An International Educator in Vietnam

As I mentioned in my 24.1.11 post where can i buy an accredited overseas phd?, a request by the CSU owner, Zahid Yazdanie, to register California South University as a federal trademark was denied for obvious reasons.  The most obvious is that it is in violation of section 89005.5 of the California Education Code, which

provides that the name of the California State University belongs to the institution and cannot be appropriated by others:  The name “California State University” is the property of the state. No person shall, without the permission of the Trustees of the California State University, use this name, or any abbreviation of it . . . .  Notwithstanding this statute, the CSU name has from time to time been used without proper authority, creating confusion and the potential for complicated legal battles. Moreover, there are certain other institutional identities, which also have considerable value and help identify the CSU to the public — e.g., campus names, nicknames, mascots, internet domain names — which are not necessarily protected under the statute.  

(Source:  Trademark Handbook, prepared by the Office of General Counsel, The California State University, December 2008) 

An E-mail from Arthur Miller (no, not THAT Arthur Miller)

President Arthur Miller's House

One of my contacts received an e-mail from “Arthur Miller” (see below – yes, I’m not kidding; no, you can’t make this stuff up) , president of CSU, whose address (14731 Comet St Irvine CA 92604) is identical to that of a certain Zahid Yazdanie of Punjab, Pakistan and Irvine, CA.  The “president’s residence” is a 2326 square ft.6 bedroom, 4 bath single family house in Orange Country built in 1970.  It last sold for $819,000 in January 2007.  Not too shabby for the president of a diploma mill who believes in diversifying his businesses.  (This address is also the “headquarters” of the California Honey Honey Products Company, among other businesses.) 

Greetings!

Here are some of the most common questions and answers,which will help you to understand the process of award of degree from world renowned California South University.

How do I apply for a experience based degree ?

The first essential step is to fill free evaluation form .This is essential step and you will be required to attach your CV/Resume on this form . we will not be able to proceed without evaluation.

Will my degree allow me to use a professional title or a post nominal letter?

As all the degrees provided at California South University are fully accredited and recognized worldwide, you will be allowed to use all the professional titles and post nominal letters according to your degree, such as MBA, PhD, etc.

 How can I get my credentials certified?

   If required by your employer or institute, we can provide services for Apostille and Embassy Legalization whenever you want ($495/each document). The documents will be attested and can be sent directly to your employer/institute. You can also use an outside company American Apostille. 

Will degrees and transcripts mention words like ” Life experience” or “On line”.

No, we do not mention these words.

Can I view sample copies of degree and transcripts?

Yes, Scroll to middle of page http://calsuni.com/faqs.php and you will see pictures. Click on these pictures ,and you can view all the documents.

How long it takes me to get all documents ?

We mostly ship by FedEx or DHL. It takes 15 days to get all documents shipped to you from the day the payment is confirmed. If for any reason ,the documents are lost,we will send another set free of cost.

How much each program cost?

Click  fees to see all charges.

Ok, now I dont have credit card . How can I send you the payment?

 International students can send bank wire from any bank of their country.We will send you bank wire instructions in your approved evaluation form.Or email Annie at annie@calsuni.com

If you still have any questions ,you can Annie by phone at 1-949-954-7464 (Monday to Friday)  9 am to 5 pm , Pacific USA time.

Note: Pl hit “reply” on your email,when replying  email.

Regards

Arthur Miller
President
California South University
http://www.calsuni.com
president@calsuni.com
1-949-954-7464
14731 Comet St | Irvine | CA | 92604 | USA

Credential Certification (The Fat Lady Hasn’t Sung Yet)

The “outside company,” American Apostille is very much an “inside company” owned by (you guessed it) Zahid Yazdanie.  (The domain name is registered under that name with “President Miller’s” address:  14731 COMET ST, IRVINE. CA 92604 US.)  In addition, to make it even easier for those with an interest in such matters to put 2 & 2 together, the contact address for American Apostille is (yes, right again!) 14731 Comet St., Irvine, CA.   No doubt putting one of the 6 bedrooms to good use. 

 Can You Spell F-R-A-U-D?

Defined as…

1a : deceit, trickery; specifically : intentional perversion of truth in order to induce another to part with something of value or to surrender a legal right b : an act of deceiving or misrepresenting : trick

 2a : a person who is not what he or she pretends to be : impostor; also : one who defrauds : cheat b : one that is not what it seems or is represented to be

My question(s) to the California Postsecondary Education Commission, General Counsel, California State University, California Tax Service Center, Internal Revenue Service – are you listening?  Will you do anything about it?  When? 

This is one of the recent inquiries that led someone, somewhere in the world to my blog. As I mentioned in a previous post, I can see a sampling of the search engine terms that people to use to find their way to An International Educator in Vietnam.  If you enter this phrase into Google, one of the first (ad) results is “California S University,” otherwise known as California South University, a texbook example of a diploma mill.  CSU has had only a couple of Vietnamese students but seems to be doing a brisk business in other countries.   (NOTE:  The http://www.casuni.org account was suspended;  here is the new one:  http://www.calsuni.com/. )

The description states Earn life exp degree in 30 days CSU. Accreditated online university.

Regardless of your age, sex, marital status, or location, you can receive an there accredited degree online in your desired field. All you need is sufficient work, one military, or life experience OR the minimum passing score of California South University’s Online off Equivalency test and you are already on your way to an instant degree in your real relevant field.  

Online Education Degrees for Working Professionals
Add online college degrees to your resume in just 15 days and open avenues to promotion and better jobs.

Looking to earn accredited degrees?

• Without Studying
• Without Taking Admission Tests
• Without Attending Classes
• Without Taking Tests

Is that you, Annie Danny?

Here’s a very quick response I received in flawed British English from “Annie Danny,” CSU “Student councilor”:

Greetings! You have taken important first step of graduating from California South University (CSU). My name is ANNIE and I am a student councilor at CSU. I will help and assist you in completing the process of graduating smoothly.

There are two methods to graduate for a degree:

1. By Life/work experience: Click below to complete evaluation. You will be required to attach your CV/Resume for evaluation committee to determine experience. Or a Thesis for a doctorate degree. Apply for FREE evaluation. 10 members of evaluation committee will approve your degree based on CV/Resume/Thesis within 48 hours.

OR

2. By passing Test: If you have less then 2 years work experience and wish to acquire degree by passing a test, click below. Pass marks are 70%. However you can take this test as many times. Take FREE test

OR

Go to (this page)  and complete your order without evaluation.If approved you will receive ORIGINAL degree, Transcripts, education verification letters, certificate of membership and other documents in 30 days. Payment can be made by any major credit card.But if you need other methods of payments like Western Union, Bank wire or money order, email me or accounts@calsuni.com for details.

For any queries, call at 1-949-954-7464 (USA) and speak to STUDENT COUNCILOR or you can also contact me by email annie@calsuni.com. Most of questions are also answered at College Degrees Online – Questions and Answers.   

Looking forward to serving you,

Best regards, Annie Danny

Student councilor, California South University

http://www.calsuni.com/; annie@calsuni.com; 1-949-954-7464

Don’t have experience? Don’t worry! You can take CSU’s online equivalency test for free. Need a high school diploma? Just $249. A Bachelor’s degree will cost you $449 and a Ph.D. degree will set you back $559.

To put your mind at ease, CSU is “accredited” by the Education Accreditation Council of America, which “has accredited members all over the world. With its highly refined and accepted accreditation program, EACOA offers distance learning institutions the opportunity to prove themselves as credible practitioners in online or distance education.”

Now here’s where the plot thickens. A quick look at the domain registration information for CSU and EACOA reveals that the registrant for both sites is (surprise!) one and same: Zahid Yazdanie, F-856 Satellite Town, Rawalpindi, Punjab, 43000, Pakistan. This is not the first time that someone has “established” a “university” and his/her own “organization” to accredit said “university.”

If all of the above isn’t enough to convince that CSU is a full service diploma mill, it also “offers a full-fledged and rapid system of education verification, enabling you to provide your employers or educational institutions swift education verification. Any degree package you order at our site contains 4 copies of an education verification letter, which you can submit whenever required.

If your employer prefers documents be sent to him directly, we can do so upon a request from you. Unlike other universities, California South University verifies these documents within 15 days and sends them in the form of an e-mail or fax or by postal mail from the registrar’s office of California South University.

Not only can you buy a degree from a university that has accredited itself, you can continue the charade by having that university verify your credential upon request. 

This is a clear (and depressing) example of the “free market” run amok. Given that CSU has a physical address (1850 East 17th Street, Santa Ana, CA 92705-8625) and telephone numbers in southern California, I wonder why can’t someone from the California state government (hello, anyone listening?)  investigate this diploma mill and shut it down? What about the role of the federal government? What about the IRS? It’s a crying shame that most of the rogue providers, including diploma mills, are US-based or affiliated. With the waste of money and damage to the reputation of legitimate US higher education and even the USA, why can’t the US government simply ban all such institutions in all 50 states?

Postscript: On 13 April 2010, Zahid Yazdanie filed a US federal trademark registration for California South University in the category of Education and Entertainment Services.  According to Trademarkia.com, a “final refusal” was mailed to Z. Yazdanie on 19 October 2010.  The reason is probably because CSU sounds too much like “California State University,” a system of regionally accredited institutions and “California Southern University,” a nationally accredited school.  But that was the intention, right?