The Biden administration has set its sights on the largest private Christian university in the nation: Arizona’s Grand Canyon University (GCU).
For over half a decade the Department of Education (ED) has denied GCU’s IRS-granted nonprofit status. After GCU pushed back with legal action, the Biden administration responded with the full force of bureaucracy: a multi-agency attack to discredit and impose hefty fines on the university.
GCU President Brian Mueller told AZ Free News that ED’s rejection of a university’s IRS designation was new and unprecedented. Mueller maintained that ED offered “inapplicable criteria” for the denial.
The president couldn’t say with certainty whether the true cause of the ED targeting had to do with religious or political differences, but didn’t rule out the possibility.
“It’s obviously something other than the facts at hand,” said Mueller. “Is it because we have 30,000 graduates on an annual basis, where they’re studying from a Christian worldview?”
Although GCU is open about its Christian foundation and teachings, it doesn’t require its students to sign a statement of faith. Mueller estimated that 30 percent of incoming students don’t identify as Christians.
“We’re not a church, we’re a university,” said Mueller. “There’s free speech here. That’s one of the attractive things about us.”
GCU’s ethical positions do put it at odds with the federal government: GCU believes that God created the world and that truth comes from Him; that full personhood begins at the moment of conception and ceases at natural death; and that only the union between a man and a woman qualifies as a marriage.
“Resistance to the state is only appropriate when the state requires disobedience to the commands of God,” states GCU’s position on religious liberty. “Christian faith is a personal matter but the implications of faith in Christ should not and cannot remain private. Anyone who follows Christ in truth should strive to live in the way that Christ lived both in private and in public.”
In a public statement, GCU speculated that the targeting was due to ideological differences between their institution and the federal bureaucracy. GCU offers an education from a Christian worldview to its 30,000-odd graduates annually, though students aren’t required to sign a statement of faith. This year, the university brought in another 26,000 on-campus students and 92,000 online students.
“[W]e believe these agenda-driven actions are unprecedented against a regionally accredited 501(c)(3) designated nonprofit university and GCU categorically denies the claims being brought forth, which lack merit and illustrate extreme government overreach in what we believe is an attempt to harm a university to which individuals in these agencies are ideologically opposed,” said GCU.
ED has rejected GCU’s nonprofit status by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) for over five years now. The IRS granted GCU its nonprofit status in July 2018; it took ED until November 2019 to deny the IRS classification, despite 26 other governmental, accrediting, and official entities accepting the nonprofit status including: the Arizona Corporation Commission, Arizona Private Postsecondary Board, Higher Learning Commission (HLC), and the NCAA.
ED maintains that since GCU’s majority revenues go to its former owner — Grand Canyon Education (GCE), a for-profit entity — that it doesn’t qualify as a nonprofit. GCU said that the revenues given to GCE were for education services at fair market value, as reported in investigations by two independent accounting and finance firms shared with the Biden administration.
After GCU spent over a year attempting to resolve the ED denial, it sued the agency in February 2021. The timeline indicates that the lawsuit spurred a coordinated effort between ED, Federal Trade Commission (FTC), and Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to target GCU. Several months later, ED launched a multi-year, off-site review of GCU.
Then, in October 2021, the FTC named GCU as one of 70 for-profit institutions on which it would exercise a decades-dormant punitive power: the Penalty Offense Authority (POA). The FTC alleged GCU, among others, to be a “bad actor” engaging in “unfair or deceptive” practices regarding “false promises” of graduate job and earning prospects. Each violation incurs civil penalties of up to about $50,000 (about $43,800 in 2021).
In that October 2021 announcement, the FTC declared their action was a “resurrection” of the POA, in which they would coordinate with ED and VA; the last time the FTC exercised the POA was in 1978.
Under the POA, the FTC may seek civil penalties if it can prove that its target was aware that certain conduct was unfair or deceptive, and that the FTC had previously issued a written decision on the conduct in question.
The three agencies began their investigations into GCU in 2022: the FTC in May, ED in June (regarding doctoral degrees), and VA in October.
One of FTC’s main accusations was that GCU had a disproportionate number of students who defaulted on federal student loans; GCU responded that its students have a lower loan default rate than the national average at nonprofit universities. FTC also accused Grand Canyon Education, GCU’s education services provider, with making inappropriate cold calls to prospective students. GCU maintained that GCE only reaches out to students who contacted them with interest first, never cold calls.
ED alleged that GCU conveyed substantial misrepresentation regarding its doctoral degree cost. In response, GCU cited the recent federal district and appellate rulings in Young v. GCU, which denied similar claims, and their last Higher Learning Commission (HLC) report declaring robust and transparent financial information practices.
“Their recruitment and marketing materials are clear and transparent, and financial information presented to students throughout the student lifecycle is robust,” said HLC. “The information and resources provided are robust and thorough, providing prospective students a clear picture of their academic and financial path toward a degree at GCU.”
GCU also cited its public calculator for the estimated costs for a 60-credit doctoral program and any potential continuation courses needed to complete a doctoral dissertation. ED requires universities to provide cost of attendance estimates for first year in college to first-year, first-time students, and only for undergraduate programs. GCU also reported that it goes beyond that, providing direct cost estimates for each year of the program of the study and for all its degree programs.
ED also disputed that an online student’s posting of a bio on the first day of class didn’t qualify as “academic-related activity.” GCU countered that ED’s Office of General Counsel told GCU in a 2012 written statement that such postings met that requirement, and that no accrediting bodies, nor ED, have questioned that practice previously, including ED’s last program review in 2014, which made no mention of the practice as problematic.
ED claimed that a 2011 rule change preempted the general counsel’s 2012 email to the university. It required GCU to review all student files from July 2014 to June 2021.
Under VA authority, the Arizona Veterans Services State Approving Agency (AZ SAA) told GCU that its advertising on cybersecurity demand was “erroneous, deceptive, or misleading.” Specifically, the AZ SAA took issue with describing cybersecurity experts as being “in high demand” and that all companies “need cybersecurity.”
GCU said that once it refuted the claim, AZ SAA accepted their refutations as true. GCU claimed that the AZ SAA was pressured by the VA to carry out a different type of audit in order to find fault with GCU’s advertising language regarding cybersecurity.
“It is our belief the SAA was unduly influenced by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, in conjunction with other federal agencies, to conduct and carry out a risk-based audit in this manner rather than the audits it has performed in the past in which the University has received stellar reviews,” said GCU.
GCU says it has spent thousands of man hours and millions of dollars in legal fees to fulfill the Biden administration’s requests. It noted that these ongoing costs and potential fines threaten to upend its 15-year freeze on tuition — a major factor for its growth and, as a result, exposure of a Christian worldview-based education to more Americans.
“[B]ecause GCU, like almost all private universities, is dependent on tuition as a primary revenue stream and does not receive state funding like state universities, the university may be forced to raise tuition if the legal fees or fines associated with these actions continue to escalate,” stated the university. “We are, in essence, trying to protect our students from this government overreach.”
Corinne Murdock is a reporter for AZ Free News. Follow her latest on Twitter, or email tips to corinne@azfreenews.com.
The Arizona State Board of Education is welcoming a new member.
On Monday, Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs appointed Anna Tovar to the State Board of Education.
Tovar is a current member of the Arizona Corporation Commission. She previously served on the Tolleson City Council, including as Vice Mayor before being elected as Mayor. Tovar also served for several years in the Arizona Legislature, where she quickly ascended to leadership for the Democrat Party in both chambers.
“I have been a champion of the public school system my entire career. I started out as a kindergarten teacher in the Tolleson Elementary School District and I believe strong public schools are critical for the future of Arizona,” said Anna Tovar. “I thank Governor Hobbs for the opportunity to serve on the State Board of Education. I am excited to get to work for our students, parents, and educators.”
“Anna’s perspective as an educator and dedicated public servant makes her the ideal person to join the State Board of Education,” said Governor Katie Hobbs. “With her leadership and experience as an educator and mentor, I’m confident that the Board will be well positioned to protect public education and ensure every Arizona student has the tools they need to thrive.”
A spokesperson for the Arizona Department of Education told AZ Free News, “Superintendent Horne is looking forward to having a productive working relationship with Board Member Tovar.”
As the Arizona Superintendent of Public Instruction, Horne is a member of the eleven-person State Board of Education. Other members include Dr. Daniel P. Corr (President), Katherine Haley (Vice President), Jason S. Catanese, Dr. Jacqui Clay, Jennifer Clark, Dr. Scott Hagerman, Julia Meyerson, Karla Phillips-Krivickas, and Dr. Robert C. Robbins.
Daniel Stefanski is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send him news tips using this link.
A northern Arizona lawmaker won a major recognition from a Second Amendment organization.
On Monday, the Arizona House announced that State Representative Selina Bliss, a freshman Republican, earned the “Legislator of the Year” Award from the Arizona Citizens Defense League (AzCDL).
✅FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE✅ State Representative @SelinaBliss Earns “Legislator of the Year” Award from Arizona Citizens Defense League for Second Amendment Support
“I am immensely honored to be recognized by the Arizona Citizens Defense League. They are a terrific organization,… pic.twitter.com/cEZmmDELgR
“I am immensely honored to be recognized by the Arizona Citizens Defense League,” said Representative Bliss. “They are a terrific organization, dedicated to legislative action in support of the Second Amendment. Like them, I believe fervently in safeguarding our citizens’ right to bear arms – a cornerstone of our Constitution. As a state legislator, it is my privilege to work alongside fellow Arizonans in safeguarding and preserving the freedoms that define our great state, and to stand against any attempts to undermine those cherished liberties.”
Representative Bliss wasted no time in coming to the legislature and working to achieve results for her constituents and Arizonans. Bliss introduced HB 2617, which would have “allowed a constable or deputy constable to carry a firearm, both on and off duty and in the same manner as other certified peace officers, if the constable or deputy constable is in compliance with the Arizona Peace Officer Standards and Training Board (AZPOST) firearms requirements and has fulfilled all other requirements as prescribed.” The first-term legislator told AZ Free News that she had introduced the bill after learning from her own Yavapai County Constable Ron Williams ““that constables and deputy constables are not part of the list in ARS 38-1113, which covers off-duty carry of firearms by peace officers.”
Even though the legislation passed out of the State House with broad bipartisan support on May 15, Governor Katie Hobbs vetoed the bill four days later. In the governor’s veto letter to House Speaker Ben Toma, Hobbs said, “I am concerned that this bill would have expanded the authority of constables to carry a gun while off-duty whereby some constables may choose to view themselves as having a ‘duty to respond’ when they are off duty.”
Bliss also scored a recent Second Amendment victory over the City of Phoenix’s donation of hundreds of unclaimed firearms to Ukraine’s national police force, working with Arizona House Judiciary Chairman Quang Nguyen to force the municipality’s leaders to end their efforts and to seek sanctions against its leaders. Both Bliss and Nguyen sent a 1487 complaint to Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes over the issue, who issued a subsequent report which concurred that the City’s ordinance had violated multiple state laws. The two lawmakers were then joined by Representative Travis Grantham in sending a letter to Maricopa County Attorney Rachel Mitchell, calling on the prosecutor to “immediately undertake a criminal and civil investigation of City of Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego and City Councilmembers for their intentional and flagrant violation of state law in connection with their actions surrounding the City’s Ordinance S-50010.”
According to its website, AzCDL “is a non-profit 501(c)(4), all volunteer, non-partisan grassroots organization dedicated to the principles contained in Article II, Section 2 of the Arizona Constitution that ‘All political power is inherent in the people, and governments derive their just powers from the consent of the governed, and are established to protect and maintain individual rights.’”
The organization’s goals for Arizona are as follows:
Freedom to Carry – Restore and protect the right of law-abiding citizens to carry a firearm openly or discreetly anywhere they have a right to be.
Fewer restrictions on the lawful carrying of firearms on public property (state and local government buildings, parks, etc.).
Restaurant Carry – The ability of law-abiding citizens to dine out while carrying a firearm.
Continued strengthening and preservation of the right of presumed innocence in self-defense situations.
Strong State Preemption – Firearms laws should be consistent throughout the State.
Liability responsibility for property owners who ban firearms.
Continued improvements to CCW laws.
Daniel Stefanski is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send him news tips using this link.
Scottsdale Unified School District (SUSD) failed to pass a gender-neutral bathroom policy during its special meeting on Tuesday night.
The board tied 2-2 in their vote on the policy, which would have established single-stall, gender-neutral bathrooms or provided designated employee restrooms for students unwilling or unable to use a multi-occupancy restroom. The bathroom policy came about after allegations that some SUSD schools were allowing restroom access based on gender identity and not biological gender.
Board member Amy Carney and Vice President Carine Werner voted for the policy, while board members Libby Hart-Wells and Zach Lindsay voted against it. Board President Julie Cieniawski wasn’t present at the meeting, so she didn’t vote.
Hart-Wells said that the “how” and “why” of the policy were problematic: the cost and the implementation. Hart-Wells said that available district data proved that site administrators were already handling the .001 percent of student requests for bathroom accommodations.
In closing, Hart-Wells indicated that some parents were the greater danger to children, but didn’t expand further.
“The proposal puts forth a bastardization of parent’s rights at the very expense of the very students’ rights that this proposal purports to support. The operational reality of this proposal can — whether intended or not — put some children in harm’s way. And yes, tragically, that harm can come from the home,” said Hart-Wells. “This proposal, in my view, does not represent healthy governance.”
Werner responded that supportive parents have indicated to her that it was about the children, not about the adults.
Werner requested the new policy. The proposed financial impact would’ve been about $70,000 total: five restrooms per school, with each restroom estimated to cost $500 each.
“I’m certain that kids’ academic achievement is affected when they feel like they can’t use the restroom,” said Werner.
Some parent and community activists expressed grievance over the rejection of the policy.
The SUSD bathroom accommodation policy failed in a 2-2 vote last night, with Hart-Wells claiming that involving parents hurts students' rights and puts children in harm's way. https://t.co/WcALn8dCfvpic.twitter.com/bMQiIWvNJY
— Scottsdale Unites for Educational Integrity (@ScottsdaleUnite) October 25, 2023
Over the summer, Gov. Katie Hobbs vetoed legislation similar to SUSD’s failed policy. The bill, SB1040, would have required students to have the option to access a single-occupancy or employee restroom or changing facility.
Hobbs declared that such accommodations were discrimination against LGBTQ+-identifying minors.
“SB 1040 is yet another discriminatory act against LGBTQ+ youth passed by the majority at the state legislature. [I] will veto every bill that aims to attack and harm children,” said Hobbs.
Corinne Murdock is a reporter for AZ Free News. Follow her latest on Twitter, or email tips to corinne@azfreenews.com.
Border Patrol agents are reporting encounters and apprehensions of large groups of hundreds of single adult illegal immigrants from across the globe.
Over the weekend and within a span of three hours, Tucson Sector agents apprehended two groups totaling 303 migrants representing 18 different countries. Most were single adults, and appeared to be males.
Tucson Sector remains busy and continues to encounter large groups of migrants crossing the border illegally. Within three hours, Ajo Station agents encountered two groups totaling 303 migrants west of Lukeville, AZ, Tuesday. Most were single adults from 18 different countries. pic.twitter.com/nvqh6w6hFQ
Border Patrol Chief Jason Owens reported the apprehension of seven felons over the weekend. The men involved had criminal pasts of aggravated sexual assault of a child, lewd acts with a child, mayhem or rape and burglary, assault with a weapon, alien smuggling, domestic violence, and possession or intent to deliver drugs.
This past weekend, USBP agents apprehended 7 dangerous felons.
Their criminal histories: -Aggravated Sexual Assault of a Child -Lewd Acts w/ Child -Mayhem/Rape & Burglary -Assault w/weapon -Alien smuggling -Domestic Violence -Possession/Intent to deliver a controlled substance pic.twitter.com/HcSClg9go3
The Hamas attack on Israel and ongoing conflict may or already has caused further strain on the border crisis. The Daily Caller obtained an internal Customs and Border Protection (CBP) memo dated Oct. 20 warning of a potential increase of budding or active terrorists aligned with Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad, Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, or Hezbollah crossing the southern border.
“San Diego Field Office Intelligence Unit assesses that individuals inspired by, or reacting to the current Israel-Hamas conflict may attempt travel to or from the area of hostilities in the Middle East via circuitous transit across the Southwest border,” said the memo. “Foreign fighters motivated by ideology or mercenary soldiers of fortune may attempt to obfuscate travel to or from the US to or from countries in the Middle East through Mexico.”
🚨🚨🚨We MUST secure the border NOW – it is a matter of national security! https://t.co/dnFhw9SEO4
For the 2023 fiscal year (October 2022 through September) there were over 2 million illegal immigrants encountered at the southern border. That included a 27 percent increase in criminal or wanted illegal immigrants by Border Patrol: over 15,200 this year so far, compared to over 12,000 last year. Of those, nearly 1,000 had outstanding arrest wants or warrants.
That also includes an 18.6 percent increase in criminal or wanted illegal immigrants by the Office of Field Operations (OFO): over 20,100 so far this year, up from nearly 17,000 last year and 6,500 in 2021. This year’s total is nearly double that of the average Trump administration OFO year.
Recidivism has increased from 7 percent in fiscal year 2019 to 26 percent in fiscal year 2020 and 27 percent in fiscal year 2021.
There were also 169 FBI terror watchlist individuals encountered at the southern border for the 2023 fiscal year, nearly doubling last year’s record of 98 and greater than the previous six fiscal years combined.
These numbers are likely a significant undercount. There have been around two million gotaways over the past two years of the Biden administration. Gotaways refer to those detected but not encountered or apprehended.
Owens revealed that there were at least over 18,000 known gotaways in the first 16 days of this fiscal year (2024, which runs from this October through next September).
“These are individuals whose identities & purpose we do not know,” said Owens. “That is why you need every Border Patrol agent to be in the field and on patrol.”
Over 18K known gotaways in the first 16 days of FY24. These are individuals whose identities & purpose we do not know. That is why you need every Border Patrol agent to be in the field and on patrol. pic.twitter.com/uQlRgR76HQ
Attorney General Kris Mayes’ official name plaque reads “Landslide Mayes”: a tease of her win last year over opponent Abe Hamadeh.
In a video commemorating the two-year mark of former Arizona Attorney General Grant Woods’ passing, Mayes revealed she uses his desk and hoped her legacy would be comparable to his. The video opened with a shot of her desk, with her name plaque reading “Landslide Mayes,” rather than her name.
“If you were to ask me what AG in the past do you consider yourself most like?’ I hope at the end of this people say I was most like Grant Woods, and I work off the premise that he did this job better than anybody ever has,” said Mayes.
It’s been two years since we lost former Attorney General Grant Woods — a good friend and an inspiration. It’s an honor to sit at his desk every day. pic.twitter.com/ttCjtXKQx4
Mayes’ tease about not being a “landslide” winner refers to her slim victory margin; critics, including her opponent, have argued that this margin is inaccurate due to the myriad problems experienced by voters leading up to and on Election Day. Hamadeh maintains that Mayes’ 280-vote margin with which she claimed victory last November — which was nearly halved following a recount — would disappear following the inclusion of the thousands of allegedly uncounted, valid provisional votes.
Earlier this month, the Arizona Supreme Court rejected Hamadeh’s appeal and ordered him to pay over $40,000 in legal fees to Mayes. Following the ruling, Hamadeh announced his bid to take over for retiring Rep. Debbie Lesko (R-AZ-08).
Woods served as Arizona’s attorney general from 1991-1999. Although registered as a Republican, Woods stood out for his opposition to virtually all positions taken by the Republican Party. Woods worked against the GOP opposition to the statewide recognition of the Martin Luther King, Jr., holiday, and support for both the English-only initiative and the Chandler roundup.
Chicanos Por La Causa (CPLC) honored Woods for his work in 2011. In a video highlighting his work, Woods said he would reach beyond his authority to take political action.
“Even though it wasn’t my jurisdiction, I definitely stuck my nose into that one [the Chandler roundup], and we stopped it,” said Woods.
The Chandler roundup, formally known as “Operation Restoration,” was a mass arrest of hundreds of suspected illegal immigrants from July 27 to 31 of 1997. Patrolling officers would arrest any Hispanic individual they stopped who couldn’t provide proof of citizenship. A total of 432 illegal immigrants were deported.
Woods also fought against the state legislature’s bill enabling law enforcement to ask individuals for proof of citizenship and investigate immigration status if illegal immigration is suspected: SB1070. The Supreme Court upheld the law in 2012 in part, striking down other provisions enabling police to arrest without a warrant on suspicion of illegal immigration, criminal charges for immigrants failing to carry federal registration papers, and criminal charges for immigrants seeking or accepting work without authorization.
“I know from being a native Arizonan that our Mexican heritage is part of what it means to be Arizonan, and somehow that’s been perverted,” said Woods.
Under the first year of the Biden administration, Woods denied the reality of the border crisis — going further than even Sens. Mark Kelly (D-AZ) and Kyrsten Sinema (I-AZ).
We don’t need our Democratic Senators-either one of them—stoking the fake “crisis” at the border. It’s a cynical Republican ploy trotted out when convenient. Time would be better spent on actually helping solve the problem. Bad take on a great speech. https://t.co/BEDavSDvIj
Woods also supported abortion, decrying former Gov. Doug Ducey for signing onto a 2021 petition to the Supreme Court to overturn Roe v. Wade.
“I was elected statewide twice as a pro-choice Republican,” said Woods. “There [are] a lot of Arizonans who don’t want the government interfering in the most personal decisions between a woman and her doctor.”
That’s sad. The fight for choice continues. I was elected statewide twice as a pro-choice Republican. There a lot of Arizonans who don’t want the government interfering in the most personal decisions between a woman and her doctor. https://t.co/Q3WhubJqvl
Prior to serving as attorney general, Woods was late Sen. John McCain’s chief of staff when he was a congressman, and endorsed both Democratic presidential candidates in the last two elections: Hillary Clinton in 2016 and Joe Biden in 2020.
@Hillary Clinton is the most qualified nominee ever. Trump's the least qualified. Stakes are too high to be on the sidelines. I'm w/Hillary.
