Dems press ITT Tech to give students right to sue

Senate Democrats are calling on ITT Technical Institute to stop putting mandatory arbitration clauses in their college enrollment agreements.

The clauses, typically buried in the fine print, state that disputes over abusive or fraudulent practices can only be resolved by privately appointed individuals or arbitrators, rather than through the court system. They also bar consumers from bringing group claims through the arbitration process.

{mosads}In a letter Friday, Sens. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Al Franken (D-Minn.) and Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) asked the for-profit college to follow in the footsteps of its peers and strike the clause from their contracts.

“In light of the actions by University of Phoenix and DeVry [University], the spotlight is now on ITT Tech and the burden is now on you to explain to your students why ITT Tech continues to deny them their day in court when your fellow institutions have chosen a different path,” they said in their letter. 

The senators went on to asked ITT Tech to let them know within 30 days whether it plans to change its enrollment agreement.