Companies that prey upon international students

I have been working with international students at higher education institutions now for several years. Having an international background myself, it is always interesting and fun to see the new crop of students learn to navigate their way through everything and ultimately add some much needed diversity to a school.

Some of the students come for the education and with immediate plans to go back to their country and apply what they have learned, some come with no idea and just want a new adventure, and some come with the dream of never leaving. It is the last category that often tends to be the most vulnerable to certain scams and fraud.

While this fraud comes in many forms, the one I will focus on is the “we have a job for you” fraud.

International students are limited to what kind of jobs they can do while here since school is supposed to be the priority. Part-time on campus jobs are the usual, but paid internships and jobs that sponsor their visas are allowed under certain circumstances.

I recently came across a California company that made international students sign a contract that would have essentially made them indentured servants, and it contained the threat of deportment and heavy fines if they disclosed anything about the contract. I was able to stop a student from signing one of those recently by pointing out all the clauses (thank heavens); but how many other students have fallen prey?

 

Fraud always targets the most vulnerable in society, so schools please pay attention to your international students because they are more than just cash cows. To some, they are prey.

Dr Flavius A B Akerele III

The ETeam

Why do scams get a minor tag line?

The first article I am sharing might sound familiar to some of you because it is not a new scam:

“New Scam Targets Scholars”

“A new scam is tricking academics into thinking their research has been accepted for publication in a scholarly journal, the American Historical Association warned on Tuesday. Scholars will initially receive an email with "grammatical errors and unprofessional language" with an offer to publish a conference paper, and after submitting one, the scammer will ask the author to pay a "service charge" of several hundred dollars to review, edit and print the piece. The scam is targeting scholars in a "variety of disciplines," the AHA noted”.

Read here: http://www.insidehighered.com/quicktakes/2013/10/30/new-scam-targets-scholars

I would wager if you survey newly minted PhDs and EdDs, you will find they have seen shameful fraud before and perhaps have fallen victim to it.

This next one article is interesting because it talks about the brevity certain important issues get in the news. Actually, I find that quite a few truly important issues in education often take a backseat to the juicy headline grabbers.

“Defrauded Colleges Vary in How Much They Disclose”

“A recent investigation by The Washington Post found that nonprofit organizations have responded to a new requirement to disclose significant financial losses on the Internal Revenue Service’s Form 990 often by providing little detail about cases of fraud or embezzlement. A Chronicle analysis shows that colleges are no exception”.

 

“For example, on its 2011 tax form, Vassar College described a multiyear $2.5-million fraud in five sentences. Several other colleges and universities responded with similar brevity, while others described cases at great length”.

 

“Sue Menditto, director of accounting policy at the National Association of College and University Business Officers, said colleges often provide limited detail surrounding cases of fraud for good reason. A college may be “in the middle of an investigation, and for reasons of legal-counsel advice or advice of trustees at the time, the details could not be released because it could compromise the investigation,” Ms. Menditto said”.

“Two of the frauds listed among the documents examined by the Post stemmed from a common source: the Ponzi scheme masterminded by Bernard L. Madoff”.

 

Read the rest here: http://chronicle.com/blogs/bottomline/defrauded-colleges-vary-in-how-much-they-disclose/?cid=at&utm_source=at&utm_medium=en

 

Hearing the details about money getting stolen seems pretty important to me, especially since money is tight in higher education...

 

Thoughts?

Dr Flavius A B Akerele III

The ETeam

Sharing some good job search advice

In this day of electronic information transfer and social media, it is more important than ever to pay attention to things like the following article:

“Who Are You, Really?”

“Employment-related screening tools were the focus of conversation last week in the human-resources class I teach. As I expected, there were plenty of questions about how employers use Internet searches to make decisions about applicant suitability and a fair amount of outrage about how completely unfair employers are when it comes to using digital content to make hiring decisions”.

“While employers may deny they are using Google and other tools to evaluate your employment suitability, trust me, they are. In fact, they are typing your name into search engines early and often. Given that, it is up to you to be savvy about how to make a positive impression and reveal your true persona”.

“When it comes to determining who you really are, hiring authorities want to answer five key questions:”

Read the rest here: https://chroniclevitae.com/news/102-who-are-you-really?cid=at&utm_source=at&utm_medium=en

 

Mind-boggling is it not?

Dr Flavius A B Akerele III

The ETeam

FAFSA Being used in a strange ways?

Anyone who has had to fill out a FAFSA form understands the feeling of dread, anxiety, frustration, and all the other things that go with filling out that long form.

When I read this article today, I was a little shocked and hoped it was not true because students have enough to worry about as it is.

“Using FAFSA Against Students”

“Some colleges are denying admission and perhaps reducing financial aid to students based on a single, non-financial, non-academic question that students submit to the federal government on their applications for student aid”.

“Millions of high school students and their parents probably have no idea this happens after they fill out the ubiquitous Free Application for Federal Student Aid. The form, known as the FAFSA, is used by nearly every American who needs help paying for college”.

“It turns out students’ pleas for help are now being systematically used against them by some colleges”.

Read the whole thing here: http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2013/10/28/colleges-use-fafsa-information-reject-students-and-potentially-lower-financial-aid

 

What are your thoughts on this?

Dr Flavius A B Akerele III

The ETeam

Sharing an article 10/25/13

“There Have Been a Lot of Shootings This Year. Children Seem to Have Noticed”

“A new survey by the children's magazine Highlights digs into the hopes, dreams, and psychology of America's children, and suggests that they're picking up on stories of violence nationwide”.

“Here was a particularly interesting one: "If you could make one new law for our country, what would it be?"”

“Given this wide range of latitude, children called for laws to eliminate homework and strengthen universal education, among many others. But when kids' thoughts turned to safety, something jumped out to report analysts: Children don't focus on bullying--they focus on violence. Six percent of children thought their should be weapons laws, but only two percent mentioned bullying”.

Read the whole thing here: http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/rulesforengagement/2013/10/children_have_noticed_gun_violence.html?cmp=ENL-EU-NEWS2

 

Children always have interesting things to say about what we adults find important; it makes you think…

Dr Flavius A B Akerele III

The ETeam

Sharing and article on public schools 10/24/13

“Some Good News About Public Schools”

“When I hear someone complain about the public school system, I feel like a parent listening to a rant by a 15-year-old. They tell me that I am terrible at my job and that I don't listen. In angry frustration, they tell me that I don't understand the problems, and that I care about the wrong things and should be doing more”.

“As a parent and as a teacher, I sit and listen, trying not to provoke. These rebukes are not news, and they are not right, but they do offend”.

“I don't really understand the psychology that makes teachers and parents the scapegoats for so many problems, but in both cases I know the truth: We stand and face the challenges daily. We have become the faces associated with the struggle”.

“I am not a perfect parent; far from it. But my kids are happy and successful. I see evidence of their growth constantly, even when they are blind to it”.

“The public education system is also far from perfect. But our kids are doing better every year. I see evidence of that too, even when those complaining don't”.

“• About 90 percent of the kids in the United States go through the public school system.”

“Famous Public School Alumni”

“From top: Carlos Santana, Mustafa Quraishi/AP; Annie Leibovitz, Charles Dharapak/AP; Alvin Roth, Darryl Bush/AP; Alvin Ailey, Paul Burnett/AP; Stephen Spielberg, Francois Mori/AP; Ronald Reagan, Dennis Cook/AP; David J. Wineland, Ed Andrieski/AP; Jimmy Carter, Paul Sancya/AP; Maya Angelou, Gerald Herbert/AP.”

“• The dropout rate has fallen consistently over the past 40 years.”

“• The literacy rate in the United States is 99 percent for those age 15 and older.”

“• Most of our recent presidents—from both parties—were largely products of public education, including Bill Clinton, Ronald Reagan, Jimmy Carter, Gerald Ford, and Richard Nixon.”

“• Four of the five Americans who won a Nobel Prize last year attended public schools. Those winners are David J. Wineland (physics), Robert K. Lefkowitz (chemistry), Brian Kobilka (chemistry), and Alvin Roth (economics). Roth attended a New York City high school, but went to college without graduating from high school.”

Read the rest here: http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2013/10/23/09cleary.h33.html?tkn=YWUFC7TsefWVbdutckyXeHVV3zRjSBIY8crF&cmp=ENL-EU-VIEWS1

 

Food for thought?

Dr Flavius A B Akerele III

The ETeam

There are still some bad apples out there…

There is not much that needs to be said about this because it speaks for itself:

 

“American University of London sells study-free MBA”

 

“A so-called university sold an MBA degree for thousands of pounds with no academic work required, a BBC Newsnight investigation has revealed”.

 

“The American University of London (AUOL) awarded a fictitious person created by the programme a Master's in Business in exchange for a £4,500 fee”.

 

“AUOL has insisted it is "not a bogus university" and defended the robustness of the qualifications it offers”.

 

“Newsnight has found hundreds of senior executives listing AUOL qualifications”.

 

Read the rest: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-24618786

 

Another version of the article:

 

“How the BBC Helped a Dog Earn an MBA”

 

“The BBC decided to investigate the M.B.A. program offered by American University of London, and so enrolled a dog named Pete, giving him the fake name Peter Smith and a fake biography with various job titles. The university requires that students submit photographs, but the BBC opted not to send one, since the picture would have shown a dog. No problem. The university offered Pete an M.B.A., with no academic work, for $7,300”.

 

Read all here: http://www.insidehighered.com/quicktakes/2013/10/23/how-bbc-helped-dog-earn-mba

Let us be clear, this is not an accredited university and has no affiliation with anything in America. However, bad apples like this give all universities a bad name so be vigilant.

 

 

Students please do your research.

 

Dr Flavius A B Akerele III

The ETeam