Problems with Frostburg's RN-BSN program

Devon Rex, ADN, BSN · Oct 13, 2016

Students can be failed in Frostburg's NURS-495 for any reason! Either the preceptor or the instructor can fail the student for any reason! When the student is failed in NURS-495 they cannot appeal the failure! Students who are failed are never allowed to see the criteria used to fail them, the evaluations of them that led to the failure, etc.

Hello,

You have addressed several issues here. The one that concerns me the most is what I have quoted above because you have the right to disclosure. It is guaranteed by FERPA and it is in your institution's website. See link...

Grading Policies and Student Privacy Rights (FERPA) - Frostburg State University

As far as what is considered a pass/fail grade... it's up to the institution's standards. They just need to demonstrate whether you did or did not meet their standard. Not that the standard is fair in your view. If you believe the standard is so egregiously unfair to students, that would be an issue you would probably have to resolved by a special board or even in court, not their office.

As far as discrimination, anyone who has proof should get legal counsel and pursue their case if they have basis and are willing to go through the legal process. You cannot fight other people's battles... not in their offices, not in court. You can only concentrate on your case.

As far a refunds... no school in this nation will refund you tuition, fees, nor book costs under these circumstances. I have had classmates that lost $40,000 because they could not finish their associate's degree... they failed 3 times on the last exam. They have no degree and no license, but still have to pay the loans. Upsetting? You bet! But, that is reality in USA college education system.

One of these classmates decided to go through the entire program once again with the same institution. He passed and graduated 2 years after me. So he now has close to $80,000 in student loans, but he is working on the field he loves. So does his wife, and are raising their daughter.

Hope this helps you sort things out.

Silverdragon102, BSN · Oct 13, 2016

Moved to the school/college nursing discussion forum

CNL-no · Oct 13, 2016

Hi Devon:

Thanks for responding to my post. The problem here is that Frostburg violates its own policies! They do not allow students to contest the failure, see why they were failed in NURS-495, etc. In fact, students never are allowed to see the form/criterion used to fail them or pass them. As far as FERPA requirements, they do not comply with FERPA!

Again, what Frostburg is doing is allowing either the preceptor for NURS-495 or the instructor to fail the student for any reason. If they do not like the student, if the student is black and they hate blacks, if the student is gay and they hate gays, etc. - either the preceptor or the instructor can fail the student, and the student has no recourse but to repeat the course. Then, if the student repeats the course - they are failed again, and again - until they withdraw from the program.

NURS-495 clinical has no skills or activities that students are to perform in the clinical. So, it is not as if you are graded against some sort or rubric that shows what you need to do to pass the course. Basically, because students are not allowed to perform any nursing activities at the clinical sites due to Frostburg's insurance regarding this course, the students just end up performing menial tasks at their clinical sites. In fact, my tasks were to wipe down patient chairs, give patients blankets, and give patients water in an outpatient infusion center.

I never received any negative feedback or any feedback at all until they cancelled my clinical and failed me in the course.

This is warning to others that if you are black, a minority, gay, muslim, etc. - then you need to stay away from Frostburg's RN-BSN program. Because if either the preceptor or instructor does not like you, even because of your personality, or for any of the other aforementioned reasons - then Frostburg allows them to fail you, and regardless of what is written about FERPA, Frostburg does not allow you to contest the failure, does not allow you to see the criteria used to fail you, etc.

Chris

Devon Rex, ADN, BSN · Oct 18, 2016

Hi Chris. I am not a lawyer, but if I were you, these are the steps I would follow:

1) Contact your professor to obtain the [evaluated] rubric from this class NURS-495.

2) If the professor refuses... contact the Director of Nursing (DON) via letter or email. Formally ask for the same document.

3) If the DON refuses... write a letter to (or email) the Dean of Academics and copy the campus President. In this communication, state the purpose of your communication. Cite FERPA and that you are exercising your right to disclosure of your academic documents. Point out if the professor and/or the DON have refused to provide you with a copy. Give them a reasonable amount of time for them to talk to each other and provide you with a copy. DO NOT threaten retaliation nor filing a lawsuit.

4) After waiting the reasonable period, unsuccessfully, communicate with the Dean of Academics again. Give him/her another week to respond. If they continue to refuse disclosing the document; ask them for a reason (in writing).

5) If all above fails, file a complaint with the Department of Education and/or their accrediting agency for denying you access to your academic documents as guaranteed by FERPA. Wait for their response. If this does not work, this is where I would stop. BUT, you could proceed to step 6.

6) Legal action... but that gets expensive very quickly. Can you afford this? Is it really worth the fight at this point?

Good luck!

CNL-no · Oct 18, 2016

Hi Devon:

I have done most, if not all of what you have suggested regarding pursuing a resolution of this issue with Frostburg State University. The problem with Frostburg State University is that the corruption there goes from the top to the bottom of the University. The Chair of the Frostburg Nursing Department coordinates this discrimination against nursing students there! I have contacted Frostburg's Nursing Chair on several occasions, asking her for the specifics of the allegations against me, the evaluations that led to my failing NURS-495, etc.; but she will never respond to emails, will not provide the information, etc. Also, I contacted the President of the University several times in order to get him to arrange for me to get the evaluations used to fail me, etc. Keep in mind that I had "A" grades in all of the nursing courses except in the NURS-495 100% clinical in which they failed me! I am Jewish, 62 years-old, male - criteria that Frostburg routinely has used to fail nursing students in NURS-495.

At this time, I have filed a complaint with the U.S. Department of Education's, Office of Civil Rights. But, the Maryland Attorney General's Office is fully aware of the fraud that goes on at Frostburg State University, and has allowed it to go on for the past several years unabated. Also, the Maryland Attorney General's Office defends Frostburg State University against any claims, etc. against them, as it is a state institution.

So, again, I mainly want to warn other students to avoid Frostburg's RN-BSN program if they are a minority, older, Jewish, gay, etc. - because they have failed many, many such students in the past by failing them in one of the final courses in their RN-BSN program (NURS-495); and when they fail you in this course - they will fail you whenever you repeat it up until you withdraw from their program. Because NURS-495 is one of the final three courses in their RN-BSN program, students have spent over 1 year attending Frostburg to get to this point, and have paid them over $8,000 in tuition and fees (in state students). I am now attending another University, having to complete my RN-BSN program there from scratch, at great cost in time and money.

Chris

Devon Rex, ADN, BSN · Oct 19, 2016

Hi Chris,

That's a real shame for them :no: , but karma will bite them in the rear sooner or later :sniff: . If not here on earth, it will be on their judgment day.

I went into nursing school at 43, hispanic, gay male. Even though I'm in Florida (a very conservative State), I was fortunate enough not to experience blatant discrimination. There might have been some here or there, but not from my school. My challenges in nursing school were of different nature.

Despite the aggravation you have experienced, I am glad to hear you are still pursuing the BSN elsewhere. More and more hospitals are leaning towards requiring the BSN. It will only help you.

My best wishes to you Chris!

Buyer beware, BSN · Oct 20, 2016

To all posters of this thread,

Going to nursing school is hectic, time consuming and expensive enough. Having to write letters ad nauseum to administrators or others who have no empathy, power or monetary incentive to change the status quo is tantamount to honking a lungy into the wind.

Additionally, also is the hope that karma will somehow come to the rescue and right the wrongs that seem so apparent at this school.

If I had not researched FSU, a public institution, I would have thought that it was a for-profit. This kind of non-transparent, good-luck-to you-we've-got-your-money-ha,ha,ha approach to clinical education is immoral, unethical, deceptive and, frankly, just creepy.

The suggestion that FERPA was ever there to protect the rights, inform, guide, advocate for, or provide transparency to any aggrieved class of students is a farce. Quite the contrary. It is a terribly crafted, gray-area infused mess that has done more to promote confusion, prevarication and legal stonewalling on the part of the schools than just about any other legal document I can think of save the get out of jail free card "arbitration agreement."

For the love of God people, this student has been wronged. In the vernacular, dicked around. Just imagine being at the tail-end of a nursing program and some adjunct or employee preceptor tells you you've failed for "any reason" and by the way, "I'll need 3,000 more dollars," again.