Axia College Online - Western International University - Axia College Of University Of Phoenix Lost my paper work, didn't recieve my faxes, won't return my phone calls, Still haven't recieved financial aid since April of 2005 ripoff Phoenix Arizona

YOu may be going out on a limb on this issue Ren....Here are your words,

"To ensure that the point isn't lost on you, the bottom line is that there is no real, substantial difference in form, function, or quality.....The only difference, is that UOP is able to do all of the foregoing better than tradional academia."

If UOP is of equal quality, why would Intel decide to no longer fund employee educations at the school? Do you think they want a well educated workforce?

Here's what some professionals think about UOP education quality, specifically as it relates to your MBA,

Their business degree is an M.B.A. Lite, said Henry M. Levin, a professor of higher education at Teachers College at Columbia University. I've looked at their course materials. It's a very low level of instruction.

And this,

"John J. Fernandes, the association's president, said the university had never applied. They're smart enough to understand their chances of approval would be low, Mr. Fernandes said. They have a lot of come-and-go faculty. We like institutions where the faculty is stable and can ensure that students are being educated by somebody who knows what they're doing."

Educated by someone who "knows what they are doing....?" The words of the president of the AACSB, the premier business school accreditation program.....I suppose he has it out for the UOP as well?

Your assertions to the contrary, the issue is about the UOP using questionable business tactics, as evidenced by available press and government sources.

Do you really expect us to believe the assertions of a paid UOP employee over easily verifiable information?????

The US Dept of Education (USDOE) (all can read, google UOP DOE) program review found UOP was attempting to subvert USDOE regulations meant to protect students, and then attempted to cover-up these acts when government investigators arrived. It paints a picture of a business where, well, read for yourselves...

--"UOP's behavior during the program review process further substantiates the ethical concerns expressed by both current and former employees."

--"One of the On Line recruiters said that her manager called her and one of her teammates aside when it was learned that the Department was reviewing the incentive compensation issue.....The manager coached them to say that salaries were based on a number of factors, not just enrollments. The manager futher instructed them that they were NOT TO SPEAK to any former employees about what goes on at UOP." (emphasis added)

--"Recruiters at both On Ground and On Line stated that they are pressured by management to enroll students who are not qualified."

--"At both the On Ground and On Line campuses, a number of recruiters stated that the allocation of fresh leads and floor time was both an intimidation and reward tool to manipulate them into more aggressive and/or UNETHICAL tactics." (Emphasis added)

--According to some recruiters, while the Corporate Director of Enrollment stresses the big dollars that come with high enrollments, he characterizes the compensation plan for recruiters as "smoke and mirrors" so that UOP can "fly under the radar" of the Department." (of Education)

The CORPORATE DIRECTOR OF ENROLLMENT speaks openely of subverting government regulations!? This doesn't exactly lend credibility to the words of UOP employees!

In order from top to bottom:

1. Calling you delusional wasn't an insult, it was a factual statement describing the your incorrect perceptions; essentially, what you presented as reality simply doesn't exist. If you don't believe what I've stated about the processes of financial aid, do some research and find out for yourself. I won't bother re-responing to your other points, you can see my first post if you really want answers.

2. Your dogged adherence to the tradional eltist dogma of educaiton only being dispursed through select channels to select persons is both sad, and contradictive. As you point out, Universities, public and private, are administering education through online modalities. The same regional accrediting bodies are over both Unviersity types, as are the same federal funding requirements. John Sperling, the found of University of Phoenix, was actually a tenured professor at a "prestigious, brick and mortar" University, Berkley.

Addionally, the curriculem has to meet the same standards, and in many cases, has been designed by individuals that have also designed curriculie for traditionanal programs. So, to review, UOP is using the same modalities, meeting the same accreditiaotn and funding standards, and hasa a curriculme inspired from, and created by, traditional academics. To ensure that the point isn't lost on you, the bottom line is that there is no real, substantial difference in form, function, or quality.

The only difference, is that UOP is able to do all of the foregoing better than tradional academia. They receive none of the governmental subsidies or perks that traditional schools are privvy too, yet they are still able to deliver a quality edicaitonal opportuinity to over 300,000 students at any given time, and turn a profit while doing so! Traditiopnal acedemia is only concerened with the most priviliged and best equipped for succes, the graduates that will increae their prestige, everyone else is left by the wayside.

UOP has blown the doors off of this corrupt and self-serving practice, by offering education to EVERYONE who is willing, able, and desirous. Higher education has been made available to those individuals that, for either the real wolrd constraints of work, family, etc, or for want of opportunity and prior academic excellence, have hitherto been locked out of the upward path of higher education. UOP is not perfect, but it has come infinetly closer to the goal than any of its "traditional" peers, and therein lies the reason for these frivolous lawsuits and spurios libel attacks.

Traditional academia is threatened by the accomplishments and innovation UOP displays, and so they attack. Should you wish to step beyond the headlines, and venture into some real research, all of the foregoing will be mad perfectly clear.

3. As for the tired old issues of a couple lawsuits, and an apparetnly, omniscient, infallible, newspaper columnist, I have the following response and clarification.

1. University of Phoenix was not fined, they settled for that amount to resolve the case brought to them by the DOE. Big difference. Fine means they were guilty and had to pay, settlement means that it was costing more to fight it then it would to settle, so settle is was they did.

2. Had there been any real problems or serious issues with the University, its programs, or financial aid policies, they would have lost their accreditation and Federal funding, both of which we still have.

3. At the heart of the DOE's complaint was the relationship between enrollment counselors working overtime hours without compensation. It was basically a matter of policy that was modified to adhere to the DOE's specifications.

4. Finally, there is not a University or community college out there that doesn't have paid enrollment counselors. It is their job to help students enroll, and that is what they are paid for and reviewed on. That was not the problem, the problem was the fine details of the University's compensation policies (The University's policies said that enrollment counselors were exempt from paid overtime, the DOE said they weren't.

The majority of the settlement money was distributed as back pay to enrollment counselors who had worked unpaid OT. None of which has anything to do with students, just overtime working counselors.), which were modified back in 2004

It was never a matter of the University's credibility or education quality, it was simply a clash of policy that was settled. None of it affects the quality of education, or the student, today.

Having an accusation by the DOE brought against you doesn't mean that there is anything wrong with the University, it simply means that there is a possible area of infraction with the DOE's policies. Insinuating that allegations = guilt not only violates the presumption of innocence central to our legal process and any higher, logical thinking, it also puts you into the unfortunate company of the easily swayed, uniformed, media led masses. Do you beleive everything you read in the newspaper, or just the things that are convenient?

There have been plenty of lawsuits and scandals involving tranditonal programs as well, so your accussations based on this point are immaterial and contradictory. I would wager that you haven't done a single piece of real research into any of this, you've just read your headlines and ran with it! DOE regulation, inspections, review, etc is something that happens to all branches of higher ed, even your iconic major state Universities, particularly in the area of sports and recruitments. So if having a case with the DOE means that the school itself is bad, then there are very few, if any, "good" schools out there.


Bottom line: Get rid of your tired, worn out, uneducated, resistance to innovation and progression, and do your own thinking and research; that alone will eliminate 90% of the controversy. The only disturbing picture here, is the one of adults being so gullibly culpable that they lose the ability to think critically and objectively, seeing nothing more then headlines and sensationalism, displayed by you and yours on this sight. Thank goodness you're in the minority!

Who said....

"So many complaints? I've seen a whopping total of no more than 250 complaints, spread across at least 5 years."

The complaints alone would make a less than convincing case about bad business practices at the UOP. The complaints plus the verifiable info in the media substantiating many of these consumer complaints creates an entirely different picture. These include the current lawsuit which may bankrupt the school, the US Dept of Education report on UOP recruiting (settled for 9.8 million), the many press articles detailing problems at the UOP including a FRONT PAGE New York Times article entitled "Troubles Grow for a University Built on Profits," Intel's decision to no longer fund employee educations at the school, etc....

It's a disturbing picture....

STOP ATTENDING ALL THESE JUNK ON LINE SCHOOLS AND YOUR PROBLEMS WILL BE SOLVED
All brick & morter colleges and community colleges offer on line classes now at reasonable state tuition rates. If everyone would just stop this Bull$#*& of attending these rip off places of higher education, you would not be getting yourselves in a financial bind, or having these rip off companies trying to ruin your credit. Then UOP, AXIA, STRAYER, CAPELLA, and who ever else Jon Doe for profit schools will close up shop and be gone for good!

These on line schools are a 100% rip off. I have taken a few on line classes through one of my local community college's and I am satisfied to know that its 100% accredited and transferable to any 4 year university, no questions asked.

Please everyone, stop giving yourself a heartache

Now why would I make this up. Calling me delusional, is that the best you can come up with? Your a little defensive. The only thing you are doing is justifying mistakes. As for the online process, now isn't that your duties as an employee of the University to help a student through the process. I understand you are sticking up for your company, but come on everytime I was directed to someone at he university, it was a different person and they didnt know what was going on!! Would'nt that make you wonder? As far as doing the math on your complaint problem, that is not my problem. Your department is a mess. As far as your school I wouldn't recommend anyone to take online classes there. As far as the faxing problem, how many times does one person have to fax something before it goes to where its got to go. Now, i do think someone that really cares about the University they work at wouldn't call a student names and tell them they made it up, would you? Isn't that a little unprofessional?

As far as the financial aid process, honey I've been to college before and I have never had a problem before this one. I must say I do have better things to do with my time than make things up for you to defend.

Have a great day!!

Now why would I make this up. Calling me delusional, is that the best you can come up with? Your a little defensive. The only thing you are doing is justifying mistakes.

As for the online process, now isn't that your duties as an employee of the University to help a student through the process. I understand you are sticking up for your company, but come on everytime I was directed to someone at he university, it was a different person and they didnt know what was going on!! Would'nt that make you wonder?

As far as doing the math on your complaint problem, that is not my problem. Your department is a mess. As far as your school I wouldn't recommend anyone to take online classes there. As far as the faxing problem, how many times does one person have to fax something before it goes to where its got to go. Now, i do think someone that really cares about the University they work at wouldn't call a student names and tell them they made it up, would you? Isn't that a little unprofessional?

As far as the financial aid process, honey I've been to college before and I have never had a problem before this one. I must say I do have better things to do with my time than make things up for you to defend.

Have a great day!!

Tiffany,

You either made this stuff up, or you're delusional, because financial aid works the same at every school, because it's all coming from the same source! As for your faxing woes, every time I have seen a student with paperwork problems, it has been because they didn't take the appropriate steps, such as calling after faxing, to make sure that the documents were received. Do faxes and paperwork sometimes get delayed or fail to come through? Of course. Is it something that would have happened repeatedly to the same individual over a years time? Not a chance.

The University wants students to receive their financial aid as much as the students do, so it would be in the University's best interest, as well as the student's, to expedite the financial aid process as much as possible.

As for your prior experience, it is quite impossible for you to have started school with your tuition already paid, as the FSA administration will not disperse any funds until a student has actually attended class. This is a control policy to ensure that a University doesn't receive financial aid for non-existent students. What you assumed to be payment, was simply the standard policy of tuition deferment, which is a standard practice once a student has been approved for the financial aid, their tuition is simply deferred for the 60-90 days it typically takes for financial aid to be dispersed.

So many complaints? I've seen a whopping total of no more than 250 complaints, spread across at least 5 years. During that same time, at least 500,000 students have passed through the University in one way or another. I'll do the math for you, that's 1 complaint for every 2,000 students, or 0.0005 complaints per student, hardly an epidemic!