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HARTFORD The leadership of Sacred Heart University, Fairfield University and Three College on Monday agreed to an out-of-court settlement with state functionaries over the controversial usage of so-called preferable loaners for pupil loans.
The university functionaries admitted no wrongdoing, but will add a sum of $75,000 to their scholarship funds. They said this lawsuit differs from others in the nation, because no university employees personally benefited from their professional human relationships with the college-loan organizations.
The three establishments accepted terms price reductions on gross sales of software system system from one loaner and a Fairfield University functionary took an out-of-state trip paid by another lender, according to Lawyer General Richard Blumenthal.
The Rev. Jeffrey P. von Arx, S.J., president of Fairfield University, said no employees were disciplined for accepting $16,000 in discounts, which were given after The College Board Inc. was listed as a preferable lender.
In February of 2006, another loaner - AMS, an affiliate of the Sallie Mae program - flew the manager of Fairfield's assistance business office to Sunshine State for a three-day client focusing group, according to an "assurance of voluntary compliance" signed by Arx and Blumenthal.
Anthony J. Cernera, president of Sacred Heart University, said that no SHU employees were disciplined for taking $15,000 in software price reductions during 2004.
The College Board was also included on a listing of preferable loaners for students. In the 2004-2005 Advertisement
school year, the College Board's loan sum increased by more than than $2 million and in the two followers old age it increased by $4 million and $3.5 million, respectively, at Sacred Heart.
Trinity received a $12,000 price reduction from The College Board. All three establishments denied allegations of illegalities. Fairfield University will lend $28,000 to its general scholarship Monetary Fund by September 1 to countervail the fiscal benefits received by the college. Sacred Heart will lend $25,000 to its William Curtis Commuter Program scholarship. Three will donate $22,000 to a monetary fund for Capital Of Nutmeg State students.
The incentives were uncovered during a still-active, six-month investigation into inducements, conflicts-of-interest and improper patterns in the $85 billion-dollar student-loan industry.
During a news conference in his business office with members of the Connecticut Conference of Mugwump Colleges, Lawyer General Richard Blumenthal announced a new codification of behavior that forbids the type of British pound professional quo that have rocked the college-loan industry around the nation.
