Senators silent on Scorecard

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Senators silent on Scorecard

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Despite charges from Rep. Tim Walberg (R-Mich.) that Hillsdale College’s absence from the Department of Education’s new College Scorecard may suggest a threat to the school’s accreditation, the agency refused to back away from its previous statements about the college, including the incorrect claim that Hillsdale does not offer bachelor’s degrees.

“Our previous comment stands,” said Alberto Betancourt, a press officer for the DoE, on Tuesday.

Shortly after the Sept. 12 release of the Scorecard — called “comprehensive” by President Barack Obama — an assistant press secretary at the DoE said that Hillsdale College “does not offer bachelor’s degrees.”

Michigan’s senators, Democrats Gary Peters and Debbie Stabenow, failed to respond to multiple requests for comment on Hillsdale’s absence from the Scorecard or the department’s claim that the college does not grant bachelor’s degrees, despite repeated requests from the Collegian.

The Scorecard excluded not just Hillsdale but also several other colleges that refuse to accept federal funding, such as Grove City College in Pennsylvania. The DoE eventually explained that only schools that accept Title IV federal loans were included in the database.

Walberg said the omission of Hillsdale could be “a tremendous problem” for the college and said he hopes that the next presidential administration will rescind the Scorecard.