https://www.foxnews.com/media/bidens-education-secretary-vows-shut-
largest-christian-university-us

After Department of Education Secretary Miguel Cardona vowed to shut down
Grand Canyon University (GCU), the largest Christian university in the
U.S., GCU officials are pushing back, telling Fox News Digital the
crackdown stems from "deeply held bias."

Cardona made comments during a House Appropriations Committee hearing
about cracking down on GCU and other universities like it on April 10.

Rep. Rosa DeLauro, D-Conn., asked Cardona how the administration is
working to shut down GCU, which she called "a predatory for-profit
school."

Cardona openly embraced their enforcement methods, declaring "we are
cracking down not only to shut them down, but to send a message to not
prey on students."

'PREDATORY FOR-PROFIT COLLEGE'
"Last year, your Department took action against Grand Canyon University, a
predatory for-profit college, over the school�s failure to accurately
disclose its cost to students, driving up the true cost for those students
requiring for them to pay for continuation courses before they would
graduate � scam courses added about $10,000 or more to the cost of
education to these kids," DeLauro said.

"Going after predatory schools preying on first generation students. They
have flashy marketing materials, but the product is not worth the paper it
is printed on. Increased enforcement budget to go after these folks and
crack down. Levied largest fine in history against a school that lied
about costs and terminated a school from Title IV. We are cracking down
not only to shut them down, but to send a message not to prey on
students," Cardona responded.

GCU appealed a $37.7 million fine imposed by the department in November on
allegations that the Arizona-based higher learning institution misled
students about the cost of its doctoral programs over several years.

The fine is much larger than what the Department of Education previously
gave to schools like Penn State ($2.4 million) and Michigan State ($4.5
million) for failing to address Jerry Sandusky and Larry Nassar�s crimes,
respectively.

The department said in an October press release that an investigation
conducted by the office of Federal Student Aid (FSA) found GCU "lied" to
over 7,500 former and current students about the cost of its doctoral
programs. The release also said GCU "falsely advertises" a lower cost for
its doctoral programs, adding that about 98% of students ended up paying
more than the advertised cost.

The university was given a 20-day deadline to request a hearing with the
ED�s Office of Hearings and Appeals or file a response to the FSA to
explain why the fine should not be imposed. The Department also imposed
specific conditions on the school to continue participating in the federal
student aid programs.

A GCU spokesperson told Fox News Digital that they do not expect a hearing
to take place until January.

"Our next recourse after that decision would be another appeal within the
Department, this time directly to the Secretary of Education," the GCU
official said.

�HOLDING HIGHER EDUCATION ACCOUNTABLE'
"This is far from being a few rotten apples in the bunch. Predatory for-
profit colleges have engaged in a range of deceptions designed to increase
enrollment and student costs to drive more revenue for owners and
shareholders," DeLauro said during the April 10 hearing. "How are you and
your agency committing to increased oversight of these institutions and
are there anyway in which we can shut these folks down?"

Cardona said that the agency employed "multiple strategies" to crack down
on for-profit universities, such as "borrower defense, debt discharge,
holding colleges more accountable, and holding higher education
institutions more accountable."

In regard to borrower defense, Cardona added that for-profit colleges were
"preying on first-generation students."

"You have a shiny brochure and a great commercial. But the product is not
worth the paper it's written on. We have students graduating 60K to 70K
dollars in debt, only eligible for jobs making under 30K�that to me is
unacceptable."

NEW MEXICO UNIVERSITY SUED FOR 'VIEWPOINT DISCRIMINATION' AFTER CHARGING
'HEFTY FEE' TO CONSERVATIVE GROUP

�INCREASED ENFORCEMENT�
In response to Cardona's comment about shutting down universities like
GCU, a GCU spokesperson told Fox News Digital that "officials continue to
make derogatory and inflammatory public statements that are legally and
factually incorrect and not shared by any of the other 26 regulatory and
accrediting bodies that oversee GCU."

"The Secretary�s comments to the House Appropriations Committee were so
reckless that GCU is demanding an immediate retraction, as they do not
reflect the factual record in this case. He is either confused,
misinformed or does not understand the actions taken by his own agency,"
the spokesperson added.

The president of GCU previously expressed to Fox News Digital sentiments
of being "unfairly targeted."

�OTHER FAITH-BASED ORGANIZATIONS COULD BE NEXT�
Cardona�s comments came after the announcement of a petition to "protect
Christian colleges," launched by the American Principles Project (APP).

The petition was launched in "light of the Biden administration�s
unprecedented attacks on our nation�s largest Christian colleges" and
demands that "the administration halt their crusade and let students
choose the schools that fit their values."

"The federal government�s education agenda is punishing schools that do
not conform to their progressive ideology. It�s time we take a stand
against this egregious abuse of power," APP Policy Director Jon Schweppe
said. "The scrutinize-and-penalize campaign against faith-based
institutions is not about students� interests or well-being. Rather, it�s
part of a concerted effort to snuff out education choice and promote far-
left values. It's critical that Americans be aware of this shameful
campaign and that we do all we can to put a stop to it."

In response to APP's efforts, GCU officials told Fox News Digital that the
"American people are losing confidence in the federal government to be
fair and objective in their operations."

"There are clearly no checks and balances to prevent this type of behavior
from the Department of Education," they added. "We support any
organization that is willing to shed light on the federal government�s
unwarranted and targeted actions taken against GCU. If they can make these
claims against the largest Christian university in the country, other
faith-based organizations could be next."

Additionally, the Goldwater Institute sued ED in February in federal court
for "refusing to turn over public records" related to its $37.7 million
fine against GCU. They claimed that the records specifically may inform
the public about coordination between various federal agencies in what
appears to be the "intentional targeting of a successful university based
on extraordinarily thin allegations."

The Department of Education did not immediately respond to a request for
comment.

--
We live in a time where intelligent people are being silenced so that
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