Howard Payne University

Date: Jun 20 2014
Major: History/Histories (art history/etc.) (This Major's Salary over time)
Just so that parents are aware, we sent our son to Howard Payne after visiting the school and speaking with teachers, coaches and admissions. All assured us that our son would be protected, looked after, mentored, supported and tutored. They promised us that we would have no worries in sending our son to their school because, they were not like the huge universities, they were a small, close-knit campus where everyone knows everyone and all take interest in each others well being.

Well…Our son spiraled into a major depression after the first week at school. He quit attending classes, skipped meals, football practice, study halls, etc. He didn't even emerge from his room for over a week. Then he just got up and left. We tried for over a week to reach him and finally called the university office. Two days later, I called the university again and this time they told me I needed to call the dorm manager. When I spoke with the dorm manager, he said he would call me back because he wasn't aware of any issues with our son. He eventually called to tell us that our son had not been seen or heard from in over two weeks. We immediately called the police and filed a missing persons report. For a week, we feared the worst and the university took no interest in helping to find our kid and no accountability for his absence or for notifying us. Their response was, he is an adult and it is not their responsibility to track adults. That was a complete contradiction to the crap they feed us at our initial visit.

We eventually found our son, in an extreme episode of depression, living homeless and penniless in Amarillo, more than 600 miles from home. The upside of this story is that our son is fine, at home and attending community college. However, after two years and more than $13K in tuition, the university is still trying to bill us for small, minor costs. We pay one bill, then a few months later, we get another bill for $200 of so. I'm done! Not paying anything else and warning the world NOT to send their children off to this college.