Story Archive

Our Most Important Asset

Brian Carroll, the president of the Vatterott College campus in Kansas City, Mo., became aware that a student, who is homeless, was sleeping in the woods near the college. Administrators were trying to find the student subsidized housing, but hadn’t been successful yet when Carroll learned that temperatures would drop to below zero overnight. He allowed the student to sleep in the school’s library for that one night; the actual temperature hit -4F (-20C). Still, Carroll was fired: the privately run, for-profit college with multiple locations says Carroll’s decision put their equipment and building “at risk,” even though the student didn’t steal or damage anything. “I don’t know of a direct written policy that says you can’t keep someone overnight,” Carroll said. “There’s a policy that says I must protect the assets. I did.” (RC/WDAF Kansas City) ...Ah, that’s where you and the corporate chiefs differ: at Vatterott, the students aren’t considered assets.