<p>More info on that Napa Valley trip for “training” that Higher One had with college admins:</p>
<p>[News</a> Headlines](<a href=“http://www.cnbc.com/id/40777957/Put_that_Pizza_on_My_Student_Loan]News ”>http://www.cnbc.com/id/40777957/Put_that_Pizza_on_My_Student_Loan )</p>
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In November, Higher One hosted a weeklong conference for college financial aid conference at the luxurious Meritage Resort and Spa, nestled on a private vineyard in Napa, California. While the company notes the conference included 20 hours of meetings and educational sessions over five days, there was also a lesson in wine tasting from one of the vineyard’s experts, and time for spa treatments and tours of the Meritage’s vineyards.</p>
<p>“This is a paid conference that people are attending for educational purposes,” Lasater said. “This is not for entertainment.”</p>
<p>The conference also included raffles with prizes, and dinner at an award winning Napa restaurant. But Volchek said that was not the primary focus for the attendees.</p>
<p>“Networking with other administrators is really important for them to learn about how other campuses use products and are more efficient,” Volchek said.</p>
<p>The schools, many of them state institutions, paid for their administrators to attend. A spokesman for the University of North Dakota insisted the cost was “not out of line,” though the roughly $1,700 would cover approximately half a semester’s room and board at a University of North Dakota dorm.
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<p>Funny how universities ram conflict of interest disclosures and ethics during research training down the throats of students, yet where is the conflict of interest disclosures from the universities themselves for taking kickbacks to promote certain types of student loans, or in this case, disclosure of the admin trips to Napa Valley that included wine tastings and spa treatments at a very prestigious hotel?</p>