Alumna sues college because she hasn't found a job

[EvilRB]

Just graduated and havent found a job sue you college for your tuition back!

Idiots!!

Alumna sues college because she hasn't found a job - CNN.com (http://www.cnn.com/2009/US/08/03/new.york.jobless.graduate/index.html)

NEW YORK (CNN) -- A recent college graduate is suing her alma mater for $72,000 -- the full cost of her tuition and then some -- because she cannot find a job.
Trina Thompson has sued her alma mater, Monroe College of New York.

Trina Thompson has sued her alma mater, Monroe College of New York.

Trina Thompson, 27, of the Bronx, graduated from New York's Monroe College in April with a bachelor of business administration degree in information technology.

On July 24, she filed suit against the college in Bronx Supreme Court, alleging that Monroe's "Office of Career Advancement did not help me with a full-time job placement. I am also suing them because of the stress I have been going through."

The college responded that it offers job-search support to all its students.

In her complaint, Thompson says she seeks $70,000 in reimbursement for her tuition and $2,000 to compensate for the stress of her three-month job search.

As Thompson sees it, any reasonable employer would pounce on an applicant with her academic credentials, which include a 2.7 grade-point average and a solid attendance record. But Monroe's career-services department has put forth insufficient effort to help her secure employment, she claims.

"They're supposed to say, 'I got this student, her attendance is good, her GPA is all right -- can you interview this person?' They're not doing that," she said.
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Thompson said she has fulfilled her end of the job-search bargain, peppering companies listed on Monroe's e-recruiting site with cover letters, résumés and phone calls. But no more than two employers have responded to her outreach, and those leads have borne no fruit.

Her complaint adds, "The office of career advancement information technology counselor did not make sure their Monroe e-recruiting clients call their graduates that recently finished college for an interview to get a job placement. They have not tried hard enough to help me."

She suggested that Monroe's Office of Career Advancement shows preferential treatment to students with excellent grades. "They favor more toward students that got a 4.0. They help them more out with the job placement," she said. iReport.com: "Don't sue your alma mater"

Monroe College released a statement saying that "while it is clear that no college, especially in this economy, can guarantee employment, Monroe College remains committed to working with all its students, including Ms. Thompson, who graduated only three months ago, to prepare them for careers and to support them during their job search."

Thompson says she has not hired an attorney to represent her because she cannot afford one. When she filed her complaint, she also filed a "poor person order," which exempts her from filing fees associated with the lawsuit.

Asked whether she would advise other college graduates facing job woes to sue their alma maters, Thompson said yes.

"It doesn't make any sense: They went to school for four years, and then they come out working at McDonald's and Payless. That's not what they planned."

[tricky_ab]

She's going at it all wrong...She should be suing the economy....

[duffman1278]

a 2.7 grade-point average and a solid attendance record.

O wow she really stands out from her class. Who wouldn't want to hire someone with a "solid" attendance record and whatever GPA.:rofl:

Some people need to grow up and face reality.

[HAWAII]

hahaha! sue happy america...

[dert420sx]

what a fucking dumb bitch!

so in her world, employers would "POUNCE" on a barely above average student with NO work experience, but perfect attendance.

a 2.7 gpa is NOT exactly rocket scientist material. especially if she is to work in IT. wtf is she thinking??

seems like she wanted to use race as an issue but did not want to actually come out and say it. like when she accused that the career placement office was only helping all those students with 4.0's, i think she really meant to say "those nerdy asian kids". lol....

[EvilRB]

http://www.facebook.com/groups.php#/group.php?gid=114719903370

[iROYAL]

I'd like to sue my job for all the fun I'm missing out. Let's see, I'd probably spend $75 a day x 5 days a week x 51 weeks = $19,125/year.

[WanganRunner]

Who cares about attendance? My college didn't even keep track of attendance. GPA is all that matters.

How can she expect the career placement office to find her a job when there are plainly none to be had? Of course she's going to lose out to the kids with 4.0's, they either worked harder or are more intelligent.

Idiot.

[lewisfk]

thats the main reason healthcare, insurance, and other shit is so expensive! STUPID ASS PEOPLE blaming others for their own down falls!

[HyperTek]

silly people thinking a degree alone is gonna get you a job.. esp in this economy.

[enkei2k]

SHIT if a 2.7 GPA is good, then she must be stupid. no wonder she's suing. 3 months is NOTHING. i know people with a 3.0+ GPA and they've been out of work for longer than that. that woman needs to know her place. if she had a 3.7 then maybe a different story, but 2.7? GTFO

[SimpleS14]

There was only one time I remember this actually working out for the student.

She was a solid 4.0 average student at the Art Institute (very challenging with a high drop-out rate). She sued the school and got her tuition reimbursed.

Of course, that was years ago and the economy was much better.

As for this chick, her case is getting dropped like a hot coal. Besides grades and networking, there is another thing that matters when trying to get the job....interviewing skills.

[DALAZ_68]

last i checked employers look for the best...not the midiocre ...or have things changed over the years...

[r6_240sx]

Depends on what you define as "best".

I know some jobs frown on too high of a GPA, especially ones that deal with hands-on stuff. They figure you spend too much time with your face in the books and not enough time applying what you learned to real life.

Either way this girl is dumb.

[driftsilvias13]

Anyone who thinks that going to school and simply getting a degree is going to guarantee your future is simply ignorant. Schools are businesses too. I laugh at everyone who tells me to go to school, get your degree, and get your dream job. How many people do you know that have graduated from college and have their dream job? Not that school doesn't help, but the people that rely ONLY on school are idiots.

[zenki.life]

dumb bitch. i hate people who feel that they are entitled

[Matej]

Trina Thompson.

[duffman1278]

http://www.fileden.com/files/2008/10/20/2152255/summons.pdf

[SochBAT]

You know what I'd do if I were the College?

Give her back the money.

Take away her degrees.

"Awwww shit, I just wasted 5 years ffor NOTHING."

[tricky_ab]

One other thing I just thought about.. with her lawsuit getting national attention, this dumb bitch is never going to get a job now. Nobody in their right mind is going to hire her for fear she might bring some dumb lawsuit against them.

[Gnnr]

You know what I'd do if I were the College?

Give her back the money.

Take away her degrees.

"Awwww shit, I just wasted 5 years ffor NOTHING."

I wonder if they can legally do that...because I vote for this action. lol.

[ranger240]

the college should file a countering lawsuit for slander, plus 2000 dollars for all the embarrassment monroe college has to endure having ms thompson as an alumni.


plus, if she cant get a job before becoming a internet laughing stock who would hire her now??? she should sue herself.. and based on her intelligence, someone could probably convince her to do so

[ryguy]

God damn, what a moron.

The way the world works these days she'll get a job she doesn't deserve out of this, like a VH1 reality show or something.

[RiversideS13]

she should also sue her parents that they should NOT had the unprotected sex 27 years ago..... that resulted of her 27 depressing years and decrease the community's quality of life

[murda-c]

Depends on what you define as "best".

I know some jobs frown on too high of a GPA, especially ones that deal with hands-on stuff. They figure you spend too much time with your face in the books and not enough time applying what you learned to real life.

Either way this girl is dumb.


which is discriminating against smart people, lol

[drift freaq]

2.7 Grade point average, LOL hahahhahhaha what the fuck is the country coming to? Idiots who think they deserve a job, just because they muddled through school barely passing? Some degree lol . Its not worth shit, backed by that grade point average.

She is right up there with Octo- Mom in the moron brigade.

[tricky_ab]

Anyone who thinks that going to school and simply getting a degree is going to guarantee your future is simply ignorant. Schools are businesses too. I laugh at everyone who tells me to go to school, get your degree, and get your dream job. How many people do you know that have graduated from college and have their dream job? Not that school doesn't help, but the people that rely ONLY on school are idiots.


While she's nuts, it is true in general that our educational system fills kids' heads with the idea that a bachelor's degree is your only ticket out of loserdom and straight into a successful career in order to sell $75,000 diplomas. I think people are finally starting to see through that myth, though.

[325irollin]

lol what a fail. All the people who get a degree then work a normal shitty job after suck at life.

[FRpilot]

is she serious? she needs help. any idiot can graduate from college with a less than 3.0 gpa by just taking the exams, don't even have to go to class. what about the thousands of other undergrads who recently graduated.

graduating with a shitty gpa is all on you. this lady should have got some experience through internships or tried harder to get a better gpa, at least a 3.3 - 3.6. maybe instead of partying or procrastinating, she could have put in extra hours of studying to get better grades.

silly people thinking a degree alone is gonna get you a job.. esp in this economy.

and especially since almost everyone and their moms have a bachelor's degree nowadays. get a more elusive title like masters, phd, jd, etc.


You know what I'd do if I were the College?

Give her back the money.

Take away her degrees.

"Awwww shit, I just wasted 5 years for NOTHING."

you make a good point, the college should take something back if they are to reimburse her. when you go to a store to return something, you don't get your money back and keep the item. but the college has already paid the faculty for teaching the courses.

[ranger240]

wow you definitely dont need a degree to go into IT work, you just cannot be an idiot. with or without a degree it looks like shes screwed

[325irollin]

I don't have a degree and I have a fulltime and a parttime right now. Someone with a degree really doesn't have an excuse besides they aren't trying hard enough.. just gotta find the jobs

[Matej]

A 2.7 GPA should not earn a degree.

[Fries]

Nah brah. She deserved it.
She also deserves the college to get her the best job in the world. I mean shit, she worked for it!

Just listen to the way she speaks, the amount of education just flows from her vocal chords.

[Mi Beardo es Loco]

well, she might not be the sharpest tack of the bunch, but look at it from another perspective. All of you just pass by the fact that most colleges really don't help EVERY student with employment. They promise the world to get your tuition money only to not fulfill any promise they have made after you graduate. She has a good point, but I'm not sure if she has a good case. And lets get this strait, a 2.7 is slightly above average, which means that this particular college doesn't assist the majority of the students.

[325irollin]

Do people actually put their college GPA on their resume?

[SochBAT]

well, she might not be the sharpest tack of the bunch, but look at it from another perspective. All of you just pass by the fact that most colleges really don't help EVERY student with employment. They promise the world to get your tuition money only to not fulfill any promise they have made after you graduate. She has a good point, but I'm not sure if she has a good case. And lets get this strait, a 2.7 is slightly above average, which means that this particular college doesn't assist the majority of the students.

That's the funny thing. More often than not, 4 year universities and crap do mention employment in your field within X months/years, whatever. It is likely a SHITTY position, but hey, its in your field, they have kept their word.

3 months is a long time though. Thats like, 30 days a month! 90 days! at 24 hours a day! 2160 hours!

[SochBAT]

Do people actually put their college GPA on their resume?

I've seen people do it, and its almost always for the wrong reasons.

Show your GPA if its a 3.0 or higher, AND in the related field.

No one needs to know you have a 3.5 GPA if you're an art major applying for a Customer Service job.

[325irollin]

I've seen people do it, and its almost always for the wrong reasons.

Show your GPA if its a 3.0 or higher, AND in the related field.

No one needs to know you have a 3.5 GPA if you're an art major applying for a Customer Service job.

yeah, I think it would be fine if you're in a field which requires you to be smart. Otherwise I wouldn't put it in.

[SimpleS14]

2.7 Grade point average, LOL hahahhahhaha what the fuck is the country coming to? Idiots who think they deserve a job, just because they muddled through school barely passing? Some degree lol . Its not worth shit, backed by that grade point average.

She is right up there with Octo- Mom in the moron brigade.

Her case is different, but I've met people with a GPA around that range and still got a good job. Imagine having a full-time job to take care of yourself, pay for tuition (no loans) and still maintain a passing grade as a full-time college student...it's not cake for everyone. The question about GPA does come up in an interview, but if you demonstrate good work ethics and a good understanding of the field you're trying to get in some interviewers will look past the GPA.

Do people actually put their college GPA on their resume?

If you just graduated (or about to graduate) and your applying to a company that tends to get flowed with THOUSANDS of soft copy resumes daily, putting a GPA is a must. Filtering software will instantly reject your resume if your GPA is not specified. Now if you're giving a hard copy to a recruiter , they might ask about the GPA and if you have a valid reason (such as my example), they will still consider you and hold onto the resume.

[Gnnr]

wow you definitely dont need a degree to go into IT work, you just cannot be an idiot. with or without a degree it looks like shes screwed

Nah, that's not an IT degree.

Most colleges require a focus now for Business Administration, so hers happened to be IT. I do not believe this is the same as an MIS degree or even a Information Technology degree, both of which would actually get her somewhere. So part of her problem is that her major is a shitty one.

Either way the College is not a Job placement agency and they don't have to follow up on any jobs for her, thats her responsibility.

[OptionZero]

I know people who graduated from law school but have to work retail.

She needs a reality check.

[iROYAL]

I know people who graduated from law school but have to work retail.

She needs a reality check.

One co-worker of mine graduated with a degree in engineering, and yet he's busting his chops in the warehouse. Carrying boxes around and filling medical orders.

[Dirty Habit]

GPA? Who gives a fuck about GPA?

If you are asked your gpa in an interview you are not going to get the job. Thats a filler question. Don't let it get to that point.

[kandyflip445]

I worked with a guy with a Masters in Political Science and he was working at Best Buy for months before he could find a job in the area in which he had his degree.

Girl needs to suck it up, get a temp job, and keep looking. If I was an employer and I saw her coming now I don't think I would hire her though.

[driftsilvias13]

I know people who graduated from law school but have to work retail.

She needs a reality check.

Yup. That is the reality of the world we live in but people seem to be so sheltered by the school system that they think that everything is going okay. When they find out it isnt, they go back to school for more BS.

Again nothing against school but most people are going to school for the wrong reasons.

[axiomatik]

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joined, lol.

last i checked employers look for the best...not the midiocre ...or have things changed over the years...

no kidding. in this job market, any company that's hiring can pick the cream of the crop, why settle for self-entitled mediocrity.

That's the funny thing. More often than not, 4 year universities and crap do mention employment in your field within X months/years, whatever. It is likely a SHITTY position, but hey, its in your field, they have kept their word.

3 months is a long time though. Thats like, 30 days a month! 90 days! at 24 hours a day! 2160 hours!

eh, most traditional 4-year universities don't make don't advertise job placement within so many months. that's something ITT or UTI does.

[HyperTek]

i know some people who graduate college with good GPAs but in reality they just dont seem too bright etc.

[OptionZero]

I don't think GPA is particularly relevant to employment - it's mainly used by admissions offices of post-graduate programs like law school, med school, masters/Ph.D programs and that crap.

I don't even think your major really matters at the undergrad level either, unless it is for a specific trade. Engineering majors are basically doing post-graduate level work (difficulty of subject + time/effort demanded); I imagine the computer science folk are similarly focused, you can't work in that field without that education. Medical schools require a particular undergrad path, business schools probably do to. Law doesn't require anything, and I don't think it matters that much.


If I had to advise a younger brother, cousin, or friend about how to prepare for employment, I'd tell him to intern as soon as he's eligible and as much as possible, whether it's paid or not; i'd tell him to stay in contact with his professors in case they know of any colleagues/ex-colleagues in the field hiring.

Experience and good communication/in-person skills has gotten me more jobs than my GPA.