art Institutes also represented to prospective students that it had partnerships with employers and offered ongoing postgraduation career services. However, the evidence showed that The Art Institutes exaggerated its relationships with employers. In fact, the school had a negative reputation, so companies generally did not want to hire its graduates. Former employees and borrowers also described that graduates did not have access to ongoing career services after leaving school. For example, once students graduated, school staff did not return their phone calls.
The Art Institutes communicated these substantial misrepresentations to prospective students through its website and print materials, and school personnel distributed misleading information to prospective students before and during the admissions process. The school’s misconduct harmed borrowers by burdening them with high amounts of debt without the advertised employment opportunities or salaries necessary to pay. Many Art Institute borrowers also dropped out of their programs and defaulted on their loan payments. Even if borrowers did complete their programs, they did not receive the promised career services, which hindered their ability to obtain employment.
Next steps
This group discharge will provide relief automatically to borrowers harmed by The Art Institutes’ actions, including borrowers who have not yet applied for borrower defense. The Department will begin notifying eligible borrowers today that they are approved for discharges. Borrowers do not need to take any action. The Department will take immediate steps to pause loans identified for discharge so borrowers do not make further payments. This ensures that they will not face any further financial demands from these loans during the time needed to process their discharges. When their discharges are processed, borrowers will see any remaining loan balances adjusted and credit trade lines deleted. Payments borrowers made to the Department on their related federal student loans will also be refunded.
Borrowers who want to learn more about borrower defense can do so at StudentAid.gov/borrower-defense.
Unwavering commitment to relief
The Biden-Harris Administration remains committed to using all available tools to deliver the federal student loan relief that borrowers and their families deserve. In total, the Administration has approved almost $160 billion in relief for nearly 4.6 million borrowers, including:
$49.2 billion for more than 996,000 borrowers through improvements to IDR that addressed longstanding administrative failure and the misuse of forbearance by loan servicers.
$62.8 billion in forgiveness for almost 876,000 borrowers through fixes to PSLF.
$4.8 billion for almost 360,000 borrowers on the SAVE Plan. These are borrowers who originally took out smaller loans for their postsecondary studies.
$28.7 billion for 1.6 million borrowers who were cheated by their schools, saw their institutions precipitously close, or are covered by related court settlements.
$14.1 billion for more 548,000 borrowers with a total and permanent disability.
This is a slap in the face to every working American.
Biden-Harris Administration Approves $6.1 Billion Group Student Loan Discharge for 317,000 Borrowers Who Attended The Art Institutes
Today’s action brings total approved debt cancellation under Biden Administration to almost $160 billion for nearly 4.6 million borrowers
MAY 1, 2024
Contact: Press Office, (202) 401-1576, press@ed.gov
The Biden-Harris Administration today announced the approval of more than $6.1 billion in automatic student loan relief to nearly 317,000 borrowers who enrolled at any Art Institute campus on or after Jan. 1, 2004, through Oct. 16, 2017. The U.S. Department of Education (Department) found that The Art Institutes and its parent company, Education Management Corporation (EDMC), made pervasive and substantial misrepresentations to prospective students about postgraduation employment rates, salaries, and career services during that time. In October 2017, EDMC sold its remaining Art Institute campuses, and all existing Art Institute campuses closed under separate ownership in September 2023. Today’s action brings the total amount of student relief approved by the Biden-Harris Administration to almost $160 billion for nearly 4.6 million borrowers.
“For more than a decade, hundreds of thousands of hopeful students borrowed billions to attend The Art Institutes and got little but lies in return. That ends today—thanks to the Biden-Harris Administration’s work with the attorneys general offices of Iowa, Massachusetts, and Pennsylvania,” said U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona. “We must continue to protect borrowers from predatory institutions—and work toward a higher education system that is affordable to students and taxpayers.”
The Department independently reviewed evidence provided by the attorneys general offices of Iowa, Massachusetts, and Pennsylvania, which conducted multi-year investigations into, and brought lawsuits against, The Art Institutes and EDMC. The attorneys general of Pennsylvania and Iowa provided materials obtained from investigations into these entities, including internal employment data, admissions training manuals, and the school’s employment advertisements. The Massachusetts attorney general provided information obtained during an investigation into the New England Institute of Art—the Massachusetts Art Institute campus—including internal employment verification forms, other internal records of graduate employment outcomes, advertisements, and statements from former students and employees.
Today’s announcement is another example of the strong partnerships between the Department and state attorneys general and their shared commitment to protecting federal student loan borrowers from predatory schools.
“The Art Institutes preyed on the hopes of students attempting to better their lives through education,” said Federal Student Aid Chief Operating Officer Richard Cordray. “We cannot replace the time stolen from these students, but we can lift the burden of their debt. We remain committed to working with our federal and state partners to protect borrowers.”
About the findings
Based on the evidence, the Department found that The Art Institutes engaged in widespread and pervasive substantial misrepresentations that deceived students about the value they would be receiving from their education:
The Art Institutes advertised that more than 80 percent of graduates obtained employment related their fields of study within six months of graduation, but the school’s own records demonstrate that it inflated advertised employment rates. For example, The Art Institutes counted graduates as employed in-field when the school did not know graduates’ job titles, when a graduate’s job title was too vague to indicate that they worked in-field, and when a graduate’s job title was unrelated to their field of study. The school also excluded some graduates with out-of-field jobs from their calculations to inflate their in-field employment rates. When recalculated to account for these issues, The Art Institutes’ average in-field employment rate dropped from 82 percent to no higher than 57 percent, 25 percentage points lower than advertised. The true average in-field employment rate was lower than 57 percent because the school also falsified some internal data to make graduates appear to be working in-field when they were not.
The advertisements promoting The Art Institutes’ falsified employment rates also displayed inaccurate average salaries that graduates earned from their in-field positions based on the same flawed data as the employment rates. Testimony from former high-raking school officials supported the findings that school personnel made up graduate earnings and annualized the actual or estimated incomes of graduates working in temporary positions. They also included high-earning outliers in its averages and falsified incomes reported for graduates. For example, according to a former employee, one Art Institute campus included professional tennis player Serena Williams’ annual income to “skew the statistics and overinflate potential program salaries.” Another former employee described witnessing a coworker use salary.com to determine that a graduate’s salary was $25,000, when the graduate reported earning only $8,000 a year.
The Art Institutes also represented to prospective students that it had partnerships with employers and offered ongoing postgraduation career services. However, the evidence showed that The Art Institutes exaggerated its relationships with employers. In fact, the school had a negative reputation, so companies generally did not want to hire its graduates. Former employees and borrowers also described that graduates did not have access to ongoing career services after leaving school. For example, once students graduated, school staff did not return their phone calls.
The Art Institutes communicated these substantial misrepresentations to prospective students through its website and print materials, and school personnel distributed misleading information to prospective students before and during the admissions process. The school’s misconduct harmed borrowers by burdening them with high amounts of debt without the advertised employment opportunities or salaries necessary to pay. Many Art Institute borrowers also dropped out of their programs and defaulted on their loan payments. Even if borrowers did complete their programs, they did not receive the promised career services, which hindered their ability to obtain employment.
Next steps
This group discharge will provide relief automatically to borrowers harmed by The Art Institutes’ actions, including borrowers who have not yet applied for borrower defense. The Department will begin notifying eligible borrowers today that they are approved for discharges. Borrowers do not need to take any action. The Department will take immediate steps to pause loans identified for discharge so borrowers do not make further payments. This ensures that they will not face any further financial demands from these loans during the time needed to process their discharges. When their discharges are processed, borrowers will see any remaining loan balances adjusted and credit trade lines deleted. Payments borrowers made to the Department on their related federal student loans will also be refunded.
Borrowers who want to learn more about borrower defense can do so at StudentAid.gov/borrower-defense.
Unwavering commitment to relief
The Biden-Harris Administration remains committed to using all available tools to deliver the federal student loan relief that borrowers and their families deserve. In total, the Administration has approved almost $160 billion in relief for nearly 4.6 million borrowers, including:
$49.2 billion for more than 996,000 borrowers through improvements to IDR that addressed longstanding administrative failure and the misuse of forbearance by loan servicers.
$62.8 billion in forgiveness for almost 876,000 borrowers through fixes to PSLF.
$4.8 billion for almost 360,000 borrowers on the SAVE Plan. These are borrowers who originally took out smaller loans for their postsecondary studies.
$28.7 billion for 1.6 million borrowers who were cheated by their schools, saw their institutions precipitously close, or are covered by related court settlements.
$14.1 billion for more 548,000 borrowers with a total and permanent disability.
Joe, your post is incomplete. It doesn’t describe HOW the loans will be discharged. If it means the cost of the loans will be TRANSFERRED to the taxpayers then I agree it is criminal. I didn’t make the loan and I will do whatever I can to get out from paying for it.
If, however, the loans simply “vanish” and are not burdened on others that are not responsible for them then I am all for it.
Clearly, as described in the article you posted, massive fraud was perpetrated and no one should be held accountable for loans agreed to under those specifications. Think it through dood.
“Hey Bob, Hey Bob, read all about it! Hey Bob!”
============================
Morning Final
—————–
He cast a grim shadow
Through the busy street
Said he was a junkie
And he punctuated his walk with a gun
Motiveless murder
The papers scream
The cops all said
The crowd was iced by the sight
Oh baby don’t it make you feel so bad
Dark clouds are over the street
After what I read, I can hardly feel my heart…
My heart beat
Down the subway stairs
After him they leapt
An echo snap and scream of fire
The hot pursuit was done
For the last time he felt the light
And gave up his last fight
Oh baby don’t it make you feel so bad
Dark clouds are over the street
After what I read, I can hardly feel my heart…
My heart beat
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NqQ-ZUb9u50