Universities vie for scandals related to corruption and fraud

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March 13 at 20h19

The universities of Georgetown, Stanford, Yale and other universities ran Wednesday to contain damage caused by outrageous allegations that sports coaches have accepted bribes as part of a larger program to allow unskilled children from wealthy families to enter prestigious schools.

Parents and students were outraged to see that the scheme showed that those who respect the rules lose valuable places in elite universities to benefit unscrupulous families with money and money. ;influence.

In response, Georgetown revealed that she had tightened the verification of athlete credentials after the university late 2017 discovered "irregularities" in the tennis coach's recruitment practices. Gordon Ernst. The coach, who left the university last year, was among dozens of people accused of crimes in the conspiracy confession in the revealed and corrupt colleges revealed Tuesday by federal prosecutors in Boston.

The authorities stated that the conspirators had fabricated test results and transferred payments to the coaches who designated the favored candidates as recruits, giving them priority in admissions. The schools involved indicated that they were reviewing the files of current students and graduates likely to be associated with the program, even though law enforcement officials have not charged any students with the program. crimes. The University of Southern California, one of the schools at the epicenter of the scandal, said it would make "informed and appropriate decisions" once its exams are over.

[FBI accuses wealthy parents in college-entrance bribery scheme]

The scandal has exposed glaring weaknesses in a trust – based system, persistent – and long – standing – doubts about the fairness of admissions and a renewed debate about the continuing power of wealth. influence the most prestigious universities. In many leading schools, the rich are significantly outnumbered the poor.

Liana Keesing, 18, a high school student in science and technology Thomas Jefferson in Fairfax County, Va., Said she and her classmates at the university were angry. Keesing intends to attend Stanford in the fall and join the fencing team. She added that the detailed corruption in court documents, including the tampered photographs of so-called student-athletes sent into portfolios of admission, was an insult to the hard work of honest students around the world, including real student-athletes like her.

"It's a level of absurd absurdity," said Keesing. "It is disappointing to discover that this happens to such an extent."

College admissions have been under scrutiny over the past year, including a federal lawsuit accusing Harvard of bias against Americans of Asian descent . This lawsuit, which was the subject of a lawsuit in the fall, marks the last chapter of a decades-old debate on affirmative action. The Harvard case has updated a wealth of information on the role of race in admissions decisions, but also on the added benefit accorded to recruited athletes and children. 39, alumni.

On Wednesday, color students said that they felt justified. Students often stated that they were forced to deal with the suspicions of their classmates that their skin color, not their academic performance, had taken them to college. But the scandal has strongly suggested that those who had won unfairly slot machines are rich, mostly white and without academic qualifications.

A tweet toured the first generation and low income student community of Princeton University: "Wow, it turns out that money was the real positive action of all time ! "

The Trump administration is attached to the conviction. "Every student deserves to be considered for his individual merit when he is applying to college and it is outrageous to see someone breaking the law to give his children an edge over others," said the secretary. to Education, Betsy DeVos. "The ministry is looking closely at this issue and is trying to determine if any of our regulations have been broken."

On Wednesday, actress Lori Loughlin – one of the parents accused of paying bribes to help kids enter college – appeared in court in Los Angeles. A judge ruled that she could be released after filing a deposit of one million dollars. In Austin, the University of Texas said he fired his tennis coach, Michael Center, who had been charged.

Douglas L. Wilson Sr., 49, a government employee and father of 10 who lives in southeastern Washington, said he and his wife never went to college. Seven of their children are in college or have graduated. The three youngest have not yet completed high school. He added that his children had studied extensively, earned scholarships, borrowed money to pay for their tuition – never taking shortcuts. Paying a coach or paying for a false SAT or ACT score would have been inconceivable, he said.

"It's sad, but I'm not shocked," Wilson said. "I do not know why someone is shocked. That's how the world works.

In the world of admissions, a consensus emerged that the scandal was a huge challenge as it undermined the confidence of students and their families.

"Trust is of paramount importance," said Jenny Rickard, president and chief executive officer of Common Application, an online admission portal aimed at more than 800 colleges, which draws more than one million applicants a year. "Schools want to trust students, boards, teachers and others who help students apply. And students and others must be able to trust the institution to be considered fairly and equitably. "

[From ‘master coach’ to a bribery probe: A college consultant who went off the rails]

William "Rick" Singer, of Newport Beach, Calif., The brain of the fraud and corruption ploy that pleaded guilty to racketeering and other charges, was able to identify and exploit what he called a "side door" in colleges more candidates than they admit. This door was guarded by allegedly corruptible cars that exert a great influence on the admission slots. Among the defendants in this case: a former women's volleyball coach at Wake Forest University, a former women's football coach at Yale, a former men's football coach at the University of California at Los Angeles and a former coach water polo at USC. Many parents have also been charged.

"To some extent, the system has been hacked," said Jim Jump, former president of the National Association of University Admissions Council, which writes about the ethics of the "university". college admission for Inside Higher Education. "The people involved have found a vulnerability. This vulnerability is the way sports admissions are made. "

Essentially, admissions officers take on trainers when a rookie is recommended. Georgetown changed course in November. The university is now asking senior coaches to provide a written description of a recruited athlete – for example, an athlete's resume or other documentation of their achievements – before the admissions office issues a letter stating to students that they are admitted or likely to be.

Georgetown also announced its intention to regularly check sports programs to determine which sports rookies would not participate in the teams after registration. Stanford said he fired a sailing coach, John Vandemoer, who had accepted financial contributions to recommend two candidates. One was denied admission, Stanford said, and the other never completed his application.

Another long-standing vulnerability is the safety of admission tests. The scandal showed that some parents were willing to pay tens of thousands of dollars to help their children cheat with ACT or SAT. According to Singer's program, students would get a diagnosis of learning disability and special accommodations for testing. Then, a substitute or supervisor on a "controlled" Singer site through bribes would manipulate the test to get the right result.

The authorities named Mark Riddell, college entrance examination counselor, as Singer's deceptive accomplice and charged him with the case. On Wednesday, Riddell apologized through the intermediary of a lawyer and said that he assumed "full responsibility" for his actions.

[Who was acing tests for rich kids in the admissions scam? A pro tennis player and ‘really smart guy,’ feds say.]

The College Board, which owns the SAT, said the charges against Singer and other people were clearly "a message that those who facilitate SAT fraud – regardless of their income or status – will be held responsible ".

But affluent families routinely get a benefit from testing without breaking the law. They pay thousands of dollars not to cheat, but to hire tutors for test preparation, one of the many ways in which wealth promotes admission. Another benefit: the special consideration given to children of alumni and donors.

"In the end, I think the goal of a racially and socio-economically diverse student body is critical to the mission of higher education," said John B. King. Jr., secretary of education of the Obama administration. "So, what is the purpose of inherited preferences or donor preferences?"

Jim McCorkell, founder of the possible nonprofit college in St. Paul, Minnesota, which helps underprivileged students, is hoping for a fresh look at these issues. "This scandal is at the very heart of the American promise: that if you work hard and stick to the rules, you can go ahead," McCorkell said. Too often, he said, the privileged few "sneak past the line and take their place".