Berkeley College Woodland Park Campus — Local services in Woodland Park

SCAM!!!!!!I was enrolled into the LPN to BSN (nursing) bridge program and was scheduled to graduate this August. I was accused of cheating on my quiz for a course in which we were told by our instructor, Professor Caterina Sousa (mother baby) to use our personal laptop. Up until that point, every professor I've ever had from the course of this program has ALWAYS booked a computer lab room (in which we pay for as part of our tuition) to use during exams. When we asked the professor why we couldn't use the computer lab, she stated that it was a lot of work to book the room. 3 months into the mother baby course, we took our midterm. A few days after taking our midterm, i received a notification that my QUIZ 1 grade was changed to a "0" because I deviated from the test taking screen. The other students in my class received a "0" for their midterm while mine stayed the same. I then received a general notification that was sent to the class stating that if our grade changed, we were to attend a mandatory meeting with the Chair, Gina Miranda-Diaz and the professor, Sousa. I called Canvas (the test taking portal) directly so that they can provide me proof that what I was being accused of doing was false. This meeting left me feeling frustrated and confused. After a 2-hour long conversation with the most HELPFUL & POLITE rep in Canvas, he was able to provide me with some concerning findings.

After speaking to Canvas after 2 hours, I felt relieved. FINALLY, I HAVE MY PROOF! THIS WILL PROVE MY INNOCENCE! I immediately scheduled a meeting with Gina only for her to rush me and brush me off. I felt like I almost needed to FORCE her to look at the DETAILED quiz log that I obtained only for her to respond by saying "The rep should of never given you this log". I was TAKEN ABACK by her response. THAT out of everything that was WRONG with this situation and accusation that this was what bothered HER. After reviewing line by line my quiz log from Canvas she AGREED with me that the report did not make sense and did not connect to me being accused of cheating. She told me that she will speak to Dean Jenny Sena and get back to me. The appeal process has 3 levels in this sequence. Professor (Sousa), Chair (Gina), and Dean (Jenny). Sousa responded and denied my appeal within a day. Gina took 15 days to reply to my appeal after countless times of emailing her. By the time she responded to my appeal, the summer semester started. When it was time to submit my last level appeal to Dean Jenny Sena, I wanted to take a different approach in hopes that SOMEONE/ANYONE would care!!!!! BOY WAS I WRONG! I sent her an email expressing my concern in detail. She did not respond to my email even as common courtesy. Instead, she responded to my appeal and denied it with NO COMMENTS. I decided to email the Dean directly to ask if she could respond to my appeal with comments OR at least respond to my email. She responded stating " I did not receive your appeal. Please reach out to your advisor first on this and we can schedule a meeting.". I WAS STUNNED AGAIN! I responded to her showing her the email I received DIRECTLY from the APPEAL PORTAL that stated my appeal was denied by Jenny Sena. This leads me to believe that either A. She was not being truthful or B. She has someone else looking into the appeal process on her behalf! EITHER ONE IS UNETHICAL!!!!! Nevertheless, I followed her instructions and booked an in person meeting for 6/7/2023 a week in advance. A few days later, I received a notification from Outlook stating that the meeting was cancelled by Jenny Sena. She did not have the courtesy or respect to even email me apologizing and suggesting another date. THIS IS NOT THE WAY I HAVE BEEN TREATED IN RETURN! I was dismissed, put aside, disrespected and treated like dirt. Not ONE PERSON has taken accountability for the mistakes that were made on behalf of this facility. No one has acknowledged the anomalies in the process. The Berkeley system has failed me, and I am certain, many others. BE AWARE OF THIS...

After the way my girlfriend has been treated here, I definitely know that I couldn't come here myself. TL;DR - Berkeley continued to find ways to impede my girlfriends progress and she dropped out Dec 2018. It's for the best. I don't know what those ICD and CPT classes are trying to prepare you for; they don't cover some of what's on the certification test, and completely skip teaching you real world applications. If I didn't know how it works in the real world from experience (5 years in healthcare), this class would've had us both believing that medical billing is about being able to remember and recite the entire ICD and CPT code catalogs on command. This school sucks.

Dec 2017: my girlfriend decided to go back to school. She was first a student only two years ago, but apparently most of her records were lost/destroyed in a recent move. It’s weird that only part of a digital file would go missing, but crazy things happen when big companies move. I’ll give them that. So after talking costs we’re asked to get tax info. After two weeks of hunting down specific documents that they suggested we get, the counselor working with us says “Let’s not worry about it too much. Even if you found everything, this would only save you about $65 a semester.” Two weeks of our free time is worth more than $65, you jerk. That would’ve been helpful to know.

March 2018: Most of the documents that we did get to them in December were lost by the first week of March. Three weeks before the start of the current semester (spring / summer ’18) my girlfriend was notified that she would not be allowed to take classes and was threatened with a $7,000 bill. They wouldn’t let her start in January without this stuff; even they acknowledged that at one point, they had to have been given that information. Between Admissions and Financial Aid the best answer was “they don’t know” where all that sensitive tax information went. One week before the registration deadline my girlfriend reached out to her guidance counselor and someone at the FA dept. Both said they would work on handling it without issue. Both had left for vacation in the final days before the deadline.

April 28, 2018: This issue is still not resolved. We can’t even take Berkeley seriously at this point; my girlfriend is in some bizarre limbo with them. Every couple of weeks they call, say she owes $7,000 for incorrect tax & FAFSA info, she calls the head of admissions dept. furious, he promises to take care of it, radio silence, repeat. It’s just a bad joke.

July 12, 2018: This issue is still in the same cycle it was when I last updated in April.

July 29, 2018: Berkeley College states my girlfriend never owed any money in the first place. The ~$7,000 balance they kept bugging her to deal with was actually a glitch in the system due to her not being enrolled for the Fall 2018 semester yet. That's not even a logical answer. She owed money for a semester that didn't start yet? This college opens its Fall registration around now, July/August. How is this even possible? The balance you've been fighting for since March was related to enrollment issues for a semester that wasn't open yet? They should be ashamed of that answer, but the problem is finally fixed.

August 23, 2018: Never mind, the problem is right back in the old cycle. So the money is due again, and now they're saying it's a FAFSA issue. Three financial aid advisers have told her different things over the past year and after getting in touch with the director of the Woodland Park campus, we were told they were all wrong. Since it's very tough to communicate or cooperate with Berkeley employees it took us about a week to confirm what one document would suffice. As a result of this, my girlfriend can forget about the Fall schedule she was perfectly happy with. She was automatically dropped for "failure to clear." It's pretty pathetic that they'll openly admit that several employees repeatedly made huge mistakes when helping my girlfriend with her FAFSA, but she's the one in...

My experience at Berkeley College has been spectacular! I am a Berkeley College alumna, I graduated in 2016 earning my associate's degree in Health Services Administration. I have currently returned to Berkeley the Woodland Park Campus pursuing my bachelor's degree in Health Services Management. I have nothing but good things to say about Berkeley College. Everything from the beginning with admissions has been a delightful experience. The resources that are provided at the Woodland Park Campus including academic advisement, financial aid, the center for academic success, student counseling, student development, the library, career services, security and many more have exceeded my expectations. I have now been given the opportunity to work as a federal work study for the campus operating officer, Ms. LaTysha Gaines. Working at the Woodland Park Campus has helped me grow both professionally and personally. Coming back to college has given me a chance to rediscover myself and recognize the potential that I didn't realize I had. I hope to continue to grow while obtaining a higher education and making lifelong friends and memories...