NORWALK : College Official Fired for Alleged Conflict of Interest
Cerritos College trustees have fired an administrator who was accused of requiring foreign students to send their transcripts to an evaluation firm that he owned.
The Board of Trustees voted 4 to 2 Wednesday to dismiss Viet Be, vice president of student services, after an extensive conflict-of-interest investigation. Trustee Dorothy Carfrae, Be’s fiancee, abstained.
Be was placed on paid leave Oct. 9 after it was revealed that he owned International Service Center, a Woodland Hills company that charged foreign students as much as $120 for transcript reviews. Be also authorized the college’s purchase of two computers from International without disclosing his stake in the company, board members said.
Though Be did not refute the claims, he criticized administrators of the Norwalk college for openly discussing his case. “You wanted to take away my dignity by spreading rumors and speaking publicly about me,” he told the board.
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