Contents
Prompt & Guidelines for Organization of Paper 2 .............................................. 2
RUBRIC (& possible Peer Review form) for Project 2 ......... Error! Bookmark not
defined.
RUBRIC 2 .............................................................................................................. 3
Template phrases: ................................................................................................ 4
TIPS FOR DOING WELL ON ASSIGNMENT 2 ............................................................ 6
WRITING TIPS FOR CAREY PAPER ........................................................................... 6
Sample Draft Introduction ..................................................................................... 8
Sample Draft Body Paragraphs .............................................................................. 9
Sample Body Paragraph with Source Text Created by Student ............................ 10
1
Prompt & Guidelines for Organization of Paper 2
ASSIGNMENT PROMPT
Length 7 – 8 pages
For this paper you will select three outside sources that make arguments that connect with Carey’s. You
will use these outside texts to illustrate, extend, challenge, qualify, or complicate one of the arguments
advanced in “Why Do You Think They Are Called For-Profit Colleges?”
Criteria for Evaluation:
1. accurately describe the author’s project and argument
2. signal the topic and give a clear indication of how the paper will proceed
3. locate claims and/or evidence from (at least) 3 outside sources that connect with Carey’s
argument
4. analyze these claims/evidence in order to show how they illustrate, clarify, extend, or complicate
arguments found in Carey
5. present evidence that explains in detail how these texts illustrate, clarify, extend, or complicate
Carey’s arguments
6. use an effective structure that carefully guides the reader from one idea to the next and be
thoroughly edited so that sentences are readable and appropriate for an academic paper
BREAKDOWN/ORGANIZATION
Introduction
 Introduce the topic/establish exigency, significance, or advance a “centrality claim”
 Introduce the rhetorical context
o (think Rhetorical Situation: author, text, context, audience, purpose)
 Briefly introduce Carey’s project & argument.
 Metadiscourse – explain YOUR purpose and project (what your paper will do)
State the direction of your analysis and the steps you will take to get there. (For example, “In my
analysis of Carey’s text I will examine [what?] and argue [what?].”) (This orients the reader, but
can also be where you reveal your own stance.)
Body
1. State one of Carey’s claims and briefly describe how he supports the claim.
2. Give a salient example, and nail your example with a quote.
3. Explain the quotation by telling what he is doing, and delineating the ways it ties back to his
argument.
4. Introduce the outside text/author, and explain how the secondary text can be read as extending,
complicating, challenging, illustrating, or qualifying Carey’s argument. Use quotes and examples
from both Carey & the outside text to support your analysis.
5. Explain and/or discuss the significance of the connection
Conclusion: This is the “so what, who cares?” part of your essay. You have several options. You can
 Consider as a whole what the other texts DO to Carey’s claims.
 Consider the strengths/weaknesses, and effectiveness of Carey’s claims and strategies.
 Comment on how this argument has affected you as an individual and/or how it might affect other
viewers.
 Discuss where this analysis leads you – what position do you know have on the issue?
2
RUBRIC 2
Student __________________________________
Points
15
60
10
15
RWS 100 Grading Rubric for Project #2
Criteria
INTRODUCTION:
1. Introduces topic/gets reader’s attention.
2. Provides an overview of Carey, his project and argument.
3. Describes your project/what the paper will do (metadiscourse). May include brief
description of two/three outside texts and how the paper will use them to analyze
Carey (can make this part of body section instead if prefer).
BODY:
1. Clearly and fully describes one of Carey’s claims so that a reader unfamiliar with
the text can understand it.
2. Includes at least one quotation to support your interpretation of the claim – quote
is introduced, integrated and explicitly explained (e.g. “What the author is saying
here is…in other words…”)
3. Transitions from “Why Do You Think They Are Called For-Profit Colleges?” to
outside text (e.g. “Carey clearly wants the audience to believe X…However, author
Z provides a useful point of contrast, and
can be read as extending/complicating etc. Carey’s claim…”)
4. Briefly introduces first outside text, author and project. Clearly and fully describes
the claim or evidence so that a reader unfamiliar with the text can understand it.
5. Includes at least one quotation to support your reading of this claim/evidence –
quote is introduced, integrated and explicitly explained (e.g. “What outside text Z is
saying here is…in other words…”)
6. Analyzes in detail how the outside text can be read as complicating, extending,
illustrating, or qualifying a claim found in the movie. This will require you to
provide an interpretation of how the text can be read, and present your case, i.e.
support your interpretation (“I would like to suggest that this claim complicates
Carey because it presents evidence that undermines aspect X of the claim…author
A’s article can also be read as exposing a blindspot in Carey’s position, something he
fails to consider…For example, while Carey says Z, author A points to X…author A
writes…This clearly shows C”). Imagine you are trying to convince a jury – you
must do everything you can to be as persuasive as possible. MOST IMPORTANT
PART OF PAPER!
Score
(REPEATS 1-6 FOR EACH OUTSIDE TEXT BEING DISCUSSED)
CONCLUSION: summarizes connections between the texts & the significance of
these connections; discusses what has been learned about the topic, and/or how
arguments can be complicated, illustrated, clarified, or extended.
MECHANICS/FORMATTING: Maintains focus, keeps cohesion tight, ideas are
fully developed, transitions guide reader (see “Rules of Thumb” handout/handbook)
- maintains focus within paragraphs
- transitions clearly between ideas/sections
- creates coherence within sentences and paragraphs
- Carefully edited for grammatical errors as well as typos. (Each typo or new
grammatical error will result in the loss of one point, not to exceed 5 points).
- Paper/Works Cited properly formatted – MLA, APA or format used in your major
Total
100
Your
Total
3
Template phrases:
1) Author, term (illustrates, clarifies, extends, complicates), Carey’s claim (insert chosen claim),
by…(cite evidence from the author’s text).
2) Author, term (illustrates, etc) the matter/claim/idea/concept further by
stating/asserting/revealing…(cite evidence from the supplementary text).
3) Carey’s claim regarding (insert claim), is (insert appropriate term), by (author), in his/her
article/editorial/book (insert attribution phrase), as he/she states/claims/argues/queries, (insert
author’s claim).
4) If the text is ‘doing’ more than one thing to Carey’s argument: Not only does (state the
author)’s claim regarding (insert author’s claim) + (appropriate term) Carey’s argument of
(insert Carey’s claim), it also (insert correlating term) this idea by (cite additional evidence
from the author’s text). OR
In addition to (insert appropriate term) Carey’s argument concerning (insert Carey’s claim),
(author’s name) + also (correlating term) the argument by (cite additional evidence from the
author’s text).
Example using template:
1) Author, Michael Cannon, complicates Michael Moore’s argument for a ‘right’ to
universal health care, by revealing important issues not considered by Moore, including
financial strain and provision of extensive medical care.
3) Moore’s claim regarding the failure of profit-based health insurance companies to protect
their clients, is extended by a staff writer from KMBC-TV in Kansas City, when he
provides a follow-up on Julie Pierce’s devastating testimonial, debuted in Moore’s film,
of losing her husband to cancer after he was denied life-saving treatments. KMBC-TV
claims that Moore’s documentary gave Pierce “a voice and a stage.”
4) In addition to illustrating Moore’s argument concerning the excessive price tags of poor
health-insurance plans, and the need for drastic modification of our current system,
author Scott Shore, in his article, “The Nightmare of Universal Health Care,” complicates
Moore’s argument by claiming that universal health-care is not the appropriate solution
for our health-care mess.
TEMPLATE # 2
Author A complicates Author B’s argument by ______________, _______________, and
____________________.
Author A suggests that Author B fails to ______________________.
Author A acknowledges that Author B is_________________________ yet Author B still does not/does
not address _____________________________________________.
Although Author A agrees with Author B that ____________________ he/she (refutes/counters/rebuts)
_________________________.
Author A’s assertion contrasts with Authors B’s claim that ___________________
4
Sample Body Paragraphs Using Rifkin
Disclaimer: These paragraphs are taken from multiple sources. They are meant to show examples of
possible body paragraphs, which students should analyze to decide what works and what doesn't. Not all
paragraphs are good models.
Intro: In "A Change of Heart About Animals," a 2003 editorial published in the Los Angeles Times,
Jeremy Rifkin argues that new research calls into question many of the boundaries commonly thought to
exist between humans and other animals. As a consequence, he suggests that humans should expand their
empathy for animals and treat them better. To support this argument, Rifkin points to studies suggesting
that animals can acquire language, use tools, exhibit self-awareness, anticipate death, and pass on
knowledge from one generation to the next. Rifkin's argument provides a much-needed expansion of
human empathy "to include the broader community of creatures" (Rifkin 16). However, a logical
extension of Rifkin's argument requires that humans anthropomorphically proscribe all characteristics of
human emotions on animals in ways that are not supported by similar studies. In order to more clearly
define the limits of similar emotions in humans and animals, I will here outline the lack of guilt, morality,
and spiritual faith in animals.
Potential body paragraphs
Body Paragraph A: A researcher at Barnard College, Andrea Horowitz writes about a study that was
done on dogs to determine where "the guilty look" comes from (Horowitz 447). In her article, she says
that the guilty look is something that humans perceive, but that dogs actually emit as a response to owner
behavior rather than any prior obedience or disobedience. This disagrees with Rifkin, because he claims
that animals and humans share similar emotions.
Body Paragraph B: In a recent study at Barnard College, dogs who exhibited signs of "the guilty look"
were tested to see if the look came as a result of animal disobedience or owner behavior (Horowitz 447).
Guilt is an emotion that is often described as differentiating humans from animals. The results of this
study indicate that dogs give the guilty look based on the cues their owners give them rather than any
connection with their own disobedience (Horowitz 448). This proves that Rifkin's argument may be
limited to baser emotions like excitement, grief, and stress - emotions that are instinctual and not of a
higher order.
Body Paragraph C: Rifkin's argument examines several emotions that many might claim are instinctual;
several critics have argued that excitement, grief, and stress are often impulsive emotions rather than ones
achieved through reflection. Considering that animals do share some emotions, it is natural on this basis
alone to extend our empathy to animals that feel other instinctual emotions - like pain - and to develop
better practices accordingly. However, an examination of reflective emotions reveals limits in the
connections between humans and animals. In a recent study at Barnard College, researchers demonstrated
the false attribution of the feeling of guilt to dogs who had exhibited disobedient behavior. In an article
describing the study, Andrea Horowitz concludes that the results "highlight the priority, instead [of guilt
based on disobedience], of the human's behaviour over the evidence of wrongdoing" (Horowitz 450). In
other words, the study indicates that the appearance of guilt arises as an instinctual reaction to human cues
rather than any self-reflection on the dogs' part on the act in question. This is significant for two reasons:
first, because it indicates a common misattribution of human emotions to animals on the part of pet
owners, and secondly because it demonstrates the limits of Rifkin's argument in applying only to
instinctual emotions rather than reflective emotions.
5
TIPS FOR DOING WELL ON ASSIGNMENT 2
a) You can make this where you assert your position, using the outside source as support,
or you can make the outside source more of the focus. Example 1: Outside source CAN
BE READ AS complicating, or I WILL USE THE SOURCE TO CHALLENGE, complicate, etc.
b) You NEED TO DO INTERPRETIVE WORK – don’t just line two texts up, and talk about
vague similarities. It may be that the outside text does not directly reference Carey, and
the author likely has not read Carey. So you have to show how the outside text is
relevant, and how the author would respond to Carey if s/he were addressing "Why Do
You Think They Are Called For Profit Colleges?" You may need to spell out the
implications of claims made in the outside text, and connect these to Carey.
c) You must make a good, solid connection, and present a case for it – pretend you are a
lawyer, faced by a skeptical jury and judge. They won’t take your word for it – you need
to persuade them to see things as you do, and you need to present strong evidence.
d) You must choose very carefully when selecting quotations. Present the reader with
quotations that fully support your case, are directly relevant to your point, and discuss
them at length. They will be crucial for the next step, namely,
e) You must spend a lot of time detailing exactly HOW the outside text can be seen as
complicating, extending, qualifying, etc. See the verbs in the handout. UNPACK what it
means to complicate or challenge.
WRITING TIPS FOR CAREY PAPER
Analysis: The paper should focus on explaining HOW the outside source extends, illustrates,
complicates, qualifies or challenges Carey. See page 77-78 of the reader. This is the most important
part of the paper.
Provide a detailed account of both Careys’ claim and the claim in the outside source. If you
provide only a brief, general account of claims, your analysis of connections (which is the heart of
the paper) will be weak.
The introduction should contain a) introduction to topic, and/or attention-getter, b) brief
background on Carey, c) summary of overall argument and support, d) statement of purpose (‘In
this paper I will…”)
Each body section should
a) Introduce a key claim(s) from Carey that you will focus on, b) Explain the claim, provide a
quotation or two to illustrate the claim, c) describe the support Carey provides for this claim, d)
transition to the outside source.
6
Organize your account of Carey’s claim so that it helps “set up” your analysis of the outside text. Focus
on the parts of Careys claim, and the evidence he uses, which best allow you to establish connections to
the outside source.
Read and re-read the outside source, and make sure you capture the claims as accurately as possible.
Student papers sometimes provide a rather superficial account of the outside source. Some papers just
note very loose, vague similarities. If you look at the list of outside sources handout, you’ll see short
summaries of some of the texts, with some key phrases in bold, to alert you to important points. You
may want to create a list of similarities and differences that focus on claims and evidence.
ABC = ALWAYS BE using the language of CLAIMS. Focus relentlessly on claims, evidence and purpose–
and on making a strong case that your interpretation of the claims is correct.
Attributions (always focus on primary author.) If you discuss others referred to in a text, frame this in
terms of how the primary author draws on these people. The same applies to each outside source – talk
about how the main author draws on the work of other authors. Try to talk about what authors DO
with the other writers/authors they use. That is, answer why they refer to the other author? Eg.,
“Bloom supports his claim by citing research done by Smith…Bloom illustrates his point by drawing on
case studies originally conducted by Jones…Bloom concedes that writers like D’Souza are uneasy with
the implications of an evolutionary view of morality…”
No “parallel parking” Don’t provide a series of general points loosely based on the text, or provide
points that feature your own thoughts on the issues (except in the conclusion, where this may be
appropriate.) Instead, focus relentlessly on the claims in the text, and your analysis of the relationship
between claims and outside sources.
No hanging/hit and run quotations. ALWAYS introduce a quotation with your own words. NEVER insert
a quote that stands alone. Always introduce, integrate and explain quotes.
Quotations - the period goes inside the quotation, not outside it – even if there is no period in
the original quote (see handbook for a full explanation).
Example: Oreskes states that she “would like to fight Michael Crichton in a cage match.”
NOT Oreskes states that she “would like to fight Michael Crichton in a cage match”.
Long, complex sentences with complex syntax (embedded clauses, multiple verbs, etc) can
sometimes be hard to understand. Check that these are clear. If they are not, try breaking the long
sentence into several shorter, simpler sentences, tied together with simple connectives. See
handouts on unity, cohesion, focus and coordination.
Avoid “cheerleading” (“Carey’s brilliance is revealed in his masterful argument that leaves
opponents no place to hide from the glare of his logic.”)
Article titles go in quotation marks (“The Scientific Consensus on Climate Change.”) Book titles,
movie titles, and magazine titles are italicized (Moby Dick, Food Inc., Newsweek magazine, etc.)
Avoid comma splices, fragments, and agreement problems – see handouts and handbook
7
Sample Draft Introduction
For-Profit Colleges
For-profit colleges and universities are educational institutions managed and operated by private, profitseeking businesses and corporations. Many for-profit institutions are subsidiaries of larger parent
companies such as the Apollo Group, Career Education Corporation, Corinthian Colleges, Inc., DeVry,
Inc., and Laureate Education. To some extent for-profit colleges have always existed, formerly
recognized as trade schools and career colleges that offered certificates and associate’s degrees to people
that could not get access to America’s traditional colleges. As more and more community colleges meet
and exceed their enrollment capacities, for-profit colleges and universities are materializing into an
attractive option for students. For-profits are taking advantage of this by aggressively attracting a large
and growing population of students entering the education market – particularly working adults, part-time
students, and students with children. During the past two decades, enrollment at for-profit institutions
increased 225 percent. In 2012 about 12 percent of all postsecondary students, about 2.4 million as of the
2010-2011 academic year, attended for-profit schools.1 Entrepreneurs like Michael Clifford have aided in
the rapid growth of these monsters by seizing dying nonprofit colleges and flipping them into moneymaking machines, as nicknamed by Kevin Carey in an article for The Chronicle.2 He continues to explain
that most of the money made by for-profits comes from the federal government in the form of grants and
loans. The unproportional truth illustrates that a quarter of the Department of Education student aid
program funds goes to for-profits, while they enroll only ten percent of students” and implies that
something isn’t quite right. Looking further into for-profits, investigation shows that this significant
amount of financial aid isn’t going towards a good cause at all. Shady recruitment tactics, large student
debt, military personnel exploitation, and false or misleading information are just a few of the multiple
concerns reaching the public’s surface. It is vital to learn the reality behind for-profit universities in order
help prevent others, as well as to personally, not fall into the same trap that millions of students
unfortunately already have.
In this essay, I will examine the effectiveness of Carey’s commentary and how he illustrates, clarifies,
extends and complicates his topic, for-profit education. Carey first claims that for-profit schools have a
higher rate of default in loans, as students are often from low-income backgrounds and are unable to pay
back their debt. Carey’s second claim complicates his viewpoint as he states that although for-profit
schools have put many graduates in debt; they have also fulfilled needs that traditional institutional had
either ignored or could not provide. Included are two different sources; the first, “For-Profit Colleges”, by
David Deming, Claudia Goldin, and Lawrence Katz, all Harvard professors in the field of economics and
education, published in The Future of Children, which further illustrates the students targeted by forprofit institutions, the high cost, and aggressive recruiting methods. This source can also be used to
complicate Carey’s views as it includes the need for for-profit schools. The second source, an article
written by a former teacher, Brenna Ryan, at an undisclosed for-profit school, titled “Learners and a
Teacher, For Profit”, published in Radical Teacher, provides an inside account of the ethics of for-profit
schools from a teacher’s perspective.
1
“For-Profit Colleges and Universities.” National Conference of State Legislatures. NCSL.org. August 2012. Web. 2
April 2013.
2
Carey, Kevin. “Why Do You Think They’re Called For-Profit Colleges? Commentary.” The Chronicle. Provided in
course reader.
8
Sample Draft Body Paragraphs
(Claim) Carey believes that for-profit schools are bad because of the default rate of their
students in repaying loans. (Carey Quote) He bluntly states, “Unfortunately, a large and
growing number of graduates of for-profit colleges are having trouble paying those loans back”
(Carey 61). (Explanation) Though he doesn’t label these schools as “bad” in this particular
quote, the implication is clear: if students are unable to pay for their education, schools
shouldn’t be promising them that they will help them. (Transition to Source) Professor John
Smith, from the University of Illinois, illustrates this point by giving specific data: “Forty-seven
percent of all student loan defaults are from students who attended for-profits” (Smith 1,973).
(Analysis of HOW source “illustrates”) While Carey’s claim is general and opinionated, Smith
provides firm evidence through the use of factual data that indicates the extent to which forprofit students are unable to pay back their loans. Simply put, he shows what Carey only says.
While some may argue that it is not the for-profit school’s responsibility to account for their
students’ defaulted loans, an effective institution would give its recruits a more realistic view of
the cost before the students enter.
Carey seems to believe that degrees earned at for-profit universities aren’t valuable and he
questions the quality of education that they can provide. This is a major problem because
students expect to receive a proper education and a degree that will help them acquire a better
career. When discussing for-profit degrees and their programs, Carey referred to them as
“nearly worthless” and “low-value degrees” that come from programs that “while technically
legitimate, are so substandard that the distinction of legitimacy has no meaning” (Carey). In
other words, Carey does not think for-profit schools are providing a quality education and a
degree worth merit. However, is this necessarily true? According to Michael Seiden in his 2009
article “For-Profit Colleges Deserve Some Respect,” he argues that for-profits have to provide a
quality education in order to be competitive with traditional schools. From his 25 years of
experience working with successful for-profit institutions such as the University of Phoenix,
Seiden challenges Carey’s claims about the so-called substandard education for-profits provide.
Seiden states that for-profits offer “outstanding service” and “market-driven programs”
provided by “strong faculty members who combine theory with practical experience”, “know
how to teach” and have also been through “extensive training programs” (Seiden). From
Seiden’s perspective, for-profits institutions seem to be ensuring that students are receiving a
quality education in programs that are in high demand and useful in today’s world. This
challenge complicates Carey’s attitude towards for-profit education and suggests that the
quality of for-profit education should be evaluated a little more closely before they are written
off as worthless. It is a good possibility that some for-profit programs are educational, have
merit, and the degrees awarded to their graduates should be respected. However, Carey’s
negative view of for-profit degrees seems to stem from the issue of high student loans and
default rates common to for-profit graduates.
9
Although Carey wrote the first half of his article on how for-profit colleges are corrupt, one of
his main claims is that for-profits are not inherently bad. Specifically, Carey mentions that forprofit institutions “are at the forefront of much technological and organizational innovation.”
(63) In The Chronicle of Higher Education in an article titled “For-Profit Colleges Deserve Some
Respect,” Michael Seiden expands on Carey’s subclaim that for-profits are innovative by
declaring that “innovation has been their hallmark.” (3) Seiden, who has worked in the forprofit industry for decades, continues to expand upon this claim of innovation. He applauds forprofit education “from the early days when accelerated courses and evening classes attracted
adult learners who weren’t being served effectively by traditional education to the explosion of
distance learning through online courses.” (Seiden 3) Seiden has also expanded on another one
of Carey’s subclaims about for-profits not being inherently bad: that for-profits are rectifying
the failures of traditional colleges.
Sample Body Paragraph with Source Text Created by Student
…In order to evaluate the use of deceptive tactics by for-profit colleges, I pretended to be a
twenty one year old male, who was looking to get a degree in criminal justice. To begin, I used Google
search to find criminal justice degrees. The search provided me with two top choices for educational
institutions in a form of advertisement. The choices were Kaplan College and Ashford
University. Ashford University did not accept any person under age of 22 to apply to the Bachelor
programs, unless the person has an Associate degree from an accredited university. Since Ashford was
not available to speak with me, I requested information from Kaplan College. Within several minutes,
Kaplan College representative, Rodrigo, called me on my cellphone. After explaining to me how
furthering the education would help me to advance in life, I asked him several questions. First, I
expressed huge concerns about the affordability and cost of the program. Rodrigo answered, “The
program [Associate Degree in Criminal Justice] costs about 30,000 dollars, but this is the worst case
scenario. Most students do not pay the full cost out of the pocket. They get financial aid.” My second
question was “ What is your job placement percentage?” To this question Rodrigo provided the following
answer, “I don’t have them [job placement rates] with me, but our associate Jim would able to tell you at
your orientation. He [Jim] is really good at placing people. He used to do hiring for the county. He has
connection. He is able to place a lot of students. For example some of our students started with the private
security to get field experience”. My following question was, “Would security experience help me to get
a job?” Rodrigo assured me that such experience would help to obtain a law enforcement position because
the experience shows that the student is interested in the field and the students has some hands on
experience. He explained that private security experience would set students apart from applicants with
just a college degree. Finally, I expressed doubts about succeeding in the program because I was kicked
out of community college for failing all my classes. Rodrigo informed that there is an aptitude test that
any perspective student must pass before Kaplan would accept the student into the program.
In addition, I evaluated a website that is supposed to match persons with the most fitting
institution to obtain a degree. After entering my information on onlinedegreepath.com, a representative
contacted me. The representative assured me that he would match me with the best possible degree based
on my interests, age, location, and other information. He ended up matching me with ITT Technical
Institute. After several minutes, ITT contacted me. To my surprise, an ITT representative informed me
that ITT campuses in San Diego area does not offer degrees in criminal justice but they do offer degrees
in cyber security. Then within an hour, another onlinedegreepath.com representative contacted me. He
explained that they were able to match with the “best” possible educational institution for my
10
interest. The representative explained that he has an admission specialist from Argosy University
waiting on the other line to help me “further my dream”. The admission specialist asked me about the
reason for my interest in criminal justice. My answer was, “I watch a lot of CSI and I want to be just like
them.” She asked me about my highest level of education. I informed her that I was dismissed from the
community college for failing all my classes. The specialist asked me, “What do you think was the
reason for the lack of success?” My answer was lack of interaction with the teacher and the classes were
too difficult. Then the specialist inquired if I would be interested in taking online courses. She informed
that the cost to obtain Associate of Science in criminal justice is about 6,000 dollars for tuition and around
125 dollars for the books per semester. She informed that I would be taking one to two classes a
semester. To my question about the placement rate, she answered that the university does not assist with
job placement. Similar to Kaplan, I asked the representative about my ability to succeed in their program
given my inability to perform in the community college. The specialist assured me that they can help me
to succeed by providing free tutoring and any other assistance. The specialist informed me that there is
no admission test and a high school diploma will admit any student into the program.
My research determined that for-profit colleges still resort to misleading practices. The type of
practice depends on the institution. However, some deceptive practices that Woods encountered in his
investigation were not used by for-profit colleges in this field research. None of the colleges used
shaming tactics. ITT Technical Institute, Kaplan College, and Argosy University did not attempt to instill
lack of self-worth or unhappiness with the current situation. The pretend situation was set up in order to
give opportunity for these institutions to use shaming tactics, but these refrained from using them. It is not
clear from this research that all institutions have decreased or eliminated shaming tactics but these
specific admission specialists were reluctant to use them. However, the shaming tactics might not have
been necessary in my particular case because the specialist felt that I was already interested in the
program. In addition, Kaplan College has programs in place designed to eliminate unqualified applicants.
One must take the aptitude test in order to be accepted into the Criminal Justice program. It is not clear
how rigors and effective the aptitude test to restrict the unqualified applicants from entering into the
program. However, Kaplan College and Argosy University did resort to unethical recruitment
practices. The first problem with the recruitment techniques was Kaplan admission specialist’s
misrepresentation of the true cost of obtaining the Associate degree in Criminal Justice. Rodrigo
commented that most students do not pay “out of pocket” for the degree because they get financial aid. In
this situation, Rodrigo attempted to frame the financial aid as “ free money” given by the government and
not as a loan. Kaplan College might mislead a person who is not familiar with the financial aid system to
think that education at Kaplan College would come without significant financial burden. In contrast, San
Diego State University requires each student to take loan counseling before the institution would certify
the loan and disperse the funds. Second problem with the Kaplan requirement methods was with the
misdirection of students. Rodrigo attempted to suggest that gaining employment with the private security
company would help me to get a position in law enforcement. There are several problems with this
framework. First, Kaplan wanted me to accept that obtaining a private security guard position is an
acceptable or even desired job placement method after graduation. This is also problematic because this
placement would go into official statistics. In addition, the student would be stuck with significant debt
while working an almost minimum wage job. In my experience, private security companies prefer not to
hire persons with criminal justice degree who aspire to become law enforcement officers because they do
not want their officer to act like the police. Security officers who see themselves as law enforcers are a
liability to these companies. Also in my experience, many police officers have little respect for the
security officers. Lack of respect hinders applicant’s chances to get hired. Unlike Kaplan, Argosy
University does not have programs in place to ensure all students entering the program are qualified.
After I informed the admission specialist that I failed the community college because all classes were too
difficult, the specialist did not have any doubt that I could succeed in the program. One can interpret the
specialist’s confidence in two ways. Frist, the program is extremely easy that even a failed out from
community college student can complete it. Second, the specialist was not concerned with the student’s
ability to succeed but only with securing admission for the program. The latter is more likely than the
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former. There have been incidents were the admission specialists attempted to recruiting homeless
persons and “Marines with serious brain injuries” (Perteus 24). It shows that some admission specialists
only care to secure an admission deal by getting unqualified applicants to an orientation process.
It is important to address the final misleading tactic used by the for profit colleges. These
institutions create or partner up with websites that would recommend the for-profit educational
institutions to persons seeking information about degrees. The problem with these websites stems from
misleading claims made by the representatives. These website representatives claim to match a person
with the best possible option for a degree based on information provided. However, these websites only
match persons with the profit colleges. In my investigation, Alexander Jones (my undercover name) asked
the website representative to match him up with the best possible choice regarding cost, quality, location
and etc. The representative assured Alexander that the he would get the best possible match. The
representative ended up finding a highly non-matching program for Alexander. The representative
matched Alexander with ITT Technical Institute. ITT was not best in regard to location. Alexander gave
an address that was walking distance to the Sand Diego State University, while ITT was almost six miles
away. The San Diego State University Criminal Justice program is rated top seventy in the United States,
while ITT Tech is not even regionally rated. In terms of cost, San Diego State University is much more
affordable. According to the ITT Tech program information cost release, the online Bachelor degree in
Criminal Justice costs $83,806 , while the San Diego State charges less than 30,000
(http://programinfo.itt-tech.edu/cost.pdf) . Finally, ITT offered a program that was not in Alexander’s
field of interested. Alexander requested information about law enforcement position. ITT tech admission
specialist informed Alexander that ITT San Diego campuses only offer degree in cyber security when it
comes to Criminal Justice degrees. This shows that the websites such as onlinedegreepath.com do not
attempt to match a person with best possible degree. Their goal is to serve as a referral machine for forprofit institutions while misleading any person inquiring about degree that they provide the best possible
match for a person.
The unethical practices such as web-site referrals, misrepresentation about the financial burden,
and recruiting unqualified students must be dealt with. These education institutions are businesses and
students are customers. For-profit institutions provide a product to a public. One should regard students as
consumers. Therefore, one should regard the federal regulations on the for-profit institutions as consumer
protection. Bennett, Lucchesi, and Vedderargues argue, “Government has a long record of enacting
regulations on private enterprise, often intended to protect consumers” (42). Government has numerous
regulations for misleading practices by corporations such as a civil liability for false advertisement,
product liability, misrepresentation of investment opportunity, and etc. There is no reason for the federal
government not to enact consumer protection laws for the profit-colleges. Such regulations are not attack
from elitists, who want to ensure a completive edge for traditional institutions (Darling 25), but a
response to growing concerns about unethical requirement practices. The for-profit institutions do not
suffer any cost from the loan default, but the consumer and taxpayer do. The high default rate also affects
the federal budget which in turn reduces spending on the traditional institutions. Therefore, institutions
can accept fewer students and more students are forced to look for an alternative education. It becomes a
vicious cycle in which the for-profit institution is the sole benefiter. The government should enact tougher
regulations such as forcing the admission specialist to disclose information predetermined by the
department of education. The federal government should also restrict the number of federal loans students
can obtain in order to attend the for-profit institutions.
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