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Long Island University in Brooklyn is being sued by Manhattan’s Mercy College in New York State court in a bizarre lawsuit that brings admissions ethics to light. According to the lawsuit, Long Island University was stealing students from Mercy with the help of the school’s dean.
There has yet to be a public response from Long Island University, and it doesn’t seem like there will be one with the school saying “while this case lacks merit, we will address the facts through the courts, not in the media.”
Here are some details on the lawsuit from Inside Higher Ed:
The lawsuit alleges that a former dean of the business school at Mercy, subsequently hired by Long Island University, used his access to confidential information about Mercy’s admitted applicants to lure some of them to LIU. The suit — highly unusual in that it involves one college suing another — seeks damages from LIU and an order that it stop using any information obtained by the former Mercy dean. The suit says damages should be at least $700,000 but that the extent of harm hasn’t yet been determined.
Mercy goes on to allege that the data that was taken included spreadsheets which included data from the school’s two primary strategies for recruiting students. The data included financial offers, the students’ status, and other valuable information.
According to the lawsuit, the loss of one student costs Mercy $32,252.
The dean in question is Edward Weis, who was employed at Mercy’s business school until May 31. In June, he began his new gig as the LIU vice president of academic affairs.
If the allegations prove to be true, Weis will be guilty of violating the Code of Ethics and Professional Practices of the National Association for College Admission Counseling. This is going to be a very intriguing legal battle.
