Civil and Human Rights Coalition Responds to Education Department Regulations on Predatory For-Profit Colleges

WASHINGTON – Nancy Zirkin, executive vice president and director of policy at The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, released the following statement in response to the Department of Education’s release of draft regulations to protect students of for-profit colleges from fraud and forced arbitration:

“We applaud the Department’s ‘borrower defense to repayment’ proposal as a significant step toward protecting students from fraud and misrepresentation by predatory for-profit colleges.

These institutions regularly prey on students of color, low-income students, women, and veterans to extract the maximum amount of federal loans, Pell grants, and veteran’s benefits from these communities.

These rules will help to tamp down ‘forced arbitration,’ which requires students to give up their legal rights for the privilege of studying at one of these institutions. Far too often, these students have enrolled after being sold on the promise of receiving an excellent education, only to end up saddled with enormous student loan debt and limited job prospects. With forced arbitration clauses buried in the fine print, these students are left without the ability to pursue litigation to recoup their losses.

We look forward to working with the Department to implement this regulation and protecting students who are looking to build a better life for themselves and their families.”

Nancy Zirkin is the executive vice president and director of policy at the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, a coalition charged by its diverse membership of more than 200 national organizations to promote and protect the rights of all persons in the United States. The Leadership Conference works toward an America as good as its ideals. For more information on The Leadership Conference and its 200-plus member organizations, visit www.civilrights.org.

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