2016 March 5^th

Donald Trump was speaking in Cadillac today, just an hour’s drive away, and I didn’t go to his performance. It was my one chance to see him in person; with any luck I’ll never have another one. Factcheck has an extensive review of Trump’s defense of “Trump University” in this morning’s Record-Eagle. This “University” consisted of a series of lectures on real estate given by lecturers Trump said he had handpicked himself. Either Trump lied or Michael Sexton, past president of Trump University, lied; in a court deposition he said, “None of our instructors in the live events were hand-picked by Donald Trump.”

First, there is not, nor was there ever, a “Trump University.” A university has a reasonably specific definition. From the “Oxford English Dictionary” we have:  "An institution of higher education offering tuition in mainly non-vocational subjects and typically having the power to confer degrees.” Trading real estate is hardly non-vocational and Trump University never had the power to confer a degree to anyone. As usual Trump, in this Factcheck article, tries desperately to salvage something of his shredded credibility. He points out that 95 to 98 percent of Trump University students claim they are satisfied with their courses. Then the reader of this cover-up discovers that these students, who were expecting subsequent internships, had to sign their names to these evaluations. Requiring students to sign their evaluation of any course or instructor is unheard of, but it is clear that Donald Trump doesn’t know that, so he once again blunders while trying to get himself out of a hole.

It would appear that Trump saw the money being coined by other proprietary colleges and decided to get some of the gravy for himself. Corinthian Colleges, a onetime high-flyer in this group is now bankrupt and has sold its assets in an attempt to compensate defrauded students. The Government, which underwrote loans to some of these students, has decided to forgive their indebtedness under some circumstances. Other proprietary schools continue to exist; Phoenix University still advertises widely. Its tuition for online courses is 410 dollars/credit hour, or 1600 dollars for a four credit course. Harvard’s extension program for undergraduate courses is about the same. In fact you can be admitted to Harvard by taking three extension courses and getting no less than “B” in each course. That’s all the entrance exam you need; you’ve demonstrated that you can do the work. So what will it be, Phoenix University or Harvard College? What a tough choice.