Obama’s Address: Cracking Down On For-Profit Colleges that Prey On Veterans
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Official White House Photo by Pete Souza(WASHINGTON) — President Obama is touting his efforts to protect veterans from the deceptive practices of some for-profit colleges that aggressively prey on service members.
In his weekly address, the president described how some educational institutions target veterans, bombarding them with emails and phone calls as they steer potential students toward high-interest loans they cannot afford.
“The sad truth is that there are people out there who are less interested in helping our men and women in uniform get ahead and more interested in making a buck,” the president said. “That’s appalling. It’s disgraceful. And even though the vast majority of schools do the right thing, we need to guard against the bad actors who don’t.”
During a visit to Fort Stewart, Ga., on Friday the president signed an executive order cracking down on these improper recruiting practices, “making life a whole lot more secure for our service members, veterans and their families – and a whole lot tougher for anyone who tries to prey on them,” he explained.
The order requires schools to provide veterans with the “Know Before You Owe” form, a document that “lays out all the information they need about financial aid and paying for college.” Schools will also be required to offer counseling to help students finish their degree if they have to move or deploy.
“When our men and women in uniform succeed, our country succeeds. They have our back – now it’s our turn to have theirs,” the president concluded.
Copyright 2012 ABC News Radio