In Washington Post Letter, Campus Progress Hits Back at For-Profit Industry’s Faulty Arguments

Today, the Washington Post ran a letter by CP’s own Angela Peoples, in which she responds to an opinion piece by National Urban League President Mark Morial. Morial’s Jan. 7 piece parrots talking points by the for profit college industry to make the case that proposed “gainful employment” regulations currently being considered by the Department of Education will limit opportunities for students of color (for more context on Morial, check out Education Sector’s take). What’s worse, there is no editor’s note telling readers that the Washington Post Co. owns Kaplan, one of the largest for profit universities in the country.

In a few sentences, Angela debunks Morial’s arguments, and alludes to the fact that the Post does its readers a disservice by failing to remind them of its close connection to an entity being regaled on its op-ed pages. The use of the Post’s op-ed page to back the arguments of the for-profits should come as no surprise: Instead of taking responsibility for Kaplan’s excesses and accepting the Obama administration’s common sense proposed rule for career colleges, Post CEO Donald Graham has been relentlessly lobbying against the rule. In fact, he recently wrote a lengthy appeal in the Wall Street Journal praising his school for “taking on many of the lower-income, higher-risk students who can't find spaces in public institutions.” But there’s a big difference between putting students in the driver’s seat and driving them off a cliff.

For more background on the Washington Post Co.-Kaplan connection, and how it is tarnishing the paper’s legacy, check out Peter Goodman’s piece in the Huffington Post. Also be sure to take a look at Campus Progress’s TV ad, running this week on MSNBC and Fox News, to learn more about the issue.

Katie is the Communications and Outreach Manager for Campus Progress.

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