"Phantom Students" Book Reception— 4/15/10.

"Several students who were the victims of a college scholarship scam were chronicled in the book Phantom Students by author Charlton D’souza which exposed mismanagement within the Community Leadership Program at Marymount Manhattan College. Many well performing students lost their scholarships through no fault of their own and are still unable to get their official transcripts since the program closed down in 2004.

 

The Community Leadership program consisted of a full academic scholarship (worth $30,000 per year) designed for poor students who might not have had the opportunity to attend college for a variety of reasons. However the CLP was plagued with a twelve year attrition rate not to mention an underlining resentment and racism on the part of the college’s administration. The college received private, state and federal grants for Phantom Students after the actual students were no longer attending the institution.

 

When students filed complaints with the New York State Attorney Generals office in 2005 when Elliot Spitzer was at the helm he refused to investigate several complaints and tried to cover up the case. Ironically Elliot Spitzer’s father is the landlord and developer for Marymount. We believe this is a major conflict of interest which should have been investigated by the governors’ office and Attorney General Andrew M. Cuomo. The students are now calling for a full civil rights investigation by the United States Department of Education and want President Judson Shaver of Marymount Manhattan College to resign immediately for leaving students academically displaced."