Quick Update on Westwood Class Action Cases

It’s been a little while since our last update, so I just wanted to check in and let you all know that we’re still hard at work on both cases that have been filed against Westwood College and Westwood College Online.

The class arbitration is still stayed while we are waiting on a decision from the Supreme Court about another arbitration case. The Supreme Court case has nothing to do with Westwood, but there may be some procedural issues that overlap so our arbitrator wanted to wait and see how that one turns out to be sure we proceed properly. We believe the decision will come out in the next few months, hopefully June at the latest. As soon as there is more information available, we’ll let you know. While we’re waiting on that, we are well underway with seeking and providing discovery for the named Claimants.

The class action case in Texas is also proceeding and we are in the discovery phase for that case as well. There are some up-coming pleading deadlines in the beginning of April, so we will post the new documents as they are publicly filed.

Also, largely as a result of the word of mouth of students like you, we have had an outpouring of requests for investigations into other for-profit career colleges. We are beginning investigations of the schools that appear to have real problems, and have set up a website for students from other schools than Westwood to seek and provide information. If your friends have attended other online schools and are looking for help, you can direct them to www.OnlineSchoolProblems.com.  At the top and on the right side of the page is a link to “Tell Us Your Story” where they can submit their information.

Lastly, I’ve updated the FAQ page to reflect some of the questions we’re getting these days.  If you have questions about how these cases work, your role in the case, your student loans, etc., please check there first.  If you’re still not sure, then you can contact me by clicking here.

Best,

Jillian

Westwood Accrediting Agency Conducting Campus Visit and Checking On Job Stats

Hi All,

We’ve learned that Westwood will be under scrutiny next week as the ACICS (Accrediting Council for Independent Colleges and Schools) visits its Denver North campus.  This is the body that has given some of Westwood’s campuses their national accreditation. That is not the same as the regional accreditation they are seeking, but have yet to be granted.

The school said in an email to some graduates that it is “gearing up” for the ACICS visit.  Part of that “gearing up” has included advising these graduates that ACICS might be calling them to verify their employment status. A Denver North Graduate Advisor explained it to students this way:

“You have been coded as working in field or in a related field, because you have used 30% of your degree in your post-graduation position, or you were hired based upon skills you learned within your degree (including general education courses).

We have heard from students who are trying to figure out what that means and how you quantify “having used 30% of your degree in your post-graduation position?” We contacted a representative from ACICS to ask how they student should apply this confusing and incredibly broad interpretation of “employed in their field.” The representative did not have any guidance for trying to make sense of this definition, so it will be up to each one of you to decide whether you are “employed in your field” or not.

However, the ACICS representative did tell us that if a student wants to make clear that they don’t believe they are  working in their field, he or she should do so. If you’re contacted, you should be completely honest about your employment position. You may also ask to speak to the ACICS representative rather than to the Westwood employee who will be making the phone call.

Westwood indicated in its email that “the accrediting team calls are only concerning employment,” but don’t be intimidated.  You have the right to tell the ACICS whatever you think is important for them to know about your Westwood experience.

Also, she encouraged any student with a complaint to file one with the ACICS by emailing complaints@acics.org.  Students can also file a complaint as a group.

Thanks for checking in.  Keep letting your voices be heard, and we will make a difference.

Warm Regards,

Jillian

Tags: accrediting, ACICS, campus visit, Denver North, employment status, job verification, Westwood

Updates on Westwood Class Actions in Arbitration and in Texas

I hope this finds everyone well and that you all had a very happy holiday season.  We are continuing to work hard on your behalf and look forward to what this new year will bring for all of you.  This post is to provide an update on the status of the lawsuits, and to give a little background to the many students who have contacted us recently and may be new to this site.  As many of you know, there are two active class action suits against Westwood College.  One was filed in May, 2009, on behalf of all Westwood College, Westwood College Online and Redstone College students who attended the school after May, 2005.  The second suit was filed in November, 2009, on behalf of the students who attended Westwood College Online while living in Texas.

You can read more about the class action arbitration and whether you would be included if the class is certified here.  The case is in a phase right now called “clause construction.”  This step is where our arbitrator will determine whether the agreement that Westwood required each student to sign allows the suit to proceed as a class action.  Right now, there is a case – Stolt-Nielsen v. International AnimalFeeds – being heard before the Supreme Court that our arbitrator wants to hear a decision on before making his determination in our case.  While waiting, our arbitrator has stayed proceedings until the Supreme Court decision or until the end of this Supreme Court term, which is in June.  That means that he will not make a decision on the clause construction issue until then.  However, to keep the case moving forward and to help us continue advocating for the students, the arbitrator has allowed us to seek individual discovery for the four students who are named in the arbitration.  As soon as the stay is lifted, and if we are able to proceed as a class, then we’ll be able to seek the rest of the information relating to the school’s treatment of the rest of the class.  We’re confident that this is an agreeable way for us to be the best advocates for all of you.

The second case is the class action that was filed in Texas regarding the unlicensed operation of Westwood College Online in the state of Texas.  In response to an investigation conducted by the Texas Workforce Commission, Westwood College Online ceased operations in Texas on December 8, 2009.  You can see the correspondence related to the TWC investigation here.  Westwood has filed a Motion to Dismiss our class action lawsuit based on their position that the Texas licensing laws do not apply to them.  We filed a timely response and Westwood’s reply is due this week.  We will post the judge’s determination on this motion when it becomes available.  All of the documents for this case are available on the Documents page.  In the mean time, if you attended Westwood College Online and want to know more about your options, please do not hesitate to contact us.

Additionally, we have now heard from more than 500 students who have come forward to tell their stories.  We’re working on getting those loaded onto the website so you can see what the other students are saying.  The stories are startlingly similar in the tactics used, promises made and the financial and emotional devastation.  We hope that seeing other students stories will remind you that you are not alone in this fight.  Please check back within a week or so for updates on those stories.

We wish you all a happy and safe 2010.  Please do not hesitate to contact us with any questions, comments or concerns.  We look forward to speaking with each of you.

Warm regards,

Jillian Estes