It is a matter of degree...
When I first heard of the college admissions scandal that had resulted in the arrests of 50 people; including actresses Felicity Huffman and Lori Loughlin, I thought back to a movie I saw in 1970. Mostly because of this image.
That is Ali McGraw and Ryan O'Neal in the 1970 film Love Story. Ryan O'Neal's character was "Oliver Barrett IV" and the sign Barrett Hall is supposedly pointing to a building donated to the university by his great-grandfather. Was it donated to get Oliver's grandfather in to Harvard? Is there a Kushner Hall in Harvard's future?
Making large donations to a school has long been a traditional (and legal) way to influence admissions decisions. When it comes to the elite private universities, the deck is stacked in favor of the well-to-do from the outset. Preference in admissions is given to applicants who are the children or siblings of alumnae. This is something that is not limited to college. At the best private elementary schools the children of graduates move to the front of the line in the consideration of applications for kindergarten. As do the applications of those potential students who have an older sibling who was/is a student at that school.
I have personal knowledge of a situation where the parent of an unqualified applicant to an exclusive Westside private school pledged a donation of $50,000 if the school would admit that student. Ironically, after the student was admitted, the parent reneged on the pledge. In fact, the parent failed to pay the full amount of tuition.
* * *
The specifics of the allegations matter. Lori Loughlin and her husband Mossimo Giannuli are accused of paying bribes that total $500,000 to have their daughters identified as recruits to the crew team at USC. Neither took part in crew before applying to USC.
Their combined net worth is between $90 million and $100 million according to online estimates. Maybe they felt they couldn't give enough to the university to influence an admissions decision, so they decided to opt for this way of getting their daughters in.
Felicity Huffman is accused of paying $15,000 to arrange cheating on her eldest daughter's college entrance exam. A cooperating witness claims in the indictment that they proctored that daughter's SAT exam and corrected her answers afterward. Her score on that exam was 400 points higher than on a practice exam she took herself one year earlier.
Rod Lurie is a former film critic turned movie director/producer. I am a big fan of his work. He tweeted this:
I wholeheartedly agree with this sentiment. But the question is, what kind of punishment should Ms Huffman and Ms Loughlin get? Since they allegedly took tax deductions for the expenses mentioned above, tax fraud comes into play. Add bribery and this isn't just a misdemeanor. The fact that the alleged crimes were committed solely to benefit their children isn't a mitigating factor in my view.
How will justice be served in this case? Stay tuned.
Making large donations to a school has long been a traditional (and legal) way to influence admissions decisions. When it comes to the elite private universities, the deck is stacked in favor of the well-to-do from the outset. Preference in admissions is given to applicants who are the children or siblings of alumnae. This is something that is not limited to college. At the best private elementary schools the children of graduates move to the front of the line in the consideration of applications for kindergarten. As do the applications of those potential students who have an older sibling who was/is a student at that school.
I have personal knowledge of a situation where the parent of an unqualified applicant to an exclusive Westside private school pledged a donation of $50,000 if the school would admit that student. Ironically, after the student was admitted, the parent reneged on the pledge. In fact, the parent failed to pay the full amount of tuition.
* * *
The specifics of the allegations matter. Lori Loughlin and her husband Mossimo Giannuli are accused of paying bribes that total $500,000 to have their daughters identified as recruits to the crew team at USC. Neither took part in crew before applying to USC.
Their combined net worth is between $90 million and $100 million according to online estimates. Maybe they felt they couldn't give enough to the university to influence an admissions decision, so they decided to opt for this way of getting their daughters in.
Felicity Huffman is accused of paying $15,000 to arrange cheating on her eldest daughter's college entrance exam. A cooperating witness claims in the indictment that they proctored that daughter's SAT exam and corrected her answers afterward. Her score on that exam was 400 points higher than on a practice exam she took herself one year earlier.
Rod Lurie is a former film critic turned movie director/producer. I am a big fan of his work. He tweeted this:
I only hope that #PaulManafort does more time than #FelicityHuffman— Rod Lurie (@RodLurie) March 13, 2019
I wholeheartedly agree with this sentiment. But the question is, what kind of punishment should Ms Huffman and Ms Loughlin get? Since they allegedly took tax deductions for the expenses mentioned above, tax fraud comes into play. Add bribery and this isn't just a misdemeanor. The fact that the alleged crimes were committed solely to benefit their children isn't a mitigating factor in my view.
How will justice be served in this case? Stay tuned.
posted by me at 4:30 AM
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