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| Wayland Academy |
| 14th of Dec, 2011 by User837294 |
Purpose Wayland Academy is a private, co-educational private day and boarding school located in Beaver Dam, Wisconsin. The school offers college prep and advanced placement courses for its students. The school has many highly qualified educators, which include a Latin teacher who has a Ph.D. and a history teacher who attended Harvard University. Wayland Academy provides a great education and preparation for college, but unfortunately, those in the admission and financial aid department
are not ethical in their enrollment and re-enrollment of students. I would like to make it explicitly clear that my intent is not to harm or bash any of the teachers or students at the school. This article is meant to reveal the truth of the unethical practices of financial aid and admissions administrators at the school. This article is based on reports found in the public domain. This article is truthful and objective, presenting only facts and the truth. Instances of Unsubstantiated Dismissal Over the past few years, there have been several cases where students have been dismissed from the academy. The cases outlined here are based on reports from alumni of the academy posted on www.ripoffreport.com. First Instance Read the full Ripoff Report at the link below During the 2008-2009 school year, a student from Chicago, Illinois was enrolled at the school for his third year. The parent had already begun paying tuition in July 2008 for that school year. The parent, by the time her child had begun school in Augast, had already paid $17, 582, roughly half the tuition for that school year. After seven days of attendance, the student was withdrawn from the academy. “Seven days after the school year began, Wayland Academy's representatives asked me to withdraw
my child from the school, in a manner that I can only describe as the single most thuggish conduct I and my family have ever encountered.†-Parent of student,
(from Ripoff Report article) As described by the parent above, the school treated the family in a disrespectful and bullish manner, asking the student to withdraw and further threatened the family by withholding the
transcripts unless the parent paid the school an additional $3,012. That brings
the total amount of tuition paid for seven days of school to $20,594. Even with
tuition insurance, the family never received any of their money back. The case
was reported to the Wisconsin Attorney General’s Office, Federal Trade
Commission, and on www.ripoffreport.com.
The case has since been forwarded by consumer advocates to CBS’s 60 Minutes and ABC’s 20/20, Milwaukee Journal & Sentinel, and members of the Wisconsin State Legislature. Second Instance Read the full
RipOff Report at the link below: The second case was posted on www.ripoffreport.com by a student who attended the academy for the 2010-2011 school year. This student was just one of several students who were unable to return to the
academy due to an unwise distribution of financial aid. As described in the
article, the student had a sibling applying to the school at the time of his
enrollment. She had an excellent academic record and showed strong leadership
potential. She received no form of communication regarding her acceptance or
rejection to the academy. She was accepted to Choate Rosemary Hall on the Icahn
Scholarship, a full paid tuition scholarship that is awarded to only ten
students per year. Choate Rosemary Hall, a member of the Tens Schools
Organization, is considered the Ivy League of high school education. One might
wonder how such a student could be overlooked. Several other students in the freshmen class were unable to return due to a decrease in financial aid. These students were unable to afford re-enrollment due to the academy’s unwise
financial aid decisions. Several students who enrolled for the 2010-2011 school
year, who had poor academic records, were allowed to re-enroll because they
were paying higher tuition than students who had better academic records, but
could not afford re-enrollment. Such practice by a private school is at the least unethical, and may be border line of unlawful. Unfortunately, there is not enough regulation or enforcement of laws by officials on private
education institutions. These schools are protected by accreditation and credit
unions who advocate on the schools behalf to accomplish there one and only
goal, which is to make money. Their goal, no matter what the persuasive
booklets they send you in the mail say, is to make a profit. Major Disciplinary Problems Unaddressed or Ignored As described and outlined in the article, and in comments posted by alumni, the school has a long history of alcohol, drug, and sex problems. These are clear violations of the student
handbook, which is issued to every new student, and is obviously a violation of
local, state, and federal law for minors to be engaged in any such activity. Drug Abuse As stated in the 2011-2012 edition of the Student/Parent Handbook, which can be found online at www.wayland.org in a PDF format, outlines the standards and guidelines for “Responsible Behaviorâ€. As stated on page 29, section 2, under “Major Infractionsâ€, “The possession, use, or distribution of drugs, counterfeit drugs, drug paraphernalia, or substances
intended to alter one's mental state are forbidden. The penalty for possession,
use, or distribution of such substances is immediate dismissal from the Academy without appeal.†Such a harsh penalty would be expected of any institution. Despite this, there are still ongoing problems
within the academy related to drug abuse. Any alumni of the school can attest to this and can cite numerous examples. Sexual Activity Wayland Academy has a notorious reputation for underage sex. As noted in RipOff Report articles, sex is a major and ongoing problem for the faculty of the school. Alumni of the school, as
mentioned in RipOff report articles, know of these problems and know the areas
on campus to avoid if they don’t want to witness such activities taking place. As stated in the 2011-2012 Parent/Student Handbook, page 30, section 6, under “Major Infractions†“Students may not be involved in intimate sexual contact, in any place or at any time, while in residence at Wayland Academy.†They do not outline specific punishment or what constitutes a violation of the policy. The only other
reference to sexual contact is outlined under the Harassment policy, which can be found on page 35. The references which are made specifically to sexual harassment, sexual advances, and request for sexual favors can be found on page 36. Alcohol Abuse As stated in the 2011-2012 Parent/Student Handbook, section 2, page 29, under “Major Infractionsâ€, “The possession, use, or distribution of alcohol is forbidden. Students who are found in possession
of or under the influence of alcohol will be subject to the laws of the State
of Wisconsin. Students receiving an infraction for alcohol will be required to
have an assessment, submit to periodic random screenings at parental cost, and
a possible suspension of up to five (5) days. If the students do not pass the
test each and every time, they will be dismissed immediately from the Academy
without appeal. The Dean of Students will notify the parents as soon as
possible and in writing of the results for each test. Students who receive a
second alcohol infraction during their tenure at Wayland will be dismissed.
Empty alcohol bottles or cans are viewed as a violation of the alcohol policy.†As stated in the reports, students continue to violate these guidelines and faculty fail to appropriately punish students involved, or accept “donations†from the parents of dismissed students
who are allowed re-enrollment. This is certainly a breach of ethical behavior, and a clear violation of the policies outlined for student dismissal in the handbook. A Clear Violation of Ethical Behavior Wayland Academy infringes upon, and outright ignores in some cases, the basic principles of ethics in the laissez-faire system. -Fair play
-Not harming some, while benefiting others.
-Making decisions, which if they become public, would not embarrass the company. Wayland Academy may not be in violation of any laws, but they are certainly in violation of ethical business practice. All companies are expected to be held, not only to the highest
possible standard of lawfulness, but must also be held to the highest possible
ethical standard. Business practice that shows favoritism towards customers or
harms some while benefiting others cannot be interpreted as ethical.
Furthermore, the reports posted on www.ripoffreport.com
are examples of decisions made by the business that only embarrass it. These are grievous violations of ethical behavior that cannot be tolerated. I hope that anyone who reads this report will take further action to protect future generations from Wayland
Academy. We, as a people, are responsible for upholding the highest degree of
lawfulness and ethical standard in the world we live in, so it is therefore our
responsibility to seek justice for those who were dismissed unsubstantially,
denied re-enrollment and all who have been harmed by the academy. You can help to further advocate the cause of this article by forwarding it onto friends, family, local or national newspapers, and television programs such as 60
Minutes and 20/20. “Knowledge and Characterâ€
-Motto of Wayland Academy “All that is necessary, for the triumph of evil, is that good men do nothing.â€
-Edmund Burke Citations "2011-2012 Student Handbook." Wayland Academy, 15 June 2011. Web.
. "Ripoff Report | Wayland Academy | Complaint Review: 452480." 16 May 2009. Web.
. "Ripoff Report | Wayland Academy | Complaint Review: 758689." 30 July 2011. Web.
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