Mew Mexico Higlands

Mew Mexico Higlands University Discriminates and Cuts off Students with Disabilties and Denies Accomodations Las Vegas, New Mexico

18th of May, 2011 by User862603

Sent: Wednesday, May 18, 2011 8:53 PM Subject: OCR Electronic Complaint Submission 4. What institution discriminated? Institution Name: New Mexico Highlands University
Address: PO Box 9000
City: Las Vegas
State: NM
Zip Code: 87701
School or department involved: Education 5. Have you tried to resolve the complaint through the institution's grievance process, due process hearing, or with another agency? Yes Date Filed: 03/28/2011 Status: Dr. M had permission to help me revise complaints. He told me my complaints and Appeals have been rejected. I have received no official notice of this. I believe this tactic was to just make me miss the deadlines since I have been having problems with this school since winter semester. The school is no longer responding to my complaints or emails. I asked for permission to retake statistics that my reasonable accommodations were denied. I asked for an incomplete because I was out ill finals week with the flu and chronic bronchitis from the housing that had mold and spraying chemicals for bugs. I have not been able to get over the bronchitis. The building that I took the statistics class was at times not accessible to me because there is no close parking to the building. I was denied the opportunity to use the online part of the class to finish my presentation. I am 6 credits from graduating. I asked that Research Methods from another university that gave me a C in an equivalent class be used for the requirement. Both universities counted me a grade down for being late even though my accommodations state I can be allowed extra time without penalty. There is no way for a student with disabilities to get a B in this class being marked down for being late unless they get A work. I was not allowed to retake it or get an incomplete. NMHU requires that you get a B in statistics to get into Statistical Interpretation and start internship. If you do not they will cut your funding and deny you an incomplete or will not let you into the class to retake it. The B in statistics is required to enter internship and professional paper to graduate. Instead of being allowed to retake it or transfer the class from the other university I was cut off from my RSA scholarship and financial aid 9 classes from graduating. Now I am in debt with student loans that will come out of my social security. Entry level and my IEP specified a Master's level and a year internship. I was promised a paid internship and was admitted on probation because of the issue of being marked down for being late even though accommodations were granted for extra time. I have a 3.25 grade point average and am in good standing but not allowed to retake classes, take my last classes or get funding to graduate. Dr. M suggested for me to retake these classes at another university. To do this I have to enter another program and go further into debt or start my master's from the beginning at another university without my scholarship. The RSA scholarship is for students of disabilities to do this program. We will have to pay the scholarship back with interest if we do not find a two year internship. Dr. Leone kicked all the RSA students out of the Professional counseling lab and does not have any agreements with counseling organizations for RSA scholarship students for internships as promised. NMHU are putting the students into their Vistas program, forcing them to take a 7.50 job doing job coaching. My DVR counselor did not find this to be appropriate masters level internship because it requires only a high school diploma and students are laid off when they complete their degree because they are then over qualified. RSA students at this university are all disabled and are losing their scholarships when they ask for incompletes or cannot find an internship at this university. I have made several complaints and I was told by Dr. Main that they were all denied but no official correspondence has been given. There have been many emails and complaints all unresolved. This university even sent me an email with the words "reasonable accommodations denied". The Disability Services sent me an email stating the accommodations I am in titled to but the statistics professor did not allow any of them and would not let be back into the class to retake it nor would she give me the time I needed. I had two doctors excuses. Losing all my funding and not receiving a way to finish my degree has left me in debt with no way to pay my debts. I became homeless and suffered and was harmed by this universities discrimination based on my disabilities and cultural affiliation. The statistic professor treated me differently, not giving me the same help as other students, made inappropriate comments about my age, being Native American and lumping my disabilities with other students with different disabilities refusing to give me any of the accommodations approved by disability services. This date above is the date of the latest complaint. I have been making complaints since finals week winter semester with no resolution. My student loans will start coming out of my social security starting July which will leave me no way to pay my rent and make my car payments. I feel like I have been wronged and oppressed by the policies at this university. It has put me in a position that I cannot get out of instead of the paid internship and degree I was promised when I took this scholarship for this degree program. 6. Describe the discrimination OCR enforces regulations that prohibit discrimination on the basis of race, color, national origin; sex; disability; and/or age. All that apply: national origin ,disability, age, retaliation: You filed a complaint or asserted your rights. Why you believe the discrimination was because of race, sex, disability, or whatever basis you indicated above or why you believe the action was retaliatory. I would like to forward the emails and complaints to someone that will be looking into this case. Losing my scholarship and being denied the opportunity to finish my degree and having all my funding taken away seems retaliating to me. Evan Miller tried to advocate for me but every time he came with me the university called the security on him. He is in the same program and was on a RSA scholarship. They did finally give him an incomplete but did not restore his scholarship. I was not given the time I needed and was marked down and given a D for an F instead of an incomplete. He was also given am F instead of an incomplete. They finally gave him an incomplete but not me and have not restored his RSA scholarship. The result of this is that he has not had the money to send my course work he stored for me when I lost my scholarship and become homeless. I needed this course work to resubmit it to have a grade change at the other university (WNMU) to transfer Research Methods class I already took. The policy at NMHU is that you have to have a B to take Internship and research Interpretations to graduate. Both of us have had periods of homelessness, hardship and emotional distress because of our treatment and loss of funding. There was a Dept. of education complaint at the other school also on the issue of being marked down when the accommodation is for extra time which gives students with disabilities no way to maintain a B average to stay in these programs. We are both still in the program officially but with difficulty finishing. I do not have enough funding to take these classes and make job hunting expenses and have not been able to get a job because entry level requires a year experience and a masters degree. I spent this money with the promise for a Master's degree, CRC certification and paid internship when I first went into this program. 7. Your complaint must be filed within 180 days of the discriminatory action: When did the last act of discrimination occur? Enter the date: 03/28/2011. Are you requesting a waiver of the 180-day filing time limit for discrimination that occurred more than 180 days before the filing of this complaint? Yes. Reason for not filing complaint before 180 days: This is the last date of complaints sent to the school. There have been a series of complaints since winter semester. I was ill midterms and finals while taking statistics with doctor excuses but not allowed to turn in assignments from home after my illness. Some of those are beyond the 180 days. The reason the complaint was not filed sooner was because the school mislead me to believe that transferring the statistics from the other school with a C would be approved. No official response ever came. Since E M also became homeless and his scholarship and funding taken away I had no way to get the course work to send it to the other university to have the grade changed from a C to a B. The university was made aware of my efforts to do this grade change but denied acceptance of the class anyway but did not notify me. Dr.M told me in an email that I could resend my complaint and he would re-edit it and send it back to be resubmitted. I told him that it was just a stalling tactic to get me to miss the 180 day. WNMU did this, promised me accommodations, denied them in realty and stalled me until I missed this deadline. One of my classes at WNMU made the deadline and a C was changed to a B but I missed the deadline for the other two classes which one is Research Methods in my last Dept of ED compliant at WNMU. Dr. M did not actually edit any thing for me. I resend the complaint which is the 3/28/2011 date listed here for my final complaint. The school only gives 90 days or 15 days for complaints. The only resolution of complaints has been empty promises in emails that never occurred. Since I lost my scholarship I have been homeless, losing much of my possessions, traveling, looking for work. Without the degree or scholarship to keep working I am in a very bad situation instead of the situation of being substantially employed. 8. What would you like the institution to do as a result of your complaint - what remedy are you seeking? 1) Except the C for Research Methods for statistics for educators & Research Interpretation 2) Or be allowed to re-take Statistics for Educators online or from another university to transfer to degree requirements at NMHU. 3) Re-enroll me in Internship and accept the Crises line work I am volunteering for credit in Internship. 4) Restore my RSA scholarship so I can pay for my classes and internship and relocation expenses. 5) Be allowed to finish degree or be refunded the $50,000 I am in debt with the promise of this degree so I can pay my student loan and scholarship instead of it coming out of my $695 SSDI. Any lawyers or disability organizations out there that could help me because the university has a team of lawyers. This is a siutation I cannot get out of alone.

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