Wikipedia:Articles for deletion/American Open University

The following discussion is an archived debate of the proposed deletion of the article below. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made on the appropriate discussion page (such as the article's talk page or in a deletion review). No further edits should be made to this page.

The result was delete. --Ezeu 18:43, 3 November 2006 (UTC)

[edit] American Open University

Unnotable unaccredited "university." I get 2,300 yahoo hits including wikipedia and spam. Should be redirected to the New York Institute of Technology per the more famous program of the accredited school. According to the NY IT article, "the college launched American Open University of NYIT in November 1984." This Virgina unaccredited "school" has nothing to do with the NY accredited program. Arbusto 20:53, 22 October 2006 (UTC)

• Delete. The only time an unaccredited "college" should get a Wikipedia article is when they're so well-known that the public deserves a warning. --Aaron 22:01, 22 October 2006 (UTC)

• Delete. I agree; this is hardly notable enough to warrant an article. Rayonne 00:51, 23 October 2006 (UTC)

• Strong Keep The university is accredited by some other universities. It is also well-known to the public Muslims in the West. --Islamic 00:19, 23 October 2006 (UTC)

Note: this "university" is recognised by other universities, not accredited by them. Accreditation is a formal process with a specific meaning, and the article clearly states that this "university" is wholly unaccredited.

• Delete as not notable. I hesitated when I read the above, but after looking into it, only two universities have an agreement with AOU; one in Sudan, one in Malaysia. AuburnPilot^Talk 01:45, 23 October 2006 (UTC)
• Weak Delete for now. If the authors can support genuine notability, I could consider a keep. Even though its not accredited, I suppose in the current environment, a school that caters to Muslims could have some notability attached. Montco 02:45, 23 October 2006 (UTC)

• Delete: See my response above about accreditation; few Google hits and no claim to notability within the article all point do deletion. --Nehwyn 18:33, 23 October 2006 (UTC)
• Weak Keep Marginal qualification for an article: more Google hits than the average diploma mill. Has students, faculty, and curriculum, has been around for several years, requires a course of study over several years to get a degree which is claimed to be recognized by 2 foreign universites. Graduates could improve their knowledge of the religion for their own self improvement or for employment in a religious enterprise without accreditation. Edison 20:36, 27 October 2006

(UTC)

Please ensure those claims pass WP:V. Arbusto 08:18, 28 October 2006 (UTC)

• Strong Keep. Extensive news coverage in the Washington Post and other sources concerning this school's ties to Saudi Arabia and funding from the Islamic Assembly of North America [1]. The school's founder was deported in 2004 after being linked to extremism. This is exactly the sort of article where you have to look way beyond "google hits". Obviously needs expansion from someone who knows the subject. --JJay 20:29, 29 October 2006 (UTC)

You bring up a good point. The articles (the three post articles) you cited is in direct contradiction with how the article currently presents itself. Thus, this should be deleted for WP:V issues.

Perhaps if the person named in the articles you mentioned is notable enough for his own wikipedia article, currently he is not, this article could be merged with him. Yet, clearly this minor news event didn't spark enough interest on the people mentioned, and doesn't warrant a separate article on the school. This isnt wikinews. Arbusto 08:44, 1 November 2006 (UTC)

• You seem to misunderstand WP:V. As I stated with my first comment, the article needs expansion from someone who knows the subject. There are clearly a lot of sources available for that expansion. Hence, WP:V can be easily satisfied. Finally, your comment about wikinews is not relevant to this discussion. A school of higher learning that has been newsworthy enough to garner attention from major sources such as the Washington Post more than qualifies for an article here. --JJay 22:13, 2 November 2006 (UTC)

This is a very similiar argument you made at the Wikipedia:Articles for deletion/American Council of Private Colleges and Universities, which you were the only one to vote keep. If anything ever came of these three 2004 mentions it should be included. However, all you have is three sources that MENTION the "school", but don't devote any space to the school itself. Arbusto 04:05, 3 November 2006 (UTC)

• I propose this be deleted and redirected to the New York Institute of Technology per the more famous program of the accredited school.[2] According to the NY IT article, "the college launched American Open University of NYIT in November 1984." This Virgina unaccredited "school" nothing to do with the NY accredited program. Arbusto 04:05, 3 November 2006 (UTC)
• Weak delete followed by redirecting per Arbusto. JJay makes a goog point but the mentions are less than compelling unless more sources can be brought. JoshuaZ 06:25, 3 November 2006 (UTC)
  • Weak Keep JJay's point is somewhat strengthened by Islamic education in the US, accredited or not, being "per se" a very relevant and controversial topic these days. Stammer 06:57, 3 November 2006 (UTC)
• Comment New user as of 24 October 2006. "Relevant and controversial" not a policy for inclusion. Arbusto 07:42, 3 November 2006 (UTC)

The above discussion is preserved as an archive of the debate. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made on the appropriate discussion page (such as the article's talk page or in a deletion review). No further edits should be made to this page.