The Oregonian | By Jayati Ramakrishnan | February 10, 2020
A Concordia University student intends to sue the Northeast Portland school, saying it misled its students about its financial condition and left them without a way to graduate or directly transfer to another university.
William Spaulding, a Concordia student, had an attorney draft the class action suit on Monday, hours after the university announced that the Spring 2020 semester would be its last. In the filing, Spaulding did not yet specify a request for damages, but said he’s seeking injunctive relief — for the university to disclose how much they received in profits from collecting tuition in 2020. The suit also seeks an order for Concordia University to preserve all documents related to the school’s financial issues and closure. Spaulding also requested a jury trial.
The suit states Spaulding may later amend the suit and ask for damages.
Court documents say that the first time Concordia acknowledged its money woes to students was Feb. 10 — the same day it announced its impending closure. But the suit alleges school executives knew about declining enrollment and financial problems since 2019.
The suit states Spaulding and other students would not have paid tuition for the 2020 semester had they known about the school’s financial situation.
“Concordia University misrepresented the qualities and characteristics of its education services and the value of its tuition credits,” the suit states.
Concordia advertised its programs through late 2019 and early 2020, the suit says, and promised new students that by 2024, “all students of Concordia University-Portland will be actively engaged in a university that enjoys a strong national reputation.”
“Time and time again it is the students who are left holding the bag when underfunded private universities suddenly announce they are closing their doors,” said attorney Michael Fuller, who is representing Spaulding. “We call on Concordia University to disclose the executive compensation it paid out over the past year while it misled students about its looming closure.”
Current tuition at Concordia is about $31,000, with food and housing pushing the total price to about $44,078, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. The university’s website says nearly 5,900 students attended the school in 2018.
