Canyon College and Larry Flegle
Steve Levicoff
was recently raised on the newsgroup, as well as the credentials of
Larry Flegle, a recent addition to our ranks.
I have been in contact with Larry, and am satisfied that his basic
academic credentials are legitimate and that his motivation is sound.
There are many rip-offs out there, but I am not prepared to judge Larry
as one of them at this time.
Canyon College, which has been discussed as a degree mill in this
newsgroup, engaged Larry as an adjunct faculty member, and I have
reviewed Larry's contract with Canyon. In an attempt to disassociate
himself from Canyon, the president of the school threatened Larry with
legal action and attempted to hold Larry to the terms of the contract
(which is a joke in more ways than one).
Therefore, with Larry's permission, I have intervened in the situation,
having advised Larry on an academic basis (as opposed to a legal basis,
since I am not an attorney).
As our readers may know, I do not pull punches when it comes to degree
mills, and love the opportunity to engage in some fun ball busting. So
to maximize the impact, I have informed Canyon College that my letter to
them is being posted here on the newsgroup. With that in mind, and
because we can always use a good laugh, I have appended this post with a
copy of my letter to Canyon. Enjoy, campers.
,-~~-.___.
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Steve Levicoff
levi...@ix.netcom.com
http://levicoff.tripod.com
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LETTER TO CANYON COLLEGE:
------------------------
January 15, 2000
Michael F. Storrs, President
Canyon College
521 West Maple Street
Caldwell, ID 83605
Dear Michael, et al:
I am a member of a consortium of academic professionals and consumer
activists actively engaged in research and advocacy on distance
education issues, especially the exposure of degree mills. We have been
in contact with one Larry Flegle, have been informed of his history of
involvement with Canyon College, and are in receipt of correspondence to
Mr. Flegle from Michael F. Storrs, copies of which were sent to John
Denmark and attorney Bryan Walker. I have also reviewed Mr. Flegle's
contract, which is so convoluted that even a legitimately accredited
school wouldn't touch it.
This response is written on behalf of Mr. Flegle, but has not been
reviewed by him in advance. I note for the record that it is not to be
construed as a formal response, and the nature of any feedback with
which I have provided Mr. Flegle should not be construed as legal
advice.
With that in mind, Michael, grab a cup of coffee, plant your ass in a
chair, and take your medicine.
Larry Flegle has never called Canyon College a degree mill on the
Internet newsgroup alt.education.distance, I did. I submit, sir, that
your institution is a fraud, a scam, a sham, a con, and a rip-off. Face
it, sweet cakes, Canyon College is a fucking joke.
Now let's get down to business. Kindly open your textbook to your
letter of January 13, 2000, to Mr. Flegle.
First, I submit that the contract between Canyon College and Mr. Flegle
is null and void based upon Canyon College's misrepresentation of its
programs, its legitimacy, and the acceptance of its degrees. Hell, man,
Canyon is a fucking degree mill, and I'll testify to that in any
courtroom in the nation - even one in Caldwell, Idaho. Then I'll invite
judge and jury to a box lunch on the lawn of your luxurious campus -
John Denmark's house. (A fucking house! I love it! Hell, man, even the
Caldwell Fire Department was on the floor laughing when they verified
the property information for me.) And you can explain to the court how
you manage to fit a School of Business, School of Psychology and
Counseling, School of Social Work, School of Health Administration,
School of Theology, and School of Divinity into that cute little edifice
at 521 West Maple Street. (Note to John Denmark: By the way, that was
me calling Saturday night. Hell, man, if you're going to have a scam
college operating out of your fucking house, you shouldn't answer the
phone live on teh weekend. I mean, if that isn't obvious . . .)
Now, you referred to Mr. Flegle's "recent unprofessional conduct and
false or derogatory statements." Nonsense. Mr. Flegle has exhibited
far more patience with you wazoos than I would have at any time. He has
not engaged in unprofessional conduct, and his statements about Canyon
College were evenly tempered. Even if they had not been, if it walks
like a duck, quacks like a duck, and shits like a duck, it's a fucking
duck. And you guys walk, quack, *and* shit like a typical degree mill.
I have reviewed the Canyon College web site extensively, and it's a
joke. C'mon, dude, six courses for a master's degree? Six courses for
a doctorate degree? Not to mention the lack of disclosure about your
psychology and counseling programs, which would not qualify a person to
sit for the professional board exams in any licensure-based state.
Moreover, your FAQ contains misleading statements about the possibility
of achieving licensure with a Canyon degree. (Am I wrong, sugar buns?
Prove it - cite one student who was able to become professionally
licensed in any state and in a mental health field with a Canyon
degree.)
I submit that you make false and misleading statements about the
transferability of your credits, the possibility of Canyon's future
accreditation by a legitimately recognized agency, and the compatibility
of its degrees with those of other institutions. (C'mon, sport, a
six-course "Masters in Divinity" degree? You're on my turf here, and
I'm laughing my ass off.)
Now let's get to the bottom line. Flegle's contract is null and void
(chorus join in, "now and forevermore!"). You jackasses wouldn't stand
a proverbial snowball's chance in hell if you were to take legal action
against him, and if you have been up front with your attorney (which I
highly doubt) he has already told you this. (Incidentally, I loved the
"we have sought legal counsel" bit. Bryan Walker certainly has solid
credentials, right down to his J.D. from the University of Houston Law
School. But if he's half the realist he should be, he wouldn't be
bonkers enough to take this case on a contingency basis. And unless
you're willing to spend megabucks on legal fees for a losing case, it's
time to give this issue a rest.)
So get off Flegle's ass. You scammed him once, and he now has the
support of a major group of educators and consumer advocates in distance
education behind him. Legal action? Right, dude - I'll be delighted to
have a jury laugh your sleazy little ass out of any courtroom in the
country. Just as I'll be laughing if I have to place a call to my
buddies at the Idaho State Board of Education (on State Street in
beautiful downtown Boise, just a lovely 45-minute drive from Caldwell),
the Idaho Attorney General's Office and, of course, The Idaho Statesman
(which would have even more of a ball with this than I have had).
In short, you swindling little charlatan, the matter is closed. Consider
Mr. Flegle out of the contract. And you will do absolutely nothing - I
repeat, *nothing* - to hinder his ability to work, to damage his
reputation, or to impugn his credibility, or I will go to town on you.
Pro bono.
Now, before you respond - if you have either the balls or the stupidity
- be a good boy and check out my own qualifications and experience.
You'll find my curriculum vita right on my home page at
http://levicoff.tripod.com. You'll find some of the books I have
written, including two authoritative volumes on distance education and
two law books that are still used as legal texts. So make sure that any
response you send is eloquent as hell, because I can't be bothered with
amateurs. And if I haven't pushed your buttons enough, I'm delighted to
tell you that I have posted a copy of this letter right on the
alt.education.distance newsgroup, where it will be available to
potential millions of people around the world.
Trusting that Mr. Flegle will not hear from you again, I remain -
With best wishes, kindest regards, and hugs and kisses,
Steve Levicoff, Ph.D.
http://levicoff.tripod.com
cc: John Denmark
Bryan K. Walker, Esq.
--------------------
[Note to alt.education.distance readers: If any of you would like
information on Canyon College, call the number on their web site at
http://www.canyoncollege.edu. Try it at, say, 3:00 A.M. What the hell,
it's a business number, isn't it? I'm sure that Mr. Denmark will be
delighted to assist you in your inquiry.]
Marci...@msn.com
levi...@ix.netcom.com wrote:
>
> With that in mind, Michael, grab a cup of coffee, plant your ass in a
> chair, and take your medicine.
>
>
Hi Steve:
ROTFLMAO!!
Your bedside (chair side....er...computer side....oh hell!)
manner ....should be bottled and sold to the Pentagon ;-)
At least you didn't tell him to plant a chair in his ass <G> picture
me, picturing that!
--
Marci...@msn.com
"We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act,
but a habit." --- Aristotle
Sent via Deja.com http://www.deja.com/
Before you buy.
Snapper
"Prepare to have your ass laminated"!
Marci...@msn.com wrote:
>
> In article <38814870...@ix.netcom.com>,
> levi...@ix.netcom.com wrote:
> >
> > With that in mind, Michael, grab a cup of coffee, plant your ass in a
> > chair, and take your medicine.
> >
> >
>