(WSVN) - It’s a high school senior’s dream — to get accepted into the college of their choice. One South Florida student got accepted at Florida International University but just as the summer session was about to start, they said “Oops forget it, you are not accepted.” Can they ignore their own acceptance letter? It’s why we bring in Help Me Howard with Patrick Fraser.
As Roganda’s senior year of high school rolled along, she was excited because she had college options.
Roganda Thomas: “I got accepted to FAMU, Valencia College, FAU and FIU.”
In April, she made her choice, got a letter she was accepted and then signed the agreement to attend FIU.
Roganda Thomas: “Basically, I choose the schools that would offer me more money based on my scholarships and everything I would need, and I chose FIU.”
Needless to say, she could not wait to start classes at FIU.
Roganda Thomas: “I got a jacket at FIU. FIU jacket, the flag — I was excited.”
Roganda got her dorm assignment, her orientation schedule and started talking to her new roommates. Then the day before the summer session started, she got a call…
Roganda Thomas: “I was told not to come to orientation because of various reasons.”
She got another call saying, ‘Of course you need to go to orientation,’ so to clear things up, she went to FIU and met with a school official.
Roganda Thomas: “And she just started apologizing saying that she is sorry at the fact that it was a mistake. That I accidentally got accepted into the school.”
A teenager who dreamed of going to FIU to get a degree in nursing being told “Oops, never mind.”
Roganda Thomas: “I had everything planned out: my whole college life. My roommates and I were texting each other. I never thought this would happen.”
Even worse, she can’t go to the other schools that accepted her and can’t apply for their scholarships because the deadlines have passed.
Roganda Thomas: “I’m pretty sure every other teenager who just graduated from high school would have felt the same way I feel right now. I’m devastated, upset, sad.”
Well Howard, when Roganda signed the acceptance letter, is that a contract and can FIU just say, “We are not accepting you now?”
Howard Finklestein: “Yes they can. When the school sends the acceptance letter and you sign it, that’s a binding contract, and they should accept you. But if they change their mind because of a mistake on their part, then they have to pay for any money they cost you because you trusted them. In other words, money you lost or will spend to apply to other schools.”
Jaffus Hardrick, FIU Vice President of Human Resources: “I regret the fact she received the letter erroneously again as a result of a human error that occurred.”
Jaffus Hardrick said FIU did offer to let Roganda take what they call a PERT test, and if she got the appropriate score, they would have accepted her immediately. Roganda said no because they had already accepted her already. Hardrick then offered her another option.
Jaffus Hardrick: “I want Ms.Thomas to do is to be successful. I want her to be a Panther in the future, and that is where Connect for Success would have allowed her to either go to Broward College or Miami Dade College and then come to FIU.”
But Hardrick says despite the school’s mistake, FIU will not allow Roganda to enroll now.
Roganda Thomas: “I never thought this would happen.”
Roganda is now going to Broward College this fall, and says this setback has made her more determined than ever.
Roganda Thomas: “This is not going to stop me. I feel that in life, we all have obstacles that we have to crossover and I won’t let this stop me.”
Howard said Roganda has a good case and she says she may sue FIU.
Now if you get an acceptance letter from a school, how do you guarantee they let you enroll? You can’t. But make sure you demand the school compensate you for any money you have lost because of their decision to break the contract.
A promise to help you been broken? Don’t accept it. Enroll with us. We don’t hand out degrees, but we can educate you on the law a little. With this Help Me Howard, I’m Patrick Fraser 7News.
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