Higher Ed, Not Debt Supports AG Kamala Harris’s Efforts to Assist Students at Corinthian Subsidiary Heald College
Higher Ed, Not Debt launched a new effort today to encourage victims of the predatory for-profit Heald College in California to thank California Attorney General Kamala Harris for her efforts to secure justice for students that were defrauded by Corinthian Colleges and its holding, Heald College.
Higher Ed, Not Debt has long advocated for justice for victims of Corinthian Colleges. Over 4,000 current and former Corinthian students signed a petition demanding a refund and many Heald students shared their stories of how Heald College used deceptive recruiting practices that ultimately left students with crippling debt and few job prospects.
Maggie Thompson, Campaign Manager of Higher Ed, Not Debt, said this in response:
“We stand with Attorney General Kamala Harris in her pursuit of justice for students that were victims of this predatory school. Heald College systematically deceived students, lied about placement rates, pressured students into taking out predatory private loans, and left students saddled with unsustainable levels of debt.
The only thing that’s holding up the sale of Heald is its refusal take responsibility for the thousands of students it harmed. To suggest otherwise is patently false.”
The Higher Ed, Not Debt campaign has also heard from nearly five hundred and fifty current and former Heald students. Here’s what a few had to say:
An accounting student at Heald College in Hayward, CA:
“By the age of 19 I already owed about $20,000 because of Heald. Going there was the worst decision ever. Every time you tell an employer you went to Heald they either don’t know what it is or they feel bad for you because of how bad the school is.”
A network security student at Heald College in Concord, CA:
“I graduated from Heald in July 2014. Heald promised to find me a job, but instead referred me to a temporary agency that paid me to go on interviews for temporary positions. Heald promised to place me in an internship, and even after graduation I was told they do not have any internships available and still do not have any available for the field I graduated from. They promised me high paying positions, and that was not the case.”
A medical assistant student at Heald College in Fresno, CA:
“Right now I am having to defer my loan payment because I am not able to pay it. I have applied to various doctor offices and other medical offices to see about getting a job. I haven’t heard back from any of the places I applied for… I worked hard in school getting good grades. I’m also a mother of two children and went back to school after having my 2nd child. That was not easy to do, trying to juggle school and taking care of two small kids. But I did it and graduated with honors. I wish I had done better research before attending Heald but I felt like making the choice of signing up at this college was a right start. I hear of so many other students with the same issue. These students want their dreams to come true. And so do I.”
A paralegal student at Heald College in Salinas, CA:
“I am over $20,000 in debt. I enrolled with the promise that a paralegal job would be waiting for me after I graduated and that Heald would help me find one. I never received such assistance and the promise that a paralegal job was waiting turned out to be a lie. I spent the first year after graduation jobless and on welfare and had to look at other options beyond a legal career. I am defaulting on my student loans and feel helpless and taken advantage of by a company that should have taken more of an interest in the students welfare than the bottom line.”
To speak with a Higher Ed, Not Debt expert, contact Jamal Little at jlittle@americanprogress.org or 202.741.6251.
