+ - Universities Hold Transcripts Hostage Over Loans
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Hugh Pickens writes
Hugh Pickens writes writes "Dave Lindorff writes in the LA Times that a growing numbers of students are discovering their old school is actively blocking them from getting a job or going on to a higher degree as they refuse to issue an official transcript to send to potential employers or graduate admissions office if students are in default on student loans, or in many cases, even if they just fall one or two months behind. It's no accident that colleges are using the withholding of official transcripts to punish students behind in their loan payments. It turns out the federal government "encourages" them to use the draconian tactic, saying that the policy "has resulted in numerous loan repayments." It is a strange position for colleges to take, writes Lindorff, since the schools themselves are not owed any money as student loan funds come from private banks or the federal government and in the case of so-called Stafford loans, schools are not on the hook in any way; they are simply acting as collection agencies, and in fact may get paid for their efforts at collection. “It’s worse than indentured servitude,” says NYU Professor Andrew Ross, who helped organize the Occupy Student Debt movement last fall. “With indentured servitude, you had to pay in order to work, but then at least you got to work. When universities withhold these transcripts, students who have been indentured by loans are being denied even the ability to work or to finish their education so they can repay their indenture.”"
