A bible college based in Southern California with a large student population from East Asia has been ordered closed after a judge ruled some of its faculty is unqualified to teach classes necessary to get a degree.
The San Francisco Chronicle reports the ruling by a state judge determined Olivet University’s practices “could result in learning impairment for students.”
Students also alleged in a lawsuit filed against Olivet founder David Jang and former president Matthias Gebherdt that they were prevented from leaving campus and forced to work without pay. according to the Los Angeles Times.
However, the lawsuit did not play a factor in the decision to close the university.
“As a former student who experienced firsthand the lies, manipulation, and abuse at Olivet University, I am relieved by California’s decision to revoke the institution’s accreditation,” Tingbo Cao, 41, said in a statement to the Times. “This action validates the concerns I—and many others—have raised over the years and helps ensure that future students will not suffer the same injustices that I did.”
Olivet University is based in Riverside County but also has a campus in Mill Valley across the Golden Gate Bridge from San Francisco.
The school said to the Christian Post that it would continue to operate under a religious exemption, “enabling us to provide uninterrupted education to theology students from bachelor’s and master’s degrees to doctorate degrees, who comprise the majority of our student body.”
The Department of Consumer Affairs confirmed to the Chronicle that some religious colleges can continue to operate without a license if they only offer degrees based on the beliefs of the church and not in other subjects.
The ruling from Judge Debra Nye-Perkins to revoke the school’s state license also includes an order to pay a $64,000 fine and to assist its students in finding other ways to complete their education.
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