Group advocates for students to take legal action against universities over alleged anti-conservative bias
Exclusive: America First Legal Launches Toolkit to Help Student Loan Borrowers
America First Legal (AFL) is taking action to assist student loan borrowers in having their debt forgiven if their university has made “substantial misrepresentations” regarding intellectual diversity and educational programs. AFL, a conservative legal group, aims to utilize borrower defense claims against schools that promote “anti-American and anti-Semitic woke ‘intersectional’ indoctrination and host foreign propaganda.” The goal is to hold these institutions accountable for prioritizing ideology over inquiry.
“This toolkit empowers students and parents who have been defrauded by the woke leftists who run our colleges to push back,” stated Reed Rubenstein, AFL’s vice president. “The higher education industry owes taxpayers and consumers the truth, and the Department of Education must support them by holding the industry accountable. The industry’s fraud on the market perpetrated against conservatives, pro-American, and Jewish students must be stopped.”
The Borrower Defense Toolkit
The “Borrower Defense Toolkit” arrives at a time when universities nationwide are facing investigations into antisemitism by the Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights and the House Education and Workforce Committee. Conservatives have long expressed concerns about the proliferation of left-wing ideology on campuses, criticizing schools for offering degrees of little value and fostering a poor learning environment.
Borrower defense is a provision in federal law that allows students who have been victims of “substantial misrepresentations” by their school to have their student loans canceled by the Department of Education, making the institution itself responsible for repaying the federal government.
“Many schools only enforce their conduct policies against conservative pro-American, pro-life, and pro-Israel students or faculty while leftist woke anti-Semites are protected—the rules simply do not apply to them,” AFL stated in a press release. “If your college or university gives leftist students, pro-Hamas faculty, or anti-American foreign nationals favors or fails to discipline them in compliance with published standards of conduct, then it has likely made ’substantial misrepresentations’ that may entitle you to claim a Borrower Defense to student loan repayment.”
AFL asserts that these “substantial misrepresentations” can arise from how schools market their academic programs in communications and on their websites, where nearly all higher education institutions claim to be inclusive, law-abiding, and committed to enforcing conduct rules. However, in reality, these institutions do not provide an environment where conservative students can engage in meaningful discourse.
According to federal law, universities are prohibited from omitting information “in such a way as to make an erroneous, misleading, or false statement.”
As of June 2023, approximately 43.4 million borrowers held $1.64 trillion in taxpayer-guaranteed student debt—a subsidy that AFL argues is essential for the survival of the higher education industry.
Borrower defense claims have traditionally been directed at for-profit colleges, where the value of a degree is tied to post-graduation salaries, requiring the school to ensure the success of their graduates in the job market. However, public institutions have recently seen an increase in borrower defense claims, causing concern and uncertainty among public research universities, community colleges, and other not-for-profit institutions.
Click here to read more from the Washington Examiner.
What is the purpose of the Borrower Defense Toolkit launched by AFL?
Ing the debt. The Borrower Defense Toolkit put forth by AFL aims to guide student loan borrowers through the process of filing a claim and seeking debt forgiveness.
The toolkit provides step-by-step instructions on how to file a borrower defense claim, including what information and evidence needs to be included. It also outlines the criteria that must be met for a successful claim, such as proving that the university made substantial misrepresentations regarding intellectual diversity and educational programs. The toolkit further explains how to gather evidence, draft a claim, and submit it to the Department of Education.
Additionally, the Borrower Defense Toolkit includes resources and guidance on navigating the often complex legal process. It provides links to relevant laws, regulations, and court cases that can strengthen the borrower’s case and increase the chances of a successful outcome.
AFL’s initiative is focused on addressing what it sees as a systemic issue within higher education institutions. The toolkit emphasizes the importance of intellectual diversity and academic freedom, arguing that universities should prioritize open inquiry and the exchange of ideas over promoting a specific ideology. By taking legal action against schools that engage in what AFL perceives as indoctrination and promotion of foreign propaganda, the organization hopes to bring about meaningful change and accountability within the higher education industry.
The launch of the Borrower Defense Toolkit comes at a critical time when concerns about ideological bias and educational quality are receiving increased attention. With investigations into antisemitism and left-wing influence on campuses underway, conservatives and other concerned individuals now have a resource to advocate for their rights and seek redress when they have been defrauded by their universities.
AFL’s efforts to assist student loan borrowers align with their mission of upholding conservative values and preserving American ideals. By providing a comprehensive toolkit, AFL aims to empower students and parents in holding higher education institutions accountable for their actions, ensuring that taxpayer funds are not supporting ideologies that may be contrary to the principles of academic freedom, intellectual diversity, and inquiry.
In conclusion, AFL’s launch of the Borrower Defense Toolkit marks a significant step towards assisting student loan borrowers who have been victims of misrepresentations by their universities. By providing guidance and resources, AFL aims to empower borrowers to seek debt forgiveness and hold institutions accountable for promoting ideological indoctrination and foreign propaganda over genuine academic inquiry. This initiative reflects growing concerns about ideological bias on campuses and underscores the importance of intellectual diversity in higher education.
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