Randolph College for the Performing Arts ordered to cease operations

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Randolph College for the Performing Arts, a postsecondary theatre school that lost its accreditation in February, has been issued a restraining order by the provincial government requiring the school to cease operations as a career college.

Last week, the school told The Globe and Mail that it had filed an application with the Ministry of Colleges, Universities, Research Excellence and Security to reinstate its status as a college. But on Aug. 31, the ministry issued its restraining order against Randolph for contravening the Ontario Career Colleges Act. A notice on the ministry’s website said the school can no longer advertise itself as a career college, offer vocational programs or charge fees for such programming.

Randolph, which until February had 86 students enrolled, operated as an unregistered career college after its accreditation expired on Feb. 1, according to the restraining order. When asked why the school’s accreditation had lapsed, founder George Randolph told The Globe it had switched auditing companies, “which took longer than anticipated.” (Randolph, who in 2017 formally resigned from the school after an independent investigator found that he had engaged in “unwelcome comments and physical gestures,” has served as vice-chair of the school’s board since 2019.)

The ministry said in its restraining order that the college offered and advertised unapproved vocational programs between Feb. 1 and Aug. 28, and collected tuition fees from students enrolled in the unapproved courses.

Randolph’s tuition was $13,710 per academic year for a program that condensed three academic years into two calendar years of study, for a total program cost of $41,130 per student.

Failure to comply with the actions of the restraining order could result in fines of up to $250,000.

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In an e-mailed statement to The Globe on Sept. 1, Randolph, the founder, said the college is reviewing the matters raised by the ministry with legal counsel. He declined to answer specific questions about the college’s finances and personnel, citing the “ongoing regulatory process.”

Former students affected by the closing of the school have been provided two options by the ministry: They can either work with the province to find a new program to finish their studies, or they can receive a partial refund for fees paid to Randolph.

In e-mails sent to faculty and students on Aug. 31, Randolph’s board said the school would begin winding down the remaining administrative, student, employment and regulatory obligations for its diploma program.

Randolph Kids, a popular program for students aged three to 17 that included dance, acting and singing classes, has also closed. However, the children’s program will resume operations this fall under the umbrella of the Canadian Centre for Arts Education and Innovation, a new not-for-profit business incorporated in April.

On Tuesday evening, O’neil Edwards, listed on Randolph’s website as its executive director until Aug. 20, told parents at an informational Zoom meeting that the new centre’s programming will continue in the former Randolph space at 730 Bathurst Street.

In a June 12 e-mail to a parent of a Randolph College student, viewed by The Globe, ministry investigator Eric Joly said the college had not been allowed to charge or collect fees since its registration had expired on Feb. 1.

However, e-mails and bank records shared with The Globe this week show that in March, the school solicited and accepted thousands of dollars in tuition payments from students for college courses that had not yet been taught. In an Aug. 26 e-mailed statement to The Globe, the school’s founder said tuition received after Feb. 1 was related to instruction that had already been provided prior to the college’s loss of accreditation.

Lily Burden, who was scheduled to start her fourth term of Randolph instruction this fall, said her experience at the college was “wonderful” until February’s accreditation issue came to light. “The workload was a lot, but it was amazing,” she said. “I know I got at least some of an amazing education.”

Lily’s parents, Steve and Sarah Burden, who paid for their daughter’s tuition, similarly praised the program – especially for its industry connections. (Randolph alumni include Saturday Night Live cast member Veronika Slowikowska as well as actors Matt Raffy, Amaka Umeh and Paul Nolan.)

But the Burden family became concerned when the June 12 e-mail from Joly informed them they shouldn’t be paying tuition to the school. A Feb. 26 e-mail to the Burdens from Randolph’s finance administrator said it was “perfectly fine” to proceed with payment for Lily’s second year.

“That was the first notification we got from any government ministry,” Steve said about the June e-mail. Students had been informed by the school of the accreditation issue in February, Lily said, and were told that as a result, the school would pivot its course offerings to nongraded workshops.

“It’s a huge loss,” Sarah said, pointing out that between Randolph’s two unaccredited terms and its cancelled fall term, her daughter has lost a full calendar year of education. “She should be graduating next year. Now we don’t know when she’ll graduate.”