Veterans’ Student Loan Relief Fund
Veterans Preyed Upon by For-Profit Colleges Receive Grants to Help Dig Out From Under Crushing Debt Burden
WASHINGTON, D.C. - November 10, 2016 – Four Iraq War veterans were awarded $5,000 grants by the Veterans’ Student Loan Relief Fund (VSLRF) to help pay down exorbitant student loan debt incurred while attending for-profit colleges they say misled them about the quality of their academic programs and career success records.
Since it’s founding in 2012, VSLRF has helped 59 veterans who have been deceived into exhausting their GI benefits and taking out onerous student loans.
The latest round of veterans are James Allen, 36, of Kansas City, Missouri; Billy Herren, 34, of Plant City, Florida; David Livingston, 33, of Morrow, Georgia; and Riley Palmertree, 36, of Washington, DC.
“These young men and women have dearly earned the opportunity to attend college or career training programs. The Post-9/11 GI Bill and the Montgomery GI Bill before it, are our country’s most important tools for helping Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans obtain the American dream,” said Matthew Boulay, Executive Director, Veterans’ Student Loan Relief Fund, and a veteran himself. “However, some for-profit schools are defrauding veterans, using misleading and aggressive marketing and recruiting tactics, while providing an inadequate education. The Veterans’ Student Loan Relief Fund is helping veterans and their families get back on their feet financially.”
Many for-profit colleges promise “guaranteed” jobs to lure veterans into signing long-term contracts that ultimately exhaust their GI Bill benefits and leave them heavily in debt with substandard educations, non-transferable credits, worthless degrees or no degrees at all. The for-profits often see veterans returning from the frontlines as goldmines, since each one represents tens of thousands of dollars in federal benefits and access to subsidized student loans.
Largely financed by taxpayer-funded scholarship and loan programs, for-profit institutions charge exorbitant tuitions and are rife with hidden fees, yet their dropout rates are dramatically high and student outcomes dismal. Since 2009, for-profit schools have collected more than $8 billion in Post 9/11 GI Bill tuition payments from the taxpayer-funded Department of Veterans Affairs.
These deceptive practices have been well documented over the past several years. Sen. Tom Harkin (D-IA), chair of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP), was one of the first to shine a light on for-profit colleges’ recruiting tactics in the wake of 2008’s Post-9/11 GI Bill. In 2012, President Obama signed an Executive Order to protect vets from aggressive recruiting and proposed new rules in 2014 to limit how much debt students can accumulate as a portion of the income they earn after graduation. The Departments of Veterans Affairs, Defense and Education, and more than 37 state attorneys general have intensified their scrutiny of for-profits.
Several federal agencies have also come together to launch an online complaint system where veterans, service members, and their families can report problems with colleges and universities receiving federal education aid.
Veterans may submit their complaints to the following agencies based on aid received:
Montgomery or Post 9/11 GI Bill – Department of Veterans Affairs
Federal Financial Aid (i.e., Pell grants and Federal Loans) – Department of Education – compliancecomplaints@ed.gov
- Private Student Loans – Consumer Financial Protection Bureau
Veterans Student Loan Relief Fund Grant Recipients:
James Allen, 37, of Kansas City, Missouri
One of the main reasons James Allen joined the military was for the GI Bill education benefits. He attended DeVry University on and off between 2005 and 2014 and made it clear to all of the school administrators that he didn’t want to take out student loans. The representatives assured him that as a GI Bill recipient, he would not need loans and only needed to worry about “passing his classes.” He was misled every step of the way and learned that DeVry had withdrawn the maximum amount of student loans during the entire time he was enrolled, despite his clear objections. He currently carries more than $56,000 in loan debt.
Billy Herren, 34, of Plant City, Florida
Billy Herren was recruited by Everest University with promises of small classes and a guaranteed “high paying” job after graduation. He ended up with $60,000 in student loan debt and a degree not recognized by most employers. The only employment offers the school set him up with were $10/hour jobs as a security officer.
David Livingston, 34, of Morrow, Georgia
When David Livingston enrolled in DeVry University to pursue a degree in Network Communications, the admissions adviser assured him that his GI Bill would cover his full tuition. Before completing his degree program, however, he was not informed that his GI Bill benefits had run out and the school had taken out a loan without his knowledge. He was left with a debt balance of more than $3,400, which was transferred to a debt collection agency and destroyed his credit. He couldn’t return to DeVry until the debt was paid in full and couldn’t transfer to another college because DeVry refused to release his transcripts until the debt was paid in full. And since DeVry is not accredited, his credits wouldn’t transfer to any reputable college.
Riley Palmertree, 36, of Washington, DC
Riley Palmertree trusted the financial advisors at the New England Institute of Art when they convinced him to sign up for school loans with ridiculously high interest rates. They told him he would have to delay starting school for another year if he didn’t. Not wanting to delay his college education, Riley signed on the dotted line and ended up with $30K in loan debt.
About the Veterans’ Student Loan Relief Fund
The Veterans’ Student Loan Relief Fund was created by Jerome Kohlberg, a World War II veteran and early champion of the Post-9/11 GI Bill. A non-profit organization, it has awarded grants to 59 qualified active-duty military, veterans and family members, who believe for-profit education companies have deceived them.
-----------------------------
An Art Journey
Through Time
Nov. 12, 2016 through Jan. 21, 2017
The Brigham City Museum of Art and History exists to acquire and to treasure important works of art. The museum’s current exhibit “An Art Journey through Time” features masterworks from its extensive, permanent collection on show Nov. 12 through Jan. 21.
The museum is located at 24 North 300 West. Admission is free. Hours are Tuesday through Friday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Saturday from 1 to 5 p.m. For further information, please phone (435) 226-1439 or visit www.brighamcitymuseum.org.
J. T. Harwood, Lee K. Parkinson, Minerva Teichert, E. J. Bird, Theodore M. Wassmer and other premier artists have created “1,000-word stories” that will enable viewers to experience joy or grief or courage as they vicariously travel as far away as Saint-Tropez, France, and as near as North Ogden, Utah.
The imagination of many of the painters and draftsmen encircles Utah with such themes as old Frisco mine; thorn-apple tree east of Murray; desert sentinel; Millcreek autumn; City Creek, Salt Lake; and home of the brave (Native American scene).
Placed throughout the exhibit is some of the artwork from the Hinckley Collection owned by the Box Elder County School District and stored at the museum.
Museum Director Kaia Landon says, “Art’s sweet relationship with the brain and the body will make a trip to the museum worthwhile. Particularly engaging are the portraits ‘Dance Family,’ ‘Helen,’ ‘Fleur de Blu,’ ‘At the Market’ and ‘Contemplation,’ all by Wassmer,”
The media in the exhibit include watercolors, drawings, etchings, paintings and photographs
***Article written by Mary Alice Hobbs
-------------------------------------
SHOPKO GIVES BACK TO FAMILIES
IN CRISIS DURING THE HOLIDAY SEASON
Shopko and Shopko Hometown partner with Feeding America® and Toys for Tots
GREEN BAY, WI (November 11, 2016) – With more than 43.1 million Americans living in poverty, the upcoming months can prove to be a stressful time. In an effort to support families in crisis this holiday season, Shopko is partnering with Feeding America and the Marine Toys for Tots Foundation to provide families with the items they need to celebrate the holidays.
To help combat hunger around the holidays, Shopko will donate$100,000 to Feeding America to support their network of local member foodbanks in all Shopko markets across the country. Additionally, through November 20, 2016, all Shopko locations will collect critical items, including nonperishables and hygiene supplies. All donations can be dropped off at marked donation boxes inside Shopko and will be distributed to a local food pantry in time for Thanksgiving.
“Shopko takes pride in the communities we serve and is therefore committed to providing critical support to local families in crisis by partnering with respected nonprofit organizations such as Feeding America and Toys for Tots,” said Peter McMahon, Shopko CEO. “Simple acts of kindness, such as donating to those in need, is vital to the well-being of the communities we are privileged to serve.”
In addition to supporting Feeding America, Shopko is once again partnering with Toys for Tots to help make the holiday season more enjoyable for less fortunate children across the country. In its 25th year as a program partner, Shopko is collecting toys donated by customers this holiday season to provide to local children in need. Customers may donate new, unwrapped toys at any Shopko store through Friday, December 9, 2016.
-------------------------------------------
BIG LEBOWSKI FILM FESTIVAL HITS OGDEN
OGDEN, UT [November 11, 2016] – The 3rd annual Big Lebowski Festival hits Ogden on Saturday, November 12 at Peery’s Egyptian Theater at 7:30pm. Lebowski fanatics and fans can pick up tickets at Smith Tix and at the Peery’s Egyptian Theater box office. Costumes, drinks, bowling & prizes are all part of the fun.
Visit our Facebook page to learn more: .facebook.com/ogdenlebowskifest/.
About the Egyptian Theatre Foundation:
The Egyptian Theatre Foundation enhances Peery's Egyptian Theater, in Ogden, Utah by providing conscientious oversight of the preservation, maintenance, and improvement of this historically important venue. The board focuses on fundraising initiatives for special theater-related projects that attract increased community participation and invite new audiences. The foundation is incorporated as a charitable organization under Section 501(c) (3) of the US IRS Code of 1986. Learn more about us at: www.egyptiantheaterfoundation.org.
-------------------------------------
Black Friday is right around the corner and Americans will be rushing to the registers with their credit cards. To help show where people have been most responsible with their cards, financial technology company SmartAsset has released their second annual study on places with the least credit card debt. According to the research, Weber County residents are among the most responsible with their plastic, sporting one of the lowest per capita credit card debts (compared to income and net wealth) in Utah.
In the table below, you can compare how Weber County stacks up with other leading counties in Utah:
Rank
County
Income
Wealth
Credit Card Debt
Credit Card Debt as % of Income
Credit Card Debt as % of Wealth
Lowest Credit Card Debt Index
1
Uintah, UT
$24,572
$26,104
$2,033
8.3 %
7.8 %
87.07
2
Weber, UT
$23,430
$25,872
$2,195
9.4 %
8.5 %
83.83
3
Box Elder, UT
$22,150
$30,842
$2,338
10.6 %
7.6 %
82.92
4
Duchesne, UT
$24,162
$20,862
$2,099
8.7 %
10.1 %
82.71
5
Davis, UT
$26,309
$38,367
$2,971
11.3 %
7.7 %
81.21
6
Carbon, UT
$20,691
$20,266
$2,019
9.8 %
10.0 %
80.76
7
Tooele, UT
$22,423
$31,929
$2,573
11.5 %
8.1 %
80.36
8
Washington, UT
$21,771
$31,616
$2,544
11.7 %
8.0 %
79.97
9
Wasatch, UT
$26,145
$30,825
$2,826
10.8 %
9.2 %
79.94
10
Summit, UT
$45,461
$67,616
$5,491
12.1 %
8.1 %
79.08
You can find additional details on the study, including the methodology and interactive map here: https://smartasset.com/credit-cards/credit-card-calculator?year=2016#Utah
