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FOIA Request to Kansas Board of Regents Regarding Colleges Financial Aid Fraud on May 7, 2025.
As part of our ongoing commitment to providing comprehensive and accurate news coverage on local governmental affairs, Sunflower State News has submitted a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request to the Kansas Board of Regents. This request seeks detailed records related to financial aid fraud within colleges under the jurisdiction of the board.
The request specifically asks for data points that include the college name, applicant name, fraud amount, and the date of each fraud incident. This inquiry is driven by reports from California community colleges facing escalating financial aid fraud issues, where bots reportedly comprise 25% of applicants. These scammers, often referred to as "Pell runners," exploit artificial intelligence to secure grants and disappear, costing educational institutions over $5 million since 2021.
Our goal is to determine whether similar fraudulent activities are occurring within Kansas colleges and how they are being tracked by the Kansas Board of Regents. Access to this information is crucial for holding public institutions accountable and ensuring transparency in higher education funding processes.
As members of The Coalition Opposing Governmental Secrecy, a non-profit organization dedicated to investigating state and federal governmental agencies, we leverage Freedom of Information and Sunshine Laws to shed light on government actions. This effort helps inform the American electorate by pulling back the curtain on potentially opaque practices.
We have requested these records in electronic format and have applied for a fee waiver based on our role as media professionals engaged in gathering and reporting news for public benefit. We believe that access to such public records is essential for fulfilling our professional responsibilities.
For more information about our efforts and mission, please visit The Coalition Opposing Governmental Secrecy's website at [stopsecrecy.org/about](https://stopsecrecy.org/about/).
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