This news release was issued by the Office of U.S. Rep. Charlie Crist (FL13).

Washington, DC  —  Congressman Charlie Crist (D-FL-13) released the following letter signed by Florida Reps. Kathy Castor, Gus Bilirakis, and Darren Soto calling on Secretary DeVos and the U.S. Department of Education to take aggressive action against Argosy University, and ensure that students impacted by the for-profit University’s poor decisions are financially protected.

Following its acquisition by Dream Center Education Holdings, Argosy failed to meet its financial obligations and entered a form of bankruptcy known as receivership. Students in Florida and across the country currently await their anticipated disbursement of funds from Argosy to pay for tuition, room, board and other living expenses.

“It appears that Argosy and their parent company Dream Centers have burned through funding designated for others, leaving our students holding the bag,” said Congressman Crist. “We call on the Department of Education to fully investigate, hold the responsible parties accountable, and protect the financial interests of the students impacted.”

“We are appalled at the irresponsible revelations of Argosy University’s failure to deliver much needed federal financial aid to its students,” stated Rep. Soto. “Florida students and their families heavily rely on these funds to pursue their education. But instead, students were misled on their funds disbursements by an institution they trusted and now face irreparable consequences. I join my colleagues in demanding answers and action to end this nightmare for our students.” 

“Students already have too many things to worry about and being taken advantage of by their school should not be one of them. My Tampa Bay colleagues and I are demanding answers for students and their families, so something like this never happens again.” Stated Rep. Castor.

“Protecting students from continuing to be exploited and victimized by this unethical private company is simply the right thing to do. I am proud to join my colleagues from the Tampa Bay Delegation in a bipartisan effort to provide immediate relief to these students, ensure hard earned tax dollars do not stay in the wrong hands and hold those who have acted in bad faith accountable for their fraudulent behavior,” said Congressman Bilirakis.