The Defense Department’s decision to place a for-profit university on probation has drawn fire from three Republican senators, who think the Pentagon acted unfairly when it restricted the school’s access to bases and prevented new students from enrolling if they use the military tuition assistance program.
Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., Sen. Jeff Flake, R-Ariz., and Sen. Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn., wrote a letter last week to Defense Secretary Ash Carter blasting the action taken against the University of Phoenix, according to Army Times.
“We remain skeptical that the DoD is evenly and uniformly enforcing its policies on all institutions of higher education,” they wrote.
In sanctioning the university, the Pentagon said the school had improperly used military seals and trademarks, entered military bases without notifying the proper officials and was being investigated by the state attorney general of California and the Federal Trade Commission.
The senators said the Pentagon has not considered the corrective actions taken by the University of Phoenix and based its decision in part on unsubstantiated allegations made by authorities outside the Defense Department.
A defense official told Army Times that the letter is being reviewed.