Last August the College Guide wrote about for-profit colleges and minority politicians. America’s proprietary schools are eager to get the support of black and Hispanic politicians to try and influence legislation and regulations around for-profit colleges. About 57 percent of students enrolled in for-profit colleges are ethnic minorities.
But the education businesses efforts to get allies among minority politicians may have gone too far. In October the Coalition for Educational Success, a for-profit college trade group, took out an ad opposing proposed Department of Education regulation of for-profit schools. According to an article by John Lauerman at Bloomberg News:
“African-American and Hispanic leaders voiced their concern,” the advertisement said.
The ad quoted from a Sept. 8 letter Representative [Danny] Davis [D-IL-7th] sent to the Education Department, which said that for-profit colleges offer a “flexible” option for students whose schedules conflict with those of traditional schools. The ad left out the rest of Davis’s letter, which praised the proposal to toughen restrictions on for-profit colleges as “an important step in strengthening higher education and helping vulnerable students.”
Technically Davis (above) did voice his concern and offer suggestions to reform the regulations. Ultimately, however, his bigger concern seemed to be with the way for-profit colleges did business.
The Coalition for Educational Success apologized to the congressman and withdrew the advertisement.
Coalition for Educational Success did not get Davis’ permission to use his name. That was “a protocol violation, a lack of professional courtesy,” said Lanny Davis, a former lobbyist for the Coalition for Educational Success.
No, a protocol violation occurs when a woman fails to wear gloves to a white tie event.
This sort of thing, which Rep. Davis said mischaracterized his view, is dishonest. It’s more like an ethical violation. [Image via]
