The Banking Industry will fine you for not having money

 

Monthly maintenance fees, convenience fees, check cashing fees, teller deposit fees, overdraft fees, extended overdraft fees. Telephone fees, fee fees fees!

I just cashed a large check at the bank it was drawn from, and they charged me $7.50. I asked a simple question about the fee: “what is the fee for?”, and the teller could not answer it but said “I will ask my manager to answer you’. Manager comes and proceeds to give me a paragraph on “how it depends on how the account is set up”, blah blah blah. I politely let her know that she did not answer my simple question, but never mind. She moves on with no shame and does not care. Surely you can simply tell me what a fee is for?

The reason I had to go to that bank to cash the check is because my own bank wanted to put a five day hold on the money and would not divide up the check into my 2 different accounts like I asked until the hold was up. The hold by the day did not include Saturday and Sunday so really it was a seven-day hold. I have been an account holder with them for almost 20 years…

Banks need to do better; the nickel and diming really does hurt people who are living paycheck to paycheck, and it does not provide better customer service in any way. Banks need to stop acting like they are doing you a favor by charging you a monthly fee in order to use the money you own, and before anyone shout out “credit unions!”, just know I have an account at credit union as well and I fail to see the difference in policies; yes, I get more free ATM access but that is about it.

No, I do not have a solution, this was more of an observational rant, so thanks for listening.

Dr Flavius Akerele III

The ETeam

What I hope for in 2022

 

#whatihopeforin2022

The past is exactly what it is, the past. While we can learn a lot from it, we can never really go back, and nor should we. However, I do remember a time before social media when we did not have ability to comment on every single thing instantly, I remember when courtesy was paramount when sharing written words with people.

What I hope for in 2022, is that we learn to better use this powerful tool called social media, that we recognize that the person types the fastest is not always right, and that we stop using term like “with all due respect” so disrespectfully. I also hope that we have learned tomorrow is never promised, so spend the energy on being polite rather than rude.

I hope 2022 is a successful year for you all, and I hope it the year of RESPECT.

Dr Flavius AB Akerele III

The ETeam

Collateral Consequences: do we really believe in rehabilitation? If so, let us show it

 

"There are at least 40,000 federal, state and local restrictions across the country, known as “collateral consequences,” that prevent formerly incarcerated people from working in certain jobs and also from accessing various services and opportunities, according to reporting by The Marshall Project, which focuses on criminal justice issues and employs currently and formerly incarcerated reporters. Some of the laws even ban former prisoners from securing public assistance benefits or living in public housing".

"Most of these laws—72 percent—limit people with past convictions from working in certain jobs. The most commonly restricted fields include health care, public service and education, according to a 2021 report by the Council of State Governments Justice Center. The laws range widely, however, and bar people with a conviction history in some states from becoming cosmetologists, manicurists and barbers. These restrictions can prevent formerly incarcerated people from pursuing their fields of choice by denying them licensure for specific careers, forcing them to undergo background checks or prove they’re rehabilitated, or making it illegal for certain types of employers to hire them".

https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2021/12/15/incarcerated-students-face-maze-legal-obstacles-jobs

Four pillars of an educational institution’s existence

 

Imagine the institution is a car, and I prefer the car analogy rather than “ship” because most people will never get on a ship but will have driven in some kind of four wheeled vehicles.

These pillars are not necessarily in order, but they most definitely need to be in balance in order to steer correctly.

·        Financial stability

·        Enrollment

·        Accreditation

·        Retention (of students and staff)

From time to time the tires must be changed; sometimes it is one because of a flat, sometimes it is all four tires because they have expired. You also must check the pressure and tread of each tire on a regular basis.

Can everyone in the school answer these questions with some degree of certainty, or at least know how to readily find the answers (students included):

1.      Does the school have a strategic plan? If not, why not?

2.      How do you measure the benchmarks on your strategic plan (if you have one)?

3.      What is the mission of the school?

4.      What is the vision of the school?

5.      Do you have enough funding to complete the fiscal year?

6.      How many alumni do you have, and do you have an alumni database?

7.      How many teachers stay more than 2 years?

8.      How many students transfer out after a year?

9.      Are you in compliance with your accreditor and when is your next accreditation visit?

10.   Can you name the council person of the neighborhood where your campus is located?

Seems basic right? However, so many schools’ administrators cannot answer all these questions (or know where to find the information), let alone staff and students. This information should not be a secret.

If you can quantify everything on this one sheet of paper, then you are in decent shape. The question is can you?

Dr Flavius Akerele III

The ETeam

Sharing an article: Aggressive Collections for Students but Not Institutions?

 

"A report by the National Student Legal Defense Network highlights how the Department of Education seeks to collect debt from student borrowers while appearing to not put the same energy into collecting debt from hundreds of institutions"

https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2021/07/06/report-institutions-owe-12-billion-education-department?utm_source=Inside+Higher+Ed&utm_campaign=a998f0a486-DNU_2021_COPY_02&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_1fcbc04421-a998f0a486-198173850&mc_cid=a998f0a486&mc_eid=337f2d56fa#

 

Institutions owe far more than students ever could…. #education #highereducation #studentdebt #equity

The problem with buzzwords

 

Every few years, we see new “buzz words” being promoted in the workplace, and even more so in the education industry.  In no particular order or reason, here are a few:

·        Disruptive

·        360 reviews

·        Best practices

·        Consensus

·        Common core

·        Cooperative learning

·        Standards

·        Efficacy

Etc.

Right now, the current trendy buzzword or buzz phrase is “diversity, equity, and inclusion”. I see many companies hiring for those positions, I see these words being incorporated in mission plans, action plans, and so many other areas.

Diversity, equity, and inclusion: seems like a great idea, right? But how many companies are actually doing it? How many people can explain it in simple terms? How many companies try and communicate the message to all employees in ways that are clear?

Do you assign this position to the only minority (minority is more than just skin color) in the office because you think that is what needed? Do you post a hiring ad for a diversity director and then never fill it?

Buzzwords are not supposed to be just words, they are supposed to be a major shift in the way business is done. They are supposed to be a radical change in something we have been doing wrong or could be doing better. There is the saying in that education has not really changed in 100 years, and while that is not entirely accurate, it is also not completely wrong. Education is just as guilty of creating buzzwords, and then calling it a change, even though it really is not a change from the norm.

Real change is going to make a lot of people very uncomfortable; it really will “disrupt” lives. Real change is hard to come by, because nobody really likes to change and even more people fear it.

We need to do better, leadership needs to do better, and here is a radical thought: how about we start with simple courtesy. Let us use the platinum rule and treat people the way THEY want to be treated.

 

Dr Flavius A B Akerele III

The ETeam

 

#diverity #inclusion #change #equity #education #hiring #leadership

Never apologize for growing older and wanting to work

 

There are a lot of people and entities giving advice to people of a certain age looking for a new job; and one thing the pandemic has shown us is that a lot of people still need to and are trying to work.

 

Browsing though various articles such as:

 

·       “Tips for Finding a Job After 50”

·       “7 Tips for Getting a New Job in Your 50s”

·       “Job Searching Over 50: 8 Secrets for Success”

 

I realize that a common theme throughout all, is that there is a sense that being over 50 is a negative somehow, and you need to diminish yourself and your experience in order to get someone to hire you.

 

Since when has experience become an impediment to finding work? Since when did we have to start apologizing and placating potential employers because we had the audacity grow older?

 

Employers need to start looking at things a different way because there is a lot of wasted talent out there becoming discouraged, simply because society only seems to value youth.

 

Things to think about.

 

Dr Flavius A B Akerele III

The ETeam