Forsyth Tech cuts mother new check
BY CASH MICHAELS
FOR THE CHRONICLE
Sharon Harrison is
finally a happy woman.
After eight long
months, the Winston
Salem mother of three
finally got the Parents
PLUS Loan student refund
she was supposed to have
gotten from Forsyth Tech
last fall to help with her
son’s expenses.
But due to an adminis
trative mix-up at the
school, her check for
$4347.59 was sent to the
wrong address, where
someone, posing as she,
promptly took it to a local
Wells Fargo branch and
cashed it.
From September 2016
until last week, Harrison
had to grind through one
bureaucratic nightmare
after another, all the while
being held responsible for
a federal student\Jpan.
refund she never received
that threatened to ruin her
credit until she paid it.
It wasn’t until Harrison
contacted The Chronicle,
asking for her community
newspaper’s assistance
two weeks ago, did she
finally see daylight once
the paper contacted both
the chairman of • the
Forsyth Tech board of
trustees, and the president
of school as well.
Monday night,
Harrison and her son went
to Forsyth Tech offices,
and was handed a check to
make up for the stolen one.
She was also promised
another check to compen
sate her for the interest that
had accrued on the loan
that she was being held
inexplicably responsible
for.
Harrison was pleased.
“Thank you for your
continued support and the
readers support and
prayers,” she wrote to The
Chronicle by email,
acknowledging this news
paper’s advocacy on he
behalf. “ I would not wish
this ordeal on anyone. It
“You know, I always
thought that the news
can be harsh and not
always lead to positive
outcomes.”
-Sharon Harrison
has been a stressful time
and I am glad it is now
resolved.”
“I only hope [Forsyth
Tech] has put safeguards in
place so that this will not
happen to another stu
dent. I also hope that Wells
Fargo will pursue criminal
charges against the individ
ual^) that also contributed
to putting this fiasco in
motion.”
Harrison concluded her
missive, “My family and I
want to again express a
heartfelt ‘thank you’ as
your investigative-style
reporting prompted the
spotlight on my plight.
Unfortunately,
Harrison’s worst fear
indeed could happen again.
When The Chronicle
interviewed Dr. Gary
Green, president of Forsyth
Tech last week, asking him
why FT had no policy in
place to deal directly with
not only a clear administra
tive mistake on the part of
his staff - namely sending
Harrison’s loan refund
check to the wrong address
instead of the one that was
clearly indicated on the
student loan application -
but also the clear case of
identity theft when some
one took the check to an
area Wells Fargo, and
allegedly cashed it there
without showing proper
identification, Dr. Green
disagreed.
Though he confirmed
his staff’s mistake, he
pointed to the identity theft
and the police investiga
tion thereof as the real rea
son why she had to wait
eight months for resolu
tion. In fact, Green felt that
allowing law enforcement
to investigate the matter
was a proper policy, and
refused to accept any mis
handling by his staff as a
reason for Harrison’s inter
minable wait.
“You know, I always
thought that the news can
be harsh and not always
lead to positive outcomes,”
Harrison said Monday
evening by email. “[Y]our
paper has truly changed
my perception. The power
of the press, when placed
in responsible hands such
as yours, can move moun
tains and get
results. Please continue to
use your power of the press
for our people and contin
ue making a difference. I
will support [the] work [of]
the Chronicle.
For our readers
Some of the things that
allowed The Chronicle to
promptly investigate
Harrison’s claims were her
meticulous notes (which
included a timeline) and
record of documents and
correspondence to and
from those involved. She
created an impressive
paper trail that helped
dramatize her case, and
make clear that she did
everything she could
before contacting The
Chronicle.
If it’s something impor
tant to you and your fami
ly, then it’s important
enough to keep the best
records possible about
(receipts, letters, etc.). This
way, you can get effective
assistance.
Judge George Bedsworth, Clerk of Court Susan
Campbell, Judge Carrie Vickery, Attorney Kristin
Kelly pose pose with NC Democratic Party Chair
Wayne Goodwin at a fundraiser at Artworks Gallery
last week.
Forsyth County Democratic Party Chair Eric
Ellison and NC Democratic Party Chair Wayne
Goodwin shake hands at a fundraiser at Artworks
Gallery last week.
Democrats
from page AT
hand. He was in his second
term as Commissioner of
Insurance when he narrow
ly lost, to Republican Mike
Causey in one of the clos
est races in the state.
Goodwin believes that
Trump’s victory may have
helped give the edge to his
opponent.
Goodwin, who also
served four terms in the
weren’t organized before.
He believes the
Democrats’ message of
opportunity for all,
strengthening education,
middle class tax relief and
investing in infrastructure
will appeal to voters.
“I know through reor
ganizing, through register
ing more voters, through
honing our message that
shows the stronger connec
tion between the goals that
people have for them
selves, their families and
44We have the proper
person in place to corral all
of us together by a vision for
the entire state.”
- Eric Ellison, Forsyth County Democratic Party
Chairman
N.C. House of
Representatives, said that
after his loss, he felt he had
the experience needed to
be party chairman when
Patsy Keever decided not
to run again for the posi
tion.
He said there’s an
“unparalleled amount of
energy and passion and
frustration” against the
Republican-controlled
White House, Congress
and N.C. General
Assembly that gives
Democrats a chance to
reach out to “dormant”
members of their party and
unaffiliated voters.
Goodwin said the state
party has never seen a
greater interest in precinct
meetings, with 6,000 new
attendees and 243 newly
organized precincts that
their small businesses and
the Democratic Party that
we can turn the tide in
2018 and in the all impor
tant 2020,” said Goodwin.
Forsyth County
Democratic Party
Chairman Eric Ellison
saidthat the local party was
among those with a record
number of attendees at the
local convention and
precinct meetings. He said
people are “coming
through the woodworks to
participate based on this
president that we have”
and that Goodwin is the
right person to steer that
movement statewide.
“We have the proper
person in place to corral all
of us together by a vision
for the entire state ,”said
Ellison.
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