Hello! I hope all is well. I have an update as of Friday, 12/2/2022. I apologize for not posting this sooner, however I was emotionally drained after this. I went to the campus to speak with someone. I brought pay stubs from jobs, the collections letter I received from their law firm, and I even brought my eviction notice I recently received. I wanted to show them how withholding my transcripts for employment purposes has been impacting me. Well, I spoke with someone in accounting after being sent their by the registrar. Long story short, I was informed that they can release transcripts for employment purposes...

My first thought was this- confusion. I had been getting denied for over a year to a year and a half by this same office. In fact, in one email early on, I was told I had to pay $1500 before they would release anything. I told them this and they still tried to low key dismiss it by looking up the emails and only finding the one's they claim were from me not requesting transcripts to be sent to employers. (I will post a copy of one of the emails soon where I was requesting a transcript for a job but was told to pay $1500 on my balance first.)

Although this seems like a win, I honestly did not feel good after my meeting with them on Friday morning. It has been an emotional rollercoaster to say the least. The rage I felt on the inside of me reached a height I never thought was possible. They acknowledged the policy and said it is very old and strict. However, the fact this entire time they were willing to release the transcripts to employers, even if a former student has a balance, makes me suspicious as well as very upset. I have suffered financially since graduation and have just wanted to start my life over after I completed my graduate studies. 

I am very pleased that they are sending my transcript to my new employer and that I will still have the opportunity to teach at a college campus. However, this is not over. There are many other current and former college students suffering and not being given a break because of policies that are outdated and seem predatory. This petition is requesting colleges and universities to stop withholding official transcripts from employment opportunities for students over their balance. This is not a major request, considering most schools charge students for a copy of their official transcripts to be sent for employment and transfer purposes already. Schools are still making money from the transcripts anyway and there is no point to bar graduates from processional licenses and official transcripts for jobs in their field due to an unpaid balance. 

I want to pay my balance. However, creating an extra hardship by withholding official transcripts from employment opportunities so they can afford to pay their tuition balance is just wrong and cruel. I plan to pay my balance and have it completely paid before I apply for my professional license next year. However, the war is far from over. Share this petition to everyone you know so that we can pressure powers that be into do the humane thing and eliminate policies that keep them from approving official transcripts from being shared with employers and professional licensing boards causing financial hardships for their alumni. 

Watch out for updates. I will post on the statistics on how this is affecting millions of American college students and how it may be potentially affecting our economy.

Thank you all for your support and for standing up for college students!