Chapter 6 - The Dean’s Office
The heavy oak doors of Ellison University’s administration building stood open, but the atmosphere inside was as cold and clinical as a surgical ward.
I sat across from Dean Sterling, a sharp-eyed woman with silver hair pulled back into an immaculate bun, who was currently reviewing the certified copies of the federal audit disclosure package I had handed over just twenty minutes earlier. The morning sunlight streamed through the tall stained-glass windows, illuminating the dust motes dancing in the quiet room.
“Miss Ellison,” Dean Sterling said, breaking the silence as she laid the papers down on her mahogany desk. Her expression was a mix of profound shock and professional gravity. “The university takes matters of academic integrity and financial compliance extremely seriously. However, the documentation you’ve provided detailing identity theft, fraudulent student loan disbursement under your Social Security number, and forged enrollment deferrals goes far beyond campus jurisdiction.”
“I know it does, Dean Sterling,” I replied, keeping my voice steady and level. “That’s why copies are currently sitting on the desks of the state prosecutor and the federal district trustee. My brother was registered as a full-time student here using funds systematically embezzled from my late grandmother’s educational trust, while I was forced to work three jobs to pay my own way.”
The dean leaned back in her leather chair, her fingers steepled as she regarded me with a new, piercing level of respect. “The registrar’s office has already flagged the fraudulent deferral form your family tried to force you to sign yesterday. Furthermore, our internal audit shows that Brandon’s housing subsidies and athletic grants were tied directly to co-signed documents bearing discrepancies we are now legally obligated to investigate.”
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She picked up a pristine, unblemished university catalog from the corner of her desk and slid it across the surface toward me.
“Your fall semester enrollment is fully secured, Ava,” Dean Sterling said softly. “And your scholarship status has been restored to full-ride coverage, retroactive to your freshman year. Whatever financial liability your family incurred under your name is being frozen pending federal review.”
