LOUISVILLE Ky. — A for-profit college is asking its employees to support the challenger in the Kentucky attorney general’s race, saying that the incumbent is unfairly targeting such schools for investigation.
Leaders at Sullivan University, which has its main campus in Louisville, asked employees during an Aug. 3 training session to contribute $25 each to Todd P’Pool, according to The Courier-Journal (https://bit.ly/n0SO6F) and the Lexington Herald-Leader (https://bit.ly/nhtD5T). In addition, chancellor A.R. Sullivan was helping host a fundraiser this week for P’Pool.
Grover Potts, Jr., an attorney for Sullivan, said for-profit college officials think Attorney General Jack Conway has unfairly gone after the schools in an investigation involving possible violations of state consumer laws.
Potts confirmed that contributions were sought from employees, but said no one was coerced and no laws were broken.
Kayla Porter, 28, who attended the event, said employees were asked to raise their hands to show that they intended to donate and she felt so pressured she decided to quit her job at Spencerian College, which is a division of Sullivan.
“I didn’t feel comfortable working for a company that used tactics like this,” Porter said.
The fundraising efforts come as trade practices at for-profit colleges in Kentucky are probed. Some of the schools have been criticized for aggressive recruiting tactics, high tuition and high rates of student loan defaults.
