Jobless Grad Sues Alma Mater

In a shaky economy, some say the value of a college education goes up. Trina Thompson seems to disagree: the New York woman is suing her college for the $70,000 she spent on tuition, claiming that she can’t find a job.

Thompson, 27, graduated from Monroe College with an information technology degree in April 2009. She filed a class-action lawsuit in the New York state Supreme Court on July 24, saying that the business-oriented school has not done enough to land her a job. Thompson told the Associated Press that the Bronx school’s Office of Career Advancement did not provide her with the career leads and advice it had promised. “They have not tried hard enough to help me,” Thompson wrote in her lawsuit.

Who Should Take the Blame?

Thompson lives with her mother, Carol, a substitute teacher who supports both of them. Thompson’s mother is proud of her daughter for completing the college program. But they’re barely making enough to scrape by. “This is not the way we want to live our life,” the mom told the New York Post. “This is not what we planned.”

Thompson’s student loans are beginning to accumulate as well, prompting a financial crisis for the small family. Thompson has said that an IT career counselor sent several e-mails encouraging her to apply for jobs, but it wasn’t enough. “She’s angry,” Thompson’s mother added. “She’s very angry at her situation. She put all her faith in them, and so did I. They’re not making an effort.”

Her alma mater says it does plenty to help recent graduates. “The lawsuit is completely without merit,” Monroe College spokesman Gary Axelbank said. “The college prides itself on the excellent career-development support that we provide to each of our students, and this case does not deserve further consideration.”

The school’s website promises free services for graduates at any point in their lives. Each student is assigned a career advisor who provides “one-on-one” assistance with job search strategies, resume writing and career assessment. “Resource’ is our middle name,” the Office of Career Advancement says.

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