(ReclaimingAmerica.net) – The far left, which reigns supreme on college campuses, has been cracking down on American Christians. Now, the Biden administration is taking that to the next level with an onslaught against the nation’s biggest Christian university by slapping it with fines worth tens of millions of dollars.
Grand Canyon University (GCU) seems to be facing concerted actions from several federal agencies under the Biden administration, which the university suggests might be in retaliation for its legal battle with the US Department of Education, The College Fix reports.
This complex scenario unfolded when, on October 31, the Department of Education imposed a $37.7 million penalty on GCU, alleging the institution made “substantial misrepresentations” regarding the cost of completing its doctoral programs.
This fine is the latest in an exchange of disputes between the federal government and GCU, recognized as the nation’s largest Christian university.
On October 5, GCU released a statement claiming that the Department of Education, the Federal Trade Commission, and the Department of Veterans Affairs are unfairly targeting the university.
GCU posits that this appears to be a backlash against the institution for filing a lawsuit over its nonprofit status.
GCU’s journey from a nonprofit in 1949 to a for-profit partnership in 2004 to avoid closure and back to a nonprofit in 2018 has been acknowledged by various entities, except the Department of Education.
This federal department continues to classify GCU as a for-profit for financial aid purposes, a label GCU President Brian Mueller finds unjust.
“They came out, in 2019, officially saying we are going to keep that tag on you. There is nothing you can do, going forward, to remove that tag. So, in 2021, we said we have no choice. You have backed us into a corner,” Mueller said.
Thus, the GCU filed a lawsuit in February 2021, asserting that such a label would harm its reputation and subject it to the type of scrutiny typically reserved for for-profit colleges. GCU contends that the scrutiny is unwarranted, given its student loan default rates are lower than the national average for nonprofit universities.
The university alleges that as retaliation, it has been bombarded with excessive information and record requests from these agencies, costing it over 3,500 staff hours and significant legal expenses.
“[The fines are] further evidence of the coordinated and unjust actions the federal government is taking against [us],” GCU told The Fix.
