So, didn’t you used to be working on a degree?

As of May 12, 2011 I will no longer be associated with the Art Institute of Pittsburgh Online or any other school of that group.  What has happened was that they became determined to extort an extra $5-10k+ out of me with 4 classes left, wanting me to add a private loan on top of the already $50K Stafford loans that I have used for their Associates degree.  Instead, I will pay down the loans, and never return to academia.  Higher Education is mostly a sham these days, and there is no point in trying to improve your lot through education rather than going out and doing it until you have enough experience to get noticed.

Lets start with the end of my 5 1/2 week break to ensure that I was going to graduate with some thing that says I know what I know.  I got an email from AIO after they had done the analysis:

Dear Henry Kuhfeldt,

Hello.  I hope all is well.  I am writing to indicate that I composed a financial summary for your first academic year.  I will contact you soon to discuss your options, and I will appreciate you having this summary on hand during our talk.

Attached please find the financial summary that highlights your estimated costs and graduation date for each enrollment option in your program.  At the highest level of enrollment you will take 12 courses during your first academic year and your estimated graduation date will be Winter 2011.

Your other enrollment option reflects a lighter course load with an extended graduation date, and has been presented to give you options regarding your course load and the financing of your education.  Keep in mind that you will graduate sooner if you enroll in more courses during each academic quarter, and that you are encouraged to enroll at the highest level that you can manage based on your availability and your financing options.

Because classes begin soon, we need to progress without delay through this process so you are fully prepared to begin your education. I look forward to helping you reach your educational goals.

Sincerely,

William J. Ridinger | The Art Institute of Pittsburgh Online Division

A Division of The Art Institute of Pittsburgh, PA
Financial Aid Officer

1400 Penn Avenue
Pittsburgh, PA 15222-4332
Toll Free: 877-872-8869 Ext. 25339
Fax: 412-992-9224

wridinger@aii.edu
Visit us at: www.aionline.edu

Request Information | Apply | Refer a friend
Federal School Code: 007470 | FAFSA

Well, ok lets see what was in the .PDF  (I’m just going to post the summary because I don’t want to sit and sanitize the rest of the doc.)

So allow me to point out that I took the option on the right (2 classes per quarter) as they were what I was already doing and classes were mostly manageable.

Fast forward to the 21st of April which was when I paid a $50 bill that they sent me (That i had not received in the mail yet, but they were already calling about…) and informed me that I would be required to take out around $5k extra in loans to graduate.

I forwarded my financial aid person this document as well as my academic advisor.  I could have probably been a bit more calm bout it, but I am looking at 4 years of relentless work going up in smoke.

When I re-enrolled this financial summary was provided to me. We chose the two classes per quarter option, with the understanding that I would graduate this summer on the financial aid I had available to me. I was repeatedly assured that this would be the case, and now it appears to not be the truth at all.

At this point I am considering doing two things. 1) contacting my senator 2) contacting a lawyer.

I am currently the most dissatisfied customer you have, as I was repeatedly told I would be able to get by on my financial aid without a problem.

Henry Kuhfeldt

(For the record, I have contacted my Senator.)

Their response:

Savage X Morlock <savagex@gmail.com>, “Cwynar, Nicole” <ncwynar@aii.edu> date Thu, Apr 21, 2011 at 1:05 PM subject RE: AiPOD – Financial Aid Award Notice for Henry Kuhfeldt – ** Response Needed ** mailed-by aii.edu

hide details Apr 21 (13 days ago)

Henry,

I understand your frustrations with this situation.  I have reviewed your Financial Aid  Award that was provided to you.  It appears that you did not have a balance for the Academic Year beginning August 19^th, 2010.  The end of that Academic Year was up on March 26^th, 2011, which means that this plan was good from August 19^th, 2010 to March 26^th, 2011.  The plan does not include the next Academic Year, which goes from April 2011 to the end of your program.

I can understand how this provided some confusion.  It is even hard to explain through email.  I hope that I explained it a little clearer for you and please let me know if you have any additional questions.

DaMia Law

So Summer 2011 is over in March?  Pittsburgh must have some screwed up weather patterns.   In any case I continue to call bullshit and am decidedly upset about being screwed:

From Savage X Morlock savagex@gmail.com to “Law, Damia” <dlaw@aii.edu> cc “Cwynar, Nicole” <ncwynar@aii.edu> date Thu, Apr 21, 2011 at 1:16 PM subject Re: AiPOD – Financial Aid Award Notice for Henry Kuhfeldt – ** Response Needed ** mailed-by gmail.com Images from this sender are always displayed. Don’t display from now on.

hide details Apr 21 (13 days ago)

Does graduating in summer 2011 mean something other than what I understand to be graduating in summer 2011?  Here we are and I am hosed beyond belief.  Someone over there screwed the pooch and now has left me with debt I probably can’t pay without a degree.

I dont have a choice, I am going to likely have to cease my education.  The money borrowed already exceeds what I can reasonably pay back even with the degree.  I was stupid to trust you folks, or even bother with the degree.  I will be financially compromised as it is, I don’t see an actual value in this degree, and I knew I should have just stopped when I did the math in 2009.  I spent what savings I had on materials and covering the gaps in my student aid.  I have applied for scholarships.  Higher Education has truly become a scam, in my experience.

Thanks for what work you have done, I wish it could have actually resulted in something other than wasted money and not being able to actually have a comfortable life in the next 20 – 25 years.

I’m venting a bit because these people don’t actually care what happens only that they get their money.  But a week later, I realize I am 4 classes from being able to get it over with and want to try to swing it without loans.

from Savage X Morlock savagex@gmail.com to “Law, Damia” <dlaw@aii.edu>, “Cwynar, Nicole – The Art Institute of Pittsburgh – Online Division” <ncwynar@aii.edu> date Tue, Apr 26, 2011 at 1:39 PM subject Re: AiPOD – Financial Aid Award Notice for Henry Kuhfeldt – ** Response Needed ** mailed-by gmail.com Images from this sender are always displayed. Don’t display from now on.

hide details Apr 26 (8 days ago)

Damia, Nicole;

I need to know exactly when my 2010-2011 benefits run out.  I also need to see a breakdown of what *exactly* would be due when.  I’m still very unhappy with the situation, as you can imagine, but I need to see if I can budget this out.

Thanks

Henry.

- Show quoted text -

Hello Henry,

Damia is actually out of the office today and she would be the one to supply you with this information.  Once she returns, I’m sure she will be able to help you with this.

Nicole Cwynar

The Art Institute of Pittsburgh

Online Division

Academic Counselor

Toll Free: 877-872-8869 ext. 22369

Fax: 412-992-9699

ncwynar@aii.edu

Visit us at: www.aionline.edu

Request Information | Apply | Refer a friend

Federal School Code: 007470 | FAFSA

(Yes, there is a BCC. No, I’m not talking about it.)

from Law, Damia dlaw@aii.edu to Savage X Morlock <savagex@gmail.com> date Tue, May 3, 2011 at 5:21 PM subject RE: AiPOD – Financial Aid Award Notice for Henry Kuhfeldt – ** Response Needed ** mailed-by aii.edu Important mainly because of your interaction with messages in the conversation.

hide details 5:21 PM (19 hours ago)

Hello Henry,

I created a breakdown of what you have left.  Nicole and I have been trying to talk to several people in her department about your situation.  We are waiting on a final word or update on if there is anything that we can do for you.

16 credits left X $457=$7,312

$100 online fee X 5 classes=$500

$70 digital book fee (estimated) X 5 classes= $350

All these fees are estimated.

I will be following up with you soon in regards to this email.

Thanks,

Print sale to keep the light of knowledge burning!

I meant this to be out last night, but between the heat and the complications of heat and computers, failed utterly.  But that means I get to see if delayed posting works.  If you are wondering why I am doing this, please visit the original post I made.

Each print is US$7.00 with shipping and sales tax included.  You can also buy all 5 for US$28.00.  They will be shipped flat via first class mail in a protective sleeve. If you purchase more than one print they will be shipped together.  (International folks, you may have custom taxes involved, and I cannot pay those. However, if you plan on buying several prints I can bundle them together to minimize the expense.)

I have also had folks asking about customer photographic work. My initial answer is “Yes!” but I need to also know what you are thinking and evaluate if I can perform up to your standards for the photography you would like done.  If you want photography done contact me at henry@kuhfeldt.net and give me an idea of what you want, where you are or owuld like to shoot, and I can tell you if I have the equipment and/or skills to pull it off.  The rates would also depend on travel and time spent.   I am very flexible in that regard, though.  That said, my general philosophy is that at the end of the day is that you get a CD with the good stuff on it and you are free to do as you choose with the images afterwards, (except call them your own work…)

“His Wife Calls Him Woody”-

“Heavy Metal Rusting Out” -

MINE! Err.. OURS!”-

“Sunset”

“Watching the Kool-Aid”

In addition to buying any of the prints above,  you can purchase all 5 for 28.00 (Getting one for free.)

Thank you for taking the time to look at these, and I hope you find many you enjoy enough to put on your walls. Don’t forget to tell your friends, and have them tell their friends!

I need *your* help. (And all of your friends and all of their friends…)

Last summer I was trying to ensure that I had enough loan capacity to make it to my graduation date, I even took a half quarter off to ensure that the financial aid office could do the math with the academic advisors and verify. After a week I was told that ‘yes, you will definitely make it’.

They were either a) wrong, b) lying, or c) didn’t do the work.

On Thursday, I was informed that the funds would be not nearly enough to graduate. Four classes from graduating, and they decide they now require an extra several thousand dollars to make it to my graduation day.

So there is the rock, now on to the hard place.

I have a decent and responsible budget set in my house. I can buy healthy food and drink the occasional adult beverage if I so choose. I am changing my personal vehicle to one that gets twice the gas milage, and costs half of the insurance. I have budgeted for my impending student loan payments.

It’s not enough to absorb what they want for these last four classes. Had I known a year ago, I could have prepared. The situation is very much like the surprise balloon payment or adjustable rate mortgage ballooning payments by 3000%; but instead of trying to repo my home, they are trying to repossess my professional future. I have a lot of not nice names for it, but that isn’t the point. I need to make this money happen. If nothing else, I don’t want to give the bastards the satisfaction of four grueling years of work for nothing. I should have heeded the warning bells when I saw the graduation rate was in the middle percentile. I didn’t and now my future is being held ransom by a greedy institution with no honor or commitment to its students’ success.

So, here is where you come in. I am not going to ask you for donations. I understand that people are willing to help their fellow man and I think it is one of the highest honors to be a recipient of such help; I can give you something of value for that money. I am asking to conduct commerce with *you,* dear reader. For a small investment, I can show you how I see the world through my eyes.

Once a week, I will post to my tumblr (at http://kuhfeldt.tumblr.com ) five images and five paypal links. These images will be the week’s 8X10 photographs that are available for a limited time. I will put out a notification like this one that they are available and ready to order. The price for the images will be seven dollars. This includes the cost of the print, postage, handling, and mailer. Shortly after your order and payment is received, your order will be mailed by first class USPS mail and you should receive your order fairly quickly. The next week will bring new images at seven dollars, and the previous week’s will be nine dollars and if there are any, the previous week’s images before that will be eleven. After the images have been available for three weeks, I will delete the 8×10 scaled image file and *never* again offer it in 8×10 or larger size.

Biko

My most recent school assignment was to create an image representative of a person using only their name and a basic image without using their image.