In a story that continues to grow, students who formerly attended Corinthian colleges are accusing the United States Department of Education (USDOE) of using them as a publicity stunt.
Representatives from the “Corinthian 100” were set to meet with officials from the USDOE about their student loan debts but opted to cancel the meeting because they felt they were being used.
According to the New Republic, a representative from the Debt Collective, the organization aiding the students in their quest against the USDOE, does not believe the government wants to help.
“They’re using us so they can pretend to care about students.”
The Corinthian 100 continue to fight in an effort to get the government to forgive their student loan debt. Students that formerly attended schools under the now defunct Corinthian colleges banner are attempting to exercise a clause listed in the contracts they signed for student loans.
That portion of the contract allows for students to make a “defense of repayment” if they feel that they’ve been deceived.
Because the federal government fined Corinthian $30 million, in part, for felonious ways of collecting debt, the for-profit institution was forced to shut down. That’s also why the 100 want their debt forgiven.
Caught in the middle are the students who are saddled with thousands of dollars worth of debt owed to the Department of Education.
But the 100 are refusing to bend and are demanding that their debt be forgiven.
Because Corinthian received nearly 90 percent of its revenue from federal financial aid, the federal government should overreach to help students who have shown that they are unable to repay their loans. Because of the carelessness of Corinthian and the government, these students may never return to college due to the debt held from a negative and painful experience with a organization masquerading as a college.
