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What’s In A Name?

W

hat do 23 popes, four presi-
Whereas the Johnny-jump-up will not
dents, an everyday citizen
bloom as long as folks have to wear long
and an unidentifiable
johns, nicer weather may lure you to
person all have in common? The name
take a short river journey on a johnboat
John.
(a flat-bottomed skiff).
(John Adams, John Q.
If you are always Johnny-on-
Adams, John Tyler and JFK;
the-spot, you may be asked to
John Q. Public and John Doe).
witness a document by append-
That name or a derivation
ing your John Hancock. Be aware
of it has become common-
that this is not a service to be
place in our English language.
requested of just any Johnny-
For a while, “Good night, John
come-lately.
Boy” became a staple used by Sy Manello
If you are someone who gripes
those who were fans of The
and
rarely varies his complaints,
Editorial Assistant
Waltons.
you may come to known as a
Several Southern food
Johnny-one-note, in addition to
dishes bear that label: Hoppin’ John (a
being someone others will avoid.
black-eyed pea dish) and Johnny Cake
The War Between the States saw the
(a cornmeal and milk pancake); there is rise of Johnny Reb as the Confederate
also John Barleycorn (a corn liquor or
soldiers became known. Many of them,
malt liquor.).
as well as their northern enemies,

received Dear John letters as their
absences caused would-be girlfriends to
lose patience waiting for their return.
If you’ve ever been hospitalized, you
may have had to wear a johnny, that
short gown closed by ties in the back. It
may have made going to the john easier,
but it could be embarrassing to be so
exposed.
In another era, gentlemen who
admired an actress might find them-
selves waiting at the back door of the
theater to proffer flowers, candy and
words of admiration. These “Johns”
who waited at the stage door were aptly
named Stage Door Johnnies.
For those of you who are named John,
please know that I think it’s a special
name. Not every Tom, Dick and Harry is
named John.

*

editorial

Michigan Jewish Institute Must Rethink Its Future

I

n two detailed letters that cast the
school into shadows of doubt and
distrust, the U.S. Department of
Education claimed the Michigan Jewish
Institute schemed to abuse highly sought
Pell Grants by awarding them to ineli-
gible online students, maintaining incon-
sistent student records and misrepresent-
ing itself to its accreditation agency.
MJI falls under Chabad of Michigan’s
Campus of Living Judaism in West
Bloomfield. MJI received the second
letter, dated April 15, after appealing
the first denial to recertify its eligibility
for Title IV financial aid programs. The
second letter affirmed the DOE’s earlier
decision.
In reacting to the latest letter, MJI saw
the gate might be open to reorganize and
try again. All allegations made by the
DOE must be addressed before the fed-
eral agency would consider certification
once more.

AT THE CORE
Pell Grants are meant for low-income
students to help pay college costs; they
don’t have to be repaid. MJI denied fault
in how it dealt with grants to online stu-
dents.
The DOE letters dealt a crushing
blow because they struck at the heart of
an online program that once enrolled
nearly 2,000 U.S. citizens who were
Israeli residents. Most of those students

also were engaged in religious studies at
Israeli yeshivot and seminaries. Based
on its investigation, the DOE determined
most of those students never intended to
receive a degree from MJI, a Pell Grant
requirement.
The DOE said MJI sought accredita-
tion under false pretenses in filings with
the Washington, D.C.-based Accrediting
Council for Independent Colleges and
Schools. ACICS is not certified to accredit
religious studies programs. But MJI,
according to the DOE, “apparently led
ACICS to believe that some substantial
component of its curriculum consisted of
technical education’’ despite evidence to
the contrary.

A BUILDING STORM
The cloud over MJI has hovered since July
7, 2015, when federal agents raided the
Southfield-based administrative offices of
the nonprofit college. The cloud darkened
with the April 15 letter by the DOE.
From academic years 1999 to 2015,
Pell Grant disbursements associated with
MJI totaled nearly $60 million to more
than 8,900 students, according to DOE
records. The JN story about MJI recerti-
fication denial, “Appeal Lost” (April 28,
page 14), reported that “based on what
MJI previously stated, the school would
have retained about $27.5 million to
cover administrative costs.”
It matters to all U.S. taxpayers that a

federal agency believes MJI dealt with
Pell Grants improperly.

LOOKING AHEAD
While striving to enable students with
awarded Pell Grants to smoothly transi-
tion to other institutions, MJI vows to
explore ways to restructure and retool
its model of delivery and to upgrade
its administrative capabilities “in short
order” — “all to determine if a new
application as permitted under the
Department’s most recent letter will serve
the interests of MJI students, current and
future,” according to a MJI statement
issued to the JN on April 20.
Such a strategic structural overhaul,
provided it’s possible in light of the lat-
est DOE letter, would be a mandatory
step if MJI, under the aegis of Chabad
of Michigan, truly wants to again serve
students, online or otherwise — typically
Torah-observant young men and women
who are socially and economically disad-
vantaged.
Restructuring rooted in the highest
degree of commitment, prudence and
transparency still might not be enough
for MJI to earn recertification under the
umbrella of Title IV. But such restructur-
ing would be the only way forward.
The harsh reality is that Michigan
Jewish Institute faces a daunting battle
to resurrect as a viable school that has
regained the public’s confidence.

*

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May 12 • 2016

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