I realize that's not uncommon, but I used to hate it so much I developed a slight sense of euphoria whenever I saw my authority figures get into trouble themselves.

Things like watching my grandparents scold my parents, or seeing my teachers get into trouble with the administration never failed to make me smile.,”I have a confession to make: when I was a kid I used to hate getting time-outs.

I realize that's not uncommon, but I used to hate it so much I developed a slight sense of euphoria whenever I saw my authority figures get into trouble themselves.

Things like watching my grandparents scold my parents, or seeing my teachers get into trouble with the administration never failed to make me smile.

It just made me happy to witness my authority figures being forced to acknowledge that they are not omnipotent.

Some things change (for example, I no longer get time-outs,) but on the other hand some things will never change.

That is probably why I got a slight sense of glee when I found out that Marquette University was subpoenaed by the New York attorney general for an ongoing national investigation into unlawful student loans that involve kickbacks.

New York State Attorney General Andrew Cuomo subpoenaed Marquette, along with 39 other universities across the country, for an investigation with their affiliation with Student Financial Services, Inc., which has been doing business under the name University Financial Services.

A previous investigation showed that UFS entered into a revenue sharing agreement with Dowling College, Long Island, N.Y., in which UFS agreed to pay Dowling College a $75 kickback for every loan application that was directed to them from the school's athletic department.

The current student loan probe is investigating whether similar revenue sharing is occurring between UFS and their other clients, including Marquette.

More specifically, the attorney general's office is investigating whether the athletic departments evaluated UFS interest rates before recommending their federal loans or whether the endorsement was based solely off payments from UFS.

"Students trust their university's athletic departments because so much of campus life at Division I schools centers around supporting the home team," Cuomo said in a press release.

"To betray this trust by promoting loans for money in exchange for money is a serious issue.today's action is an important is an important new step as we continue to examine unethical conflicts that pervade the student loan industry," Cuomo said.

Marquette's affiliation with UFS comes through our contract with Nelligan Sports Marketing, Inc., according to Deputy Athletic Director Mike Broeker.

"We have a contract with Nelligan Sports to secure and negotiate advertising agreements for the department, and a year ago Nelligan Sports entered into a minimal advertising agreement with Student Financial Services," Broeker said.

Nelligan Sports has represented Marquette for more than three years, and in October 2006 entered into a sponsorship agreement with UFS.

According to President and Chief Operating Officer of Nelligan Sports Marketing, Tim Hofferth, UFS does not originate student loans and instead offers federal loan consolidation of existing loans to graduates.

Also, before entering into a contract with Marquette, UFS consulted with the U.S. Department of Education and was advised the agreement was in accord with the Higher Education Act. To date, the investigation is pending and no charges have been filed against Marquette.

According to Broeker, the Marquette Athletic Department is fully cooperating with the investigation.

Whether the investigation shows foul play on the part of UFS and Marquette remains to be seen.

Nonetheless, this shows the student loan industry may be more corrupt than any of us ever thought.

This investigation by the New York attorney general's office has already resulted in agreements with 12 other student loan companies and resulted in $13.7 million being given to a national education fund by the companies.

Due to the ongoing investigation, Cuomo's office has not commented as to whether the other student loan companies, including large lenders such as Citibank and Wells Fargo, were in fact fined the $13.7 million due to illegal operations or if the money was simply a part of the agreement reached.

However, it seems unrealistic to me that after being investigated by Cuomo for revenue sharing the companies would donate money to a national education fund, which was established by Cuomo, purely out of a generous spirit.

It's far more likely several of the biggest loan providers in the country were in violation of legal parameters for giving student loans and were fined a combined $13.7 million as a result. For now we just have to wait and see what develops out of the investigation.

And, if you're anything like me, smile at the thought of Marquette officials getting an equivalent time-out from the government.

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