Spring Break
Grand jury awards one-year MBA students $3500 settlement
Amy Peterson
Issue date: 8/19/05 Section: News
The University has finally reached a settlement with 18 of its one-year MBA students from the class of 2003 with each student receiving approximately $3,500. The verdict came after a hearing in June before a grand jury.
In January 2004 the University lost a breach of contract suit brought by 18 of the 25 students in its first one-year MBA class. (See "University loses suit to MBA students over trip," Chris Duffy, The Triangle, February 20, 2004.)
"It has been the University's desire all along to reach a fair settlement, and we are pleased to be able to put this matter to rest," Brian Rossiter, an official from the Drexel News Bureau, said.
The lawsuit was brought against the University because of trip to China that was promised and paid for, but never delivered. As part of the $39,500 tuition for the one-year MBA trip, students were to take part in an international trip.
About one week before the trip was to take place, the University chose to cancel the trip on account of the recent SARS outbreak in China and the questionable safety of travel immediately after the outbreak of war.
According to Ed Cieminiecki, one of the students heavily involved in this case, no one really argued with the decision to cancel the trip. This is when the conflict between the two sides began.
Dean of the LeBow College of Business George Tsetsekos promised that the class representative, Cieminiecki, would be one of the people consulted during the process of choosing an appropriate alternative. Cieminiecki refutes that he was never contacted.
"We felt we had a contract with Drexel," Al Hinkey, one of the plaintiffs, said. "We paid a certain amount of money and the school would provide a certain product. One side cannot change the deal without the approval of the other side."
The University's alternative for the cancelled China trip was a weekend seminar on international business at the Society Hill Sheraton. The students was not in favor of it. "The plaintiffs felt that our offer of an alternate leadership experience locally and the opportunity for a subsequent international trip could not replace the program they had signed up for," Rossiter said.
In January 2004 the University lost a breach of contract suit brought by 18 of the 25 students in its first one-year MBA class. (See "University loses suit to MBA students over trip," Chris Duffy, The Triangle, February 20, 2004.)
"It has been the University's desire all along to reach a fair settlement, and we are pleased to be able to put this matter to rest," Brian Rossiter, an official from the Drexel News Bureau, said.
The lawsuit was brought against the University because of trip to China that was promised and paid for, but never delivered. As part of the $39,500 tuition for the one-year MBA trip, students were to take part in an international trip.
About one week before the trip was to take place, the University chose to cancel the trip on account of the recent SARS outbreak in China and the questionable safety of travel immediately after the outbreak of war.
According to Ed Cieminiecki, one of the students heavily involved in this case, no one really argued with the decision to cancel the trip. This is when the conflict between the two sides began.
Dean of the LeBow College of Business George Tsetsekos promised that the class representative, Cieminiecki, would be one of the people consulted during the process of choosing an appropriate alternative. Cieminiecki refutes that he was never contacted.
"We felt we had a contract with Drexel," Al Hinkey, one of the plaintiffs, said. "We paid a certain amount of money and the school would provide a certain product. One side cannot change the deal without the approval of the other side."
The University's alternative for the cancelled China trip was a weekend seminar on international business at the Society Hill Sheraton. The students was not in favor of it. "The plaintiffs felt that our offer of an alternate leadership experience locally and the opportunity for a subsequent international trip could not replace the program they had signed up for," Rossiter said.
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