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Heritage College Refund Checks To Students Bounce

By Rick Sallinger

DENVER (CBS4)- With the sudden closure of Heritage College at 47th and Harlan and around the country earlier this month, it did more than leave students and staff out in the cold.

Dawn Brown of Thornton was close to getting her degree in aesthetics. She had received a check from Heritage for more than $1,000 that she thought was due her, she says the check bounced.

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CBS4 Investigator Rick Sallinger interviews former Heritage College student Dawn Brown (credit: CBS)

"Of course I am really upset but I am not the only one this has affected it has affected many other students and teachers as well. they have had checks that bounced."

The notice on the door posted by the U.S. Department of Education said it closed due to declining student enrollment and less demand at for profit colleges.

Ten locations of the career colleges in Colorado and other states closed down saying it no longer had the money to operate.

Heritage College
(credit: CBS)

Brown expressed regret at the school's handling of its closure, "If they knew they were going to go under they should have let the students know."

Her attempts to get answers from the college have gotten her nowhere so she went inside to the offices to see if anyone could help her.

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Former Heritage College student Dawn Brown knocks on the door of an office inside the building (credit: CBS)

An unidentified man answered the door so Brown stated, "I want to know why my checked bounced."

The response she received was to check a website. The employee inside then threatened to call the police.

Brown's hopes of starting her own aesthetics spa now seems a dream much harder to realize.

Heritage College
(credit: CBS)

With tears in her eyes she lamented, "It's just going to take a little bit more now."

Several Heritage College students have been able to obtain their diplomas. A former employee was allowed inside to retrieve them. She handed them out in the parking lot.

CBS4's Rick Sallinger is a Peabody award winning reporter who has been with the station more than two decades doing hard news and investigative reporting. Follow him on Twitter @ricksallinger.

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