The Scam of Richmond Gabriel University - Greatest Trick The Devil Ever Pulled? - PART 2

If you've ever been betrayed by someone you really cared for, it doesn't just change your perception of them. It changes your perception of yourself as well. One of the things we tend to do is wonder if the person ever really loved us. A small part of us clings to the idea that at some point, the love we shared with the other person was real, because it was the only source of comfort we had in that abyss of darkness and turmoil. And if that were true, then it must mean that they must still care to some degree, and we aren't total pieces of garbage, unworthy of basic love and respect.

I guess in this case, I was doing the same thing. Sometimes I sat and wondered and pondered. Did our futures even matter to RGU at any point? Did they even care what had happened to us? Slowly and torturously, the realization kicked in. Of course they didn’t. They never did. It was always about the money. While they slept comfortably in their beds at night, filled up their gas tanks, paid their bills, and took care of their families with our tuition money, we were awake at night, haunted with thoughts of giving up, wondering where our next meal was going to come from, wondering if we would ever graduate, wondering if we would ever see our families again, wondering if we would ever become anything more than what we are now - broken medical students.

This darkness that was Richmond Gabriel University, stood in our way brazenly, waiting to consume what little hope we had left. I could see it. This darkness that was Richmond Gabriel University. A monster in disguise. An institution with a personality as bright as the light of an angler fish, dangling in the blackness of its corruption, giving off warmth and reassurance. Enticing. Irresistible. Mesmerizing. A safe haven for all intents and purposes. We were hypnotized by that light which blinded us to the horror lurking just behind it. Evil disguised as benevolence. Malignant narcissism disguised as competence.

How could we not see it? We literally gave Richmond Gabriel University the blueprints to screw us over, but isn't that how “trust” works? We reached out our hands in faith, willing to accept the best parts of RGU. This trust did not come from a naive place, rather, it came from a part of us that was just cynical enough to accept that if we did this, there was the possibility that it would end badly. We, the students, gave them everything that we had, and they lied to us. Again and again and again…and again. We, the students, were nothing but puppets living in the false reality that Richmond Gabriel University had created for us. We, the students, were trapped in a prison that we could neither see, nor smell, nor taste, nor touch. How do you escape from something like that?

We were tired of it all. The lies. The future-faking. The gaslighting. The threats. We thought that we could live with it. We kept telling ourselves that it wasn’t as bad as it seemed, but that was just us gaslighting ourselves, downplaying the shady behavior time and time again because we wanted the fantasy. We wanted to feel like we were accomplishing something great, like we were becoming the physicians we were truly meant to be. We wanted our efforts to have counted for something, so we kept playing into the lies. You know, as long as we're all here, why don't I tell you some of them:

We were told that the college campuses were owned by RGU. That was a lie. The campuses were actually owned by the Vincentian Government.

We were told that the institution was fully accredited. That was a lie. The prestigious Accreditation Council of Colleges of Medicine (ACCM) as well as The Caribbean Accreditation Authority for Education in Medicine and Other Health Professions (CAAM-HP) never listed RGU as being accredited nor as being considered or assessed for future accreditation.

RGU then revised their initial claim stating that they were engaged in discussions with the accreditation board to acquire accreditation by September 2023. That was a lie. We were then told that the school would have accreditation by May 2024. That was also a lie.

The Dean of Student Affairs informed us that we were not allowed to leave the island of St. Vincent, even though our classes were online at the time, because to achieve “accreditation status” the students must be on campus for face-to-face teaching. That was a lie. CAAM-HP had released a memo confirming that the aforementioned conditions for accreditation status were in fact false and that they had never made any such claims. Just for the record, when I attempted to plead with the dean to allow me to fly back home to Trinidad, she threatened to deregister me from the semester if I left the island. So, I was forced to remain in St. Vincent, wasting money and resources in order to live and attend online classes.

Dr. Paulpillai and the rest of the board informed the student body that they were temporarily closing the Arnos Vale campus for renovations, due to the presence of numerous “health and safety hazards”. That was a lie. The campus instead was used to facilitate the students of Union Island Secondary School, at the direction of the Vincentian government (this was due to the fact that Union Island was ravaged by hurricane Beryl in 2024 and the students needed temporary school facilities while the damages to their homes and schools were being repaired).

We were then informed that all classes and operations would be moving to the Belair campus instead. That was a lie. As mentioned in the previous post, we arrived at the campus to find it completely empty.

We were informed by the administration that the Belair campus was also under renovation. That was a lie. I visited the campus numerous times and saw no renovations being carried out. I later found out that the campus was actually repossessed by the Vincentian government because RGU was in financial arrears and could not afford to operate both campuses.

I personally asked the administration if the school was experiencing financial difficulties and if there was anything I could do to help. Why wouldn’t I? I felt like I was part of a family and I could not sit by and watch my school go up in flames. They denied any such claims and said that the institution was in fact prospering, and operations were expanding. That was a lie. Professors and other staff members of RGU revealed that they were not being paid and that they were owed monies by the institution, which explained why they weren’t teaching their classes (and I don’t blame them, because I wouldn’t be working for free under those conditions either). Also, the fact that every class had six students or less, was more of a barking cat than anything else. The “prospering” they were referring to, was probably happening in a parallel universe, because I sure as shit was not seeing it.

Dr. Paulplillai and the school board announced the opening of a new campus on the island of Curaçao in 2024, and we were told that it was part of the expansion operation. Funnily enough, they never shared any information regarding the exact location of the school, nor did they share any photos of the campus with the student body or on the school’s website. We never knew what the outside or inside of the campus looked like. We were just told that we had to relocate. I have reasons to believe that this too was a lie but I have yet to confirm.

So, what now?

Now, the curtains have been closed. Eyes have been opened. People are finally seeing what I have been trying to show them for months. Richmond Gabriel University is now no more. It was after all, inevitable. Funny thing is, even though we saw it coming, there was no way we could prepare for it. It still hit us hard. And it hurt. So much. It was a pain beyond measure, and we have yet to see where that pain would take us. Yes, it was a relief in some ways, but in the aftermath, the most pressing question still remained. Terrifying to ask yes, but it must be asked.

What does it mean for us students? Where do we go from here? Who would take us in knowing where we had come from?

I wish I had the answer to those questions, I really do, but unfortunately there was still the matter of what was going to happen with regards to our transcripts. RGU’s final mission was to try squeezing every last dime out of our empty pockets, like a predator gnawing a carcass clean. They held our transcripts ransom, demanding that we pay back our scholarship fees as per the contract that we signed when we enrolled. The contract that we signed under duress. While we bartered our life savings in exchange for educational breadcrumbs, sacrificed our wellbeing for want of a better life, they broke every policy, every rule, every promise, all while having their foot on our necks, so to speak. Now, we are being forced to honor a contract that was drawn up on a faulty premise. The audacity of Richmond Gabriel University was truly astounding.

Here’s the thing. I know that I may never be able to get them to answer for what they had done to us. I know that there is a chance that me speaking out won’t make a difference. I know that when this is over, they would vanish faster than a thief in the night. But, in my experience, I have never seen anybody get away with anything. Ever. I will continue to fight. Not just for me, but for all the medical students that are being taken advantage of. I will tell the world what Richmond Gabriel University did here, and the world would stand in judgement.

Just recently, I was in a meeting where I was threatened and told by Dr. Chunilall that action would be taken against me if I ever posted any of our correspondence on social media (this isn't the first time I have been threatened for speaking out) For those of you who know me, know that I don't follow stupid rules. I will bring the darkness that was Richmond Gabriel University, into the light, no matter the consequences.

Oh, and one more thing…

I will become a doctor one day. Nothing has changed in that regard.

Your thoughts?