Busted: Iowa GOP lawmaker's alma mater turns out to be company that ran Sizzler steak house

[DonViejo]

Source: RawStory



DAVID EDWARDS
01 MAR 2017 AT 14:51 ET

Iowa state Sen. Mark Chelgren (R) was forced to backtrack on claims that he received a college “degree” after his alma mater was revealed to be the operator of a Sizzler steak house franchise.

NBC News reported on Wednesday that Chelgren’s “business degree” came under scrutiny due to a bill he is sponsoring which would limit the number of liberal professors that state universities could hire.

Iowa State Republicans spokesperson Ed Failor admitted to NBC News that Chelgren did not actually hold a formal degree even though the Senate Republicans’ website said otherwise. The website has since updated his biography to remove references to the “degree.”

“This was a management course he took when he worked for Sizzler, kind of like Hamburger University at McDonald’s,” Failor explained. “He got a certificate.”

Read more: http://www.rawstory.com/2017/03/busted-iowa-gop-lawmakers-alma-mater-turns-out-to-company-that-ran-sizzler-steak-house/

[underpants]

1. We going ta Sizzler!

Did this bill include some way of interrogating or assessing a potential professor's liberalness?

[mnhtnbb]

2. Any body want to bet the "liberal professors" in CA flunked him out?

If you read farther in the article, he claims to have gone to

"University of California at Riverside majoring in astro-physics, geo-physics and mathematics.”

Chelgren said that he attended the school for three years but did not receive a degree. But University spokesman John Warren told NBC News that there was only a record of him attending for one year, from 1992 to 1993.

The Iowa Republican dismissed the discrepancy by saying that he had also attended “Riverside Community College.”

[FSogol]

4. LOL, will Riverside Community College" turn out to be "Riverside Baptist Vacation Bible School"?

[haele]

16. Probably. There is a Riverside Community College District...with 4 different Colleges

I've noticed he said "Riverside Community College" - of which there is not a college that goes by that name.
That includes Riverside City College, Norco College, Palo Verde Community College and Morena Valley College. Those are all Public non-profit State Accredited colleges that are part of the RCCD.

There are also other district and non-district Public CC's /Jr. Colleges that are College of the Desert, Mt San Jacinto Community College, Palomar College and Mayfield College. These are all accredited JR. College feeders into both the UC Riverside and the Cal State University system.


And then there are the private JR. Colleges - Kaplan College, DeVry, Sage College, and "Riverside Career College", are all private colleges with a campus in Riverside County. Along with a "Riverside County College of Golf".

Not all are bad. I got my degree from the University of Redlands, a San Bernadino Co. formerly "Baptist" College/University established in 1907 that dropped the religious association, got full WASC Accreditation and is a highly respected University with full credit transfer to both State University systems.

I digress.
But I still did not find a "Riverside Community College" under that particular name. If I wanted to give him the benefit of the doubt, he probably got enough units at Riverside City College to leave with an AS or AA in three years, and his "astronomy geo-physics" study was the science requirements for the units required to transfer to UC Riverside.

Haele

[Codeine]

47. I think RCC was called Riverside Community College

up until fairly recently. I know growing up around here we always referred to it by that name conversationally, at least.

[dalton99a]

49. Wiki says it was Riverside Community College between 1960s and 2008

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Riverside_City_College

RCC first opened in 1916 at the same site as the Riverside Polytechnic High School (Riverside Poly). Originally known as Riverside City College or as Riverside Junior College, the school changed its name to Riverside Community College in the 1960s. In 2008, the Board of Trustees renamed the institution back to Riverside City College.

[lunasun]

10. Wow one lie about education after another huh? Bet that majoring in geo physics

turns out to be a rock collection if it is anything like his Sizzler degree
I I

[AJT]

36. he put gravel on his driveway last spring......

[cab67]

24. no one who studies geophysics or astrophysics

hyphenates them.

[dalton99a]

50. Yep, just like nobody writes 'bio-chemistry'

[C_U_L8R]

3. The republicans who despise education the most

tend to be the most ignorant ones.
Dolts like this clown should be kept far
away from affecting our children's growth
and well-being. Kick him TF out.

[bucolic_frolic]

5. School of Where's the Beef

[mobeau69]

6. Sizzler U degree beats the hell out of one from tRump U.

[ATL Ebony]

7. BUSTED!

This is a prime example of why we need to have quality educators (i.e., repugs need not apply) to teach our youth how to ferret out bullshit and learn to fact check those thugs at every turn.

[NurseJackie]

8. His eyes ... I'd never trust this guy!

[secondvariety]

11. Looks drunk...

[NurseJackie]

13. There were other photos online... all very similar, but this one was the "best"...

... it's almost as if something "ain't rite" with him. If he's the best that they have to offer, and if his constituents were "impressed" enough to elect him, well, that's concerning.

[czarjak]

37. He certainly...

Looks like a genius.

[paleotn]

41. For me, it's always the R after their name.

but after seeing this wack job, he's doubly untrustworthy.

[muntrv]

9. Did he go to Trump U?

[enid602]

31. Trump U

I think he got his degree after Trump U lost its Sizzler accreditation.

[IthinkThereforeIAM]

38. Ha...

... ha!

[Bigredhunk]

12. -

According to his Dickopedia, in 2010 he beat the D incumbent by TEN F*CKING VOTES! Ugh. Then somehow he was re-elected in 2014.

[GeorgeGist]

14. Cowards.

[Yavin4]

15. His degree came with a salad and two sides.

That's a pretty good deal if you ask me.

[onethatcares]

23. it was

the early bird special that day.

[Sunlei]

17. To this DAY-Republicans never even vetted their president, not even a basic background check!

[Freethinker65]

18. Future assistant to Secretary of Ed. Betsy DeVos

[Sunlei]

19. Once a liar always a liar, typical Republican. The FRAUD should be booted out of OUR government

a business would fire his ass.

[mulsh]

20. I earned a Master of Manure playing Farmville. I now proudly put an MM after my name

maybe I should move to Iowa and run for office.

[BREMPRO]

21. "business degree" from Sizzler! lol!. That about sums up the new GOP economic depth and integrity

although Sizzler management training is probably more useful and prestigious than a degree from Trump University....

[mobeau69]

34. And now our entire public education system is at steak.

[tblue37]

52. You did NOT just say that! nt

[iluvtennis]

22. Reminiscent of Melania who claimed she had an architectural degree on her website before GOP conv...

...website was taken down.

[benld74]

25. Cmon Iowa! How can U vote him to represent U

[gopiscrap]

26. I am sure the voters will have a beef to pick with him!!!

[Mr. Ected]

27. He's one of those "rare" politicians

But after being caught in a lie, his career should be, well, done.

[riversedge]

28. good one.

[japple]

30. Big K & R for this one, Mr. Ected!

[riversedge]

29. "This was not an attempt to inflate anything," he said, adding he was not aware of the error on the

He does not accept any responsibility either--Just like his boss! Trumpy!!!




.... Chelgren told NBC News on Wednesday he was not trying to inflate his education credentials.

"This was not an attempt to inflate anything," he said, adding he was not aware of the error on the web site until a reporter asked about it. "I didn't concern myself about this, honestly."

In a telephone interview last week, Chelgren was vague about Forbco. He said it was located outside of Los Angeles and that he got his business degree "around '88 or '89. It's going back a ways so I don't remember."

The school is not listed on the federal National Center for Education Statistics' list of accredited colleges or universities. And the only Forbco Management in California, records show, is a company that used to operate a Sizzler steakhouse in Torrance, California. ,,,,,,,,,,,

[elehhhhna]

32. So he meant College of hard knocks?

And wait, they operate one steakhouse? That must be a bigly rigorous management program

[Docreed2003]

51. I don't remember when or where I got my degree...

Seems legit...lol

[IronLionZion]

33. The dumbing down of America

so they want to have political affirmative action to hire more Republican professors and ban qualified ones just because they are Democrats.

Education is for easily triggered snowflakes anyway right?

[Adrahil]

35. So basically....

Dude has it in for "liberal professors" 'cause he's an idiot and flunked out.

Idiocracy is real.

[Judi Lynn]

39. Can't believe he'd lie! He's always been such a gentleman.

[center]

[jetcat]

40. Personally, I majored in macro-enginomics and socio-physics during my one year at State U.

My overall smartness was off the charts. But I had to quit because of some stupid rule about "D"s in freshman english and world history. Damn liberals.

[jack69]

45. wine, women and song!! Probably good thing that I was timid at that time.

[jack69]

42. What makes so many of them fast and loose with the truth? Should start a discussion thread on this.

Any ideas?

[dembotoz]

43. so how does one document training done thru an employer

not trying to be snarky, just curious

thru employers i have benefited from a number of educational type things all geared in the rather futile quest of having me know what the hell i am doing.....

some were quite involved....I remember one thru AT&T that was required by my employer that took place when sbc and at&t merged that had to do with the data product line that was quite awful....literally a couple months later i switched to another employer who was supposed to have the same requirements but never enforced it...they were amazed i actually did it....i still have the binders somewhere...stuff is out of date now but alas.....

but the point is ....and i do have one...while not a university degree and it was wrong to present it as such...it should count as something

[JusticeForAll]

46. Hi dembotoz

They totally do count and you should claim them proudly!

First, you don't want to claim them under a title called Education or Degrees, as those are typically for formalized, accredited accomplishments, like the imbecile in the OP tried to misrepresent himself.

More suitable ways to claim credit for this type of experience and learning is a section called "Professional Training" or "Skills" or "Certifications"

[ancianita]

44. He lied to Iowans, gained office through false representation. He should be impeached. Resign.

And who the hell wants a person without ANY educational credentials, anyway. Really, Iowa?

[47of74]

48. So he went to Scenic Hills Institute of Technology

[KingCharlemagne]

53. On a positive note, he has single-handedly made Iowa the laughingstock

of the nation.