Oh, The Agony of Entitlement
From CNN:
Alumna sues college because she hasn’t found a job
NEW YORK (CNN) — A recent college graduate is suing her alma mater for $72,000 — the full cost of her tuition and then some — because she cannot find a job.
Trina Thompson, 27, of the Bronx, graduated from New York’s Monroe College in April with a bachelor of business administration degree in information technology.
On July 24, she filed suit against the college in Bronx Supreme Court, alleging that Monroe’s “Office of Career Advancement did not help me with a full-time job placement. I am also suing them because of the stress I have been going through.”
The college responded that it offers job-search support to all its students.
In her complaint, Thompson says she seeks $70,000 in reimbursement for her tuition and $2,000 to compensate for the stress of her three-month job search.
As Thompson sees it, any reasonable employer would pounce on an applicant with her academic credentials, which include a 2.7 grade-point average and a solid attendance record. But Monroe’s career-services department has put forth insufficient effort to help her secure employment, she claims.
“They’re supposed to say, ‘I got this student, her attendance is good, her GPA is all right — can you interview this person?’ They’re not doing that,” she said.
Thompson said she has fulfilled her end of the job-search bargain, peppering companies listed on Monroe’s e-recruiting site with cover letters, résumés and phone calls. But no more than two employers have responded to her outreach, and those leads have borne no fruit.
Her complaint adds, “The office of career advancement information technology counselor did not make sure their Monroe e-recruiting clients call their graduates that recently finished college for an interview to get a job placement. They have not tried hard enough to help me.”
She suggested that Monroe’s Office of Career Advancement shows preferential treatment to students with excellent grades. “They favor more toward students that got a 4.0. They help them more out with the job placement,” she said.
Monroe College released a statement saying that “while it is clear that no college, especially in this economy, can guarantee employment, Monroe College remains committed to working with all its students, including Ms. Thompson, who graduated only three months ago, to prepare them for careers and to support them during their job search.”
Thompson says she has not hired an attorney to represent her because she cannot afford one. When she filed her complaint, she also filed a “poor person order,” which exempts her from filing fees associated with the lawsuit.
Asked whether she would advise other college graduates facing job woes to sue their alma maters, Thompson said yes.
“It doesn’t make any sense: They went to school for four years, and then they come out working at McDonald’s and Payless. That’s not what they planned.”
From the Office of Monroe College's Career Advancement Department:
Whether preparing for a career or simply need a part-time job, the Monroe College office of Career Advancement provides expert advice and valuable services to help you (excellent).
Every student at Monroe College has a Career Advisor, who provides one-on-one assistance with career decision-making, resume and letter writing, and job search strategies. (So proud the institution is about its services that it boasts about them twice.) The Office of Career Advancement helps with career assessment, resume writing, job search and strategy, employer recruitment and placement, interviewing skills, and other job search guidance. (Who wrote this?) Registering with E-recruiting allows you to view online job listings, post a resume to the database, and access additional web-based career resources.
From the Keyboard of Deborah Steinberg:
Dear Princess- er, Ms. Thompson,
Congratulations on your graduation from Monroe College! Seems like only yesterday you, dressed in shiny cap and gown, met with your diploma, a 2.7 grade-point average and "good" attendance record in tow.
Oh, wait. It is like yesterday. You graduated in April.
Anyway, I've noticed from your recent talks with major networks and newspapers, such as NBC, CNN and the NY Post, that you've been a little ticked off about a lack of employment. Apparently, school guidance counselors and career advisors weren't magicians and, thanks to their inadequacies, you're overwhelmed with student loans. You and your mother, the "only breadwinner" of your household according to the NY Post, are struggling financially. And because life isn't working the way you'd "planned", you've filed a lawsuit against your alma mater, demanding a refund of $70,000 in tuition plus $2,000 in damages caused by emotional distress to make up for a wasted four years.
I thought I'd do my best to break-down and perhaps help out with your dilemma by informing you that we happen to be stuck in a rut called a recession. The product of what economists refer to as "the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression", a recession is defined by Wordnetweb as a period in which "the state of the economy declines". The manifestation of a declining economy includes downsizing, pay-cuts and increasing difficulty in acquiring a job. For example, our recession might be the reason why your mother, a substitute teacher, foots the bills alone. As in, without your assistance. You've also probably heard about acquaintances, friends, loved ones, schoolmates and strangers losing their jobs since 2008.
To put it another way, although careers at Payless and McDonald's are beneath you, you'd be lucky if either company hired you.
Also, while most institutions charge nearly a limb for an education (dependant, of course, on one's major of choice), you could have spent far less in tuition and fees at a CUNY school. At $2,300 a semester, a Bachelor's Degree in a similar field could have been achieved. Now that I think of it, the $70,000 price-tag on your education puzzles me, considering Monroe College charges twice as much as CUNY per semester.
A "flat-rate" of "$5,472" for "12-18 credits"?
Right.
Let's play with these numbers for a moment. You'd attended Monroe College for four years-- as a full-timer, I assume, since mommy has been the only one working-- at the rate of $5,472 per semester. Multiplying that rate by eight totals to $43,776.
What about the remaining $26,224? If I subtract your four-year tuition from the $70,000 in reimbursement you seek, I am left with $26,224. How? How do I have so much change left? Monroe College offers Federal Aid. And you've obviously been experiencing a hardship. Were the books and supplies that expensive? Did the Federal Aid program really bombard you with late fees and interest charges that totaled to this amount only three months after you'd graduated?
Monroe College has done its absolute best to work with you on your dream in spite of a recession. You can defer your loans for up to three years. The school, like any other school, does not guarantee a job and it is under no obligation to take care of you. The Career Center and your diploma are merely stepping stones into your professional future. And it is you who actualizes it.
Based on the odd, annoying publicity you've been generating with your sense of entitlement, I'm not quite sure of what your professional future will be like, however. It is said that there's no such thing as bad publicity. But, somehow, I've always doubted that saying...
Besides, most ITs I know do not possess a college degree. And a good handful of them have become highly successful and wealthy by-- wait for it-- applying themselves.
I hope that you won't be suing a fast-food company anytime soon.
It's already been done.
Categories: From My Soapbox
Tags: $2000 2.7 Average Emotional Distress Good Attendance NY College Graduate Trina Thompson Bronx Job Placement Monroe College $70000 Tuition
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