The old expression "if you can't do the time don't do the crime"
How many inner city kids have had their lives altered for petty crimes? Now we have people who have made it in life. Achieve the good life. No one claims they did not earn it. But that was not good enough. So your kid doesn't go to a School you can brag about. They want you to believe it was for their kids, Not so. Gives them Something to Strut at the next cocktail party. No Sympathy here for Loughlin & Co.
5
LOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOL
What is the point of this article? Are we supposed to PITY them? "I'm sorry that your devious, illegal, self-serving, rule-breaking criminal habits have landed you in trouble with the law....NOT."
Your chickens have come home to roost. Enjoy.
The question in my mind is whether these parents can actually learn how to behave ethically and fairly at this stage in their lives. Entitlement is hard to let go of. I hope they tell us whether shame can be curative or whether it will just harden them.
1
Since when it is a crime to cheat on a test? Would you people be so angry if Olivia Jade had cheated on an exam down at the local community college? Would that warrant prison?
Martha Stewart did time and look how it "punished" her - NOT!
1
This is not a victimless crime. The victims are the kids, honest ones, who were denied entry because of self serving entitled people.
6
“There does seem to be a certain assumption that these people are guilty just based upon the accusation — and that’s not true, and that’s not fair,” said David Schumacher...”
“Ms. Loughlin has lost professional opportunities: The Hallmark Channel, where she has major roles on a show and a television movie series, has said that it will stop development of shows featuring her...”
“Prosecutors have accused Gregory Colburn, a radiation oncologist in Palo Alto, Calif., and his wife, Amy, of conspiring with Mr. Singer to cheat on their son’s SAT exam...”
“Gordon Caplan, a co-chairman of the law firm Willkie Farr & Gallagheris accused of conspiring to cheat on his daughter’s ACT exam...”
“William McGlashan, a major Silicon Valley investor who is charged with conspiring to cheat on his son’s ACT exam...”
“Some parents are likely to plead guilty in the coming weeks. One, Peter Jan Sartorio, of Menlo Park, Calif., said in a filing on Wednesday that he intended to plead guilty. He is accused of paying Mr. Singer $15,000 to facilitate cheating on his daughter’s ACT exam.”
Well there’s one (sort of) honest man in Mr. Sartorio.
By way of background, my wife and I graduated from state universities in California and Wisconsin. Call me old fashioned and naive, but we were admitted and graduated based on qualifications and hard work. Our sons were admitted and graduated the same way.
6
Welcome to the Kafka world of our criminal justice system- ankle bracelets anyone? reporting to pre trial officers ? Termination from your employment! Other financial and reputation repercussions! Your advantage, of course, is that you are white, wealthy and, in all likelihood, will escape prison time and be able to “negotiate” a plea because you have financial staying power and high priced attorneys, unlike the rest of America. You can always tell your precious son or daughter, you lied, bribed and cheated because of your undying love and affection for him or her- only wanted the best for you, little one!
3
and still no mug shots..talk about privilege
3
Is this silly article supposed to invoke empathy for these pathetic parents?
Come on.
The entire Country is on the verge of collapse in trust for our institutions. The man in the Oval Office may not have technically broken the law he can be charged with but we know what happened wasn’t following the moral values this Country was built upon.
There are not different rules for the rich vs the rest of us.
Time for some justice.
3
Fame is a two-edged Sword. Hope your " Vanity College " Scam was worth it. I actually feel sorry for their Children, imagine knowing that your Parent(s) think you must cheat, and are obviously a " loser ".
Sad.
1
I just don’t get all this. I’m sure everyone that was involved in this, knows they did wrong, but do we have too dwell on this? It’s totally ridiculous, when you got people out their killing people or you got all this drug dealers out their. You would think someone or several people got killed they way they are treating this situation. How many of you out their can say you not don’t anything wrong? If you say you haven’t, then you’re lying..everyone has committed sin at one time in their life’s. Stop treating this people like they done the worse. Check your life out first!
The government, if it truly believes in democracy (which it clearly does not-just look to find any effort toward campaign finance reform-Congressional politicians are millionaires by virtue of their positions, if they weren't before they came to the position-everyone knows it's fixed), it would provide cost-free, high-quality degrees. I'm not talking about paying for college. I'm talking about a syllabus, put out each semester, and a test that will be graded by persons similar to high-quality colleges (grad students in area of study) for a reasonable test-scoring cost. If you pass, and eventually get enough credits (perhaps within a maximum period of years), you get a degree. Such students would probably be more qualified (or at least self reliant), and more prone to pushing the envelope, than students who needed a teacher to explain. How much do you think that would cost-a few million a year? Democracy won't survive without an educated electorate, and let me tell you a fact...it's dying.
"in some ways their punishments have already started."
As much as I deplore the actions of those involved if they indeed occurred and are found guilty, most of the "punishment" being meted out is "posterior protection".
Punish the guilty; the presumed guilty or charged are still "innocent".
1
Shame, humiliation and bankruptcy. That's a good start.
Instead of the 'big house' for white collar crime, how about house arrest in the inner city? These people and all their
media allure are garbage in my not so humble opinion. They
have all committed unconscionable crimes. Their lives deserve
a moral reckoning.
1
Lori's daughters are upset at their parents, so read another publication. I'm glad I don't have any kids.
1
And Loughlin's husband, Mossimo Giannulli, is always screaming about how "people don't carry their own weight." Amazing. Oh well, maybe his good buddy Trump will pardon him. I mean, why should he serve time in jail when he's so busy carrying his own weight and being an upright citizen? Talk about parasites.
5
They cheated. They got caught. Do you remember when you were little, did something you knew was wrong and got caught? Yeah, sure you do. We all have those memories. So now these parents, and their unfortunate progeny, get to face the consequences and take their medicine.
There should be no hand-wringing here. No whining, or attempts at subverting the truth of the situation with obfuscations and the like. They got caught. Now comes the spanking. Period. Life goes on....
John~
American Net'Zen
2
I feel really sorry for the guy who is going to miss his Mexico spring break vacation........NO!
3
Only people who enjoy Bronco chases to the Mexican border are thrilled by these celebrities now.
If they paid for cheating they should be hung out to dry, but if it was a question of a quid pro quo, it is the acceptable way of life most expect from some among the so called rich and famous
Aww, poopsie woopsies. Here's a hankie. There, there.
The couple asking the court to travel to Mexico for a vacation because it was planned for months... They are still in La La land.
2
Thank goodness a second photo of Felicity Huffman in the past two weeks that actually Looks like Felicity Huffman. When this scandal broke the woman standing next to her husband in photos didn't even resemble the actress we know. Face lift? Seemed like it or was it a stand in for her? Now she looks like her 'old' self. Can you un do a face lift these days. I don't think so. Just curious. I frankly don't blame her or any of those accused. Pardon them and let them go back home and live their lives. If they have and can use money to 'help' their children move ahead in life then so be it. The Supreme Court said it was ok for corporations to give as much money as they want to political candidates. Is this worse than that? All companies exist to make money and if they gouge prices like drug companies and gas and oil producers and it's all ok why in the heck is it not ok for these parents to pay someone to take SAT tests or get the kid on a phony sports scholarship? Who cares. Go media crazy in Washington and New York and Chicago Dallas Houston and LA with corporations doing far more damage than these rich folks. Leave them alone.
It is sad when the NYT, which presumes to be objective, prints articles the discourse of which is biased towards a particular opinion in the news section (and not as an opinion letter or editorial). The paragraph that starts with "Ms. Loughlin has lost professional...." is a case in point. The fact that information is presented in the order LOSS - CAUSE for LOSS is a clear discourse strategy to elicit sympathy for the person experiencing the loss. Sorry, NYT, not from this Georgetown graduate and university professor: some of us worked hard to get admitted, had a job while enrolled to pay tuition, and feel no compassion whatsoever for either the parents or students who cheated. Many are saying the students are blameless but that can hardly be the case: the students were aware that their grades did not get them admitted, and presumably are smart enough to figure out that something else did.
1
These people messed up big time. Other than the tax related crimes which may require a stricter disposition, they should be allowed to apologize, pay a fine and the kids quit the colleges they were admitted to. People make huge mistakes in life but not everything requires prison time. In civilized society often the shame in getting caught is punishment enough.
10
So typical, now it's all about forgiveness and breaking out our crucifixes so we can show the judge that we are good Christians.
This is so typical of the Hollywood elite, I say make an example of them, show the American people that they can't get away with this and that they will be held accountable regardless of their money or their status.
They hold themselves up his pillars of society, mothers to be emulated when they are some of the worst liars, thieves and cheats our society has to offer.
No fines, no community service, prison, or nothing.
1
Hollywood lieing, Weinstein’s lurid abuses, cheating celebrities, Jussie Smollett, limousine liberals, and their associated children — hmmmmmmm, yes, let’s just feel sorry for them, and let them carry on as usual. Nothing here folks, let’s just move on. Wrong. And because it is all wrong, unfortunately Trump will be re-elected.
what purpose does an article like this serve? sympathy for rich who think the rules dont apply to them? why not write about the students who didn’t skirt the rules? the parents who helped their children without buying their success? this was a disappointing read.
3
I'd like to know what's happened to Loughlin's daughter at USC; the one who said she was only there to party. Hopefully, another piece will provide this piece of information.
1
The real scandal is schools like Stanford that give preferential admissions to hundreds of athletes so Stanford can win more national titles than any other school. Then Stanford coaches and administrators lie to the public and their athletes that this doesn’t occur.
2
Boo hoo, he says, I can't go on my Mexican vacation. I'll have to settle for 1 of 2 massive vacation homes, bought with who knows how much money gained from cheating. These people are so shameful. When will rich people who behave this way realize no one envies them? They are to be pitied for being of such dishonorable character. I don't want to trade places with them, even before they were caught. I wouldn't be able to leave the shower. As awful as what these people have done is, though, I'm still gobsmacked that what tRump et al. is doing is exponentially so much worse and yet t/he/y continue unabated.....
2
It's not bribery. It's theft.
All those college seats are for sale. The crime committed by these folks is that they didn't pay enough, and they didn't make the checks out to the correct people. If they spent $70,000,000.00 on a building, like Andre “Dr. Dre” Young did for USC, their kids would have gotten in just like his daughter did.
4
How ironic. If Huffman's and Loughlin's children had what it took to get into a prestigious college they would have succeeded on their own merits, would they not?
Loughlin's daughter is the pure definition of an air head who goes on YouTube to state for the world that she doesn't plan on spending any time in the classroom.
I don't know much about Huffman's child. I remember the episode of The Sopranos where Edie Falco's character Gloria bribes a college administrator in order to get her daughter accepted.
How art imitates life. In a perfect world, Loughlin's daughter should be expelled immediately. Same for Huffman. Let the kids fend for themselves. It will be good for them.
1
Gee's the problem is they are not rich enough. Just give Penn a zillion dollars for a building and you can get any Trump in there you want...
And if you can play basketball for 1 year.... .the sky is the limit...
2
Desperate housewives, indeed.
My boys worked FULL time as one completed law school and the other a very successful entrepreneur. They have loans out the kazoo.. and who are they now? Kind, compassionate, witty young men who would never consider having a serious relationship with Ms Huffman’s or Ms. Laughlin’s daughters. And I’m sure they’re not alone. Nice going moms! You’ve labeled your kids unworthy of a mensch.
4
So wait, if you didn't go to a "prestigious" school you can never be a doctor, lawyer, teacher, business owner, noble prize winner, astronaut, parent, activist, environmentalist, inventor, professor, dentist, psychologist, shaman, writer, journalist, millionaire, billionaire, frugalist, humanist, thinker, humanaitarian, human being, etc?
So you can't be successful as a human being because you didn't go to Harvard? Hmm, didn't know that. I'll keep that in mind - not.
4
Sure you can but overwhelmingly statistically these people come from elite schools
@JerseyGirl
There are over 179 medical schools nationwide, surely a patient brought back from the edge of death doesn't ask, on first gasp of breath, "by the way, did you go to Princeton or Yale." By perpetuating the myth of success by imaginary appetite we become part of the problem and not the solution. There are hundreds of wonderful colleges and Universities in this country.
1
The wealthy unveiled as .... not all that terribly bright. So if wits are not what vault you to the top of the economic heap just what could it be? Hmmm. I'm getting a vision, a huckster with orange hair....
1
No matter how you feel about all this, your hearts must go out to William McGlashan. I mean who among us could possibly tolerate having to give up their Spring Break Mexico vacation, and be forced to endure spending the vacation in their boring old 12 million dollar mansion in Big Sky, Montana. This alone seems punishment enough. I mean all he did was get caught. The elite class can’t be expected to tolerate vacationing in the United States like a common middle class peasant.
1
Much ado about nothing. The rich have been using their money to get their children into the schools of their choice since the beginning of time. Even if found guilty, they will only get a fine and possibly community service. The fine will be an amount which will not change their lifestyle. The community service will be something cushy like making a public service advertisement like those "The More You Know" ads.
Aunt Becky in lesbian lockup? I don't think so.
3
I do wish the media would stop obsessing over the two minor celebrities involved here. These two actresses’ names don’t need to be in every headline about this story. The NYT should leave that focus to People magazine. At least the story discusses Gordon Caplan. It is far more monumentous that a leader of a prestigious global law firm would be involved than some (female) B list celebrities.
1
Hard to swallow these people's tales of not having enough money now to pay their lawyer fees. They have to remortgage their house. Geez. They had tons of money to spend to cheat their kids way into college. Who are these people? They know how to game the system, but don't seem to know how to manage their money. Boohoo.
The current zeitgeist in Scarsdale ain't good.
Some remember that prosecutors stated there are more to be indicted.
A new parlor game here is to ponder who in town might be hiring lawyers.
To put it in a more high-brow manner, some in the 'dale are waiting for more effluent to impact the impeller vanes.
Thank you.
Just you wait, Hollywood is soon going to make a film out of this or HBO will make a documentary. Stars will play fallen stars and we'll waste our time watching it.
2
Read about Kalief Browder, and then tell me how sorry you feel for these poor wealthy parents.
1
My gramma would say “ don’t throw stones at other people”
I actually feel sorry for the parents and kids.
They are the public scapegoats for this world wide scandal.
Trump folk must love the perp walks.
I think these parents love their kids and were afraid for their kids futures and reputations and blinded by consultants saying it was ok to fudge the Sats.
And this is a nationwide system for cheating.
SATs are useless.
I hope these parents and kids pay fines and endow some community colleges.
Please no jail time.
That is really overkill on judgements.
This is a media frenzy for ratings.
The American people don’t need this type of dumbing down now for ratings.
Let’s stop destroying each other.
They will skate with fines and donations, and retire out of the public eye to their $12M vacation homes. This is essentially no punishment, and that's the way this will roll out. Guaranteed. "Justice" in America means "Just Us" to the 1%.
3
The students already enrolled should be "expelled without prejudice." They are then free to apply for transfer to any other college or reapply to the same institution, this time with fraud-free stats.
This is the perfect solution -- they don't get to keep the "stolen goods" but they also don't pay the price for the crimes of their parents (assuming they were not co-conspirators in the crimes.)
2
All the students and families who went through Rick Singer's "side door" past eight years must be pretty happy they weren't clients this year!
2
I actually don't find what Ms. Loughlin did much different from what Mr. Kushner did. She paid a direct bribe, he bought a building as a bribe.
I find what Ms. Huffman did to be much, much worse. Yes, people with wealth have always had the advantage of test prep but it has been assumed that the actual testing was relatively fair. Post-test correcting undermines this assumption and her willingness to corrupt something that was originally set up to give everyone an equal advantage sickens me.
2
Admission to any university or college should be one hundred percent determined by merit, not by wealth or connections, not by a record of donations by relatives.
These parents deserve to lose their careers. They can reroute like the rest of us do when we lose our careers for other, non-criminal reasons.
They could have spent their thousands on hiring tutors throughout the years instead of these ridiculous last-gasp fraudulent measures. Many others do not have that option!
4
Having the resources to stack the deck is a prerogative of those with the loot. The cards are never dealt evenly, the hand that slides an Ace up the sleeve is simply tilting the odds in their favor.
Privilege is as privilege does makes a Democracy a Democracy. If there was a military draft, they’d be paying for “bunion deferments” like Fred paid for his son, a 5 x draft dodger.
3
These are individuals facing the consequences of their illegal actions. The legal process will determine legal consequences.
I have to fully admit, rather shamefully, for me, this is a case of schadenfreude. These are individuals with no moral compass who use their wealth and privilege to get what they want because the rules don't apply to them. The real tragedy here is that these parents have psssed their lack of integrity and ethics onto their children.
It does give me some pleasure to see arrogant, wealthy, privileged individuals who believe they are entitled to break the rules, get their comeuppance, because only the groundlings, like me, have to toe the line.
The punishment is irrelevant. In this gilded age of egregious income inequality, most of us will continue to eat Entennman's donuts on sale while the rich and powerful call all the shots and use their wealth to get what they want. They are the careless people, like the Buchanans in The Great Gatsby. It's their world. We just live in it.
2
Lives upended, reputations trashed, careers in tatters and families in crisis, yet the industry that is college in America will flourish and persevere. Anybody seeing the disconnect here?
1
The Seven Virtues: Greed, Pride, Envy, Anger, Gluttony, Lust, Sloth
The Seven Sins: Temperance, Prudence, Justice, Fortitude, Faith, Hope, Charity
Welcome to the modern world.
I can’t wait to find out what obscenely lenient sentence they get!
Watch them negotiate deals to tell their stories. Netflix, are you listening?
How is any of this any different than it would be for anyone else accused of a crime...oh yeah, these people are rich, so being unable to take international vacations or finding yourself unable to continue in your career without scrutiny is somehow worse than for other defendants. Oh well. These aren't victimless crimes. These sorts of pay-to-play schemes deny access to others that deserve to be admitted. Since there will likely be few real consequences, the shame and (probably) temporary glitches in their careers may be their only punishment.
6
I wonder what Fred Trump did to get unruly Donnie into Fordham and Wharton? DJT has threatened those schools with lawsuits if they release his grades.
11
Maybe I'm seeing things but I'd swear the man holding her hand in the photo is her brother based on the facial resemblance. Also, can anyone produce a photo of here wearing a visible crucifix before this in real life? Just curious.
2
I have no sympathy for the radiation oncologist who faces oversight from the California medical board and Medicare. If he is (allegedly) willing to cheat and bribe his kids’ way into college, he may also be willing to cheat Medicare, insurance companies and ultimately, his patients. If you had cancer, would you want to go to (an allegedly) dishonest oncologist?
9
I personally know a young woman who was turned down for a place at Stanford at the same time as Chelsea Clinton was accepted.
However , the woman I knew was formally better qualified.
3
It really makes you wonder how these super successful people got to be so rich and powerful.
2
@Purple Spain They did it the old fashioned way: Cheated.
It would be interesting to know how the young "influencer" who had so little interest in college did during her single semester at USC. Despite being their only for the tailgating and parties -- by her own words -- how did she fare in the classes she had little time for. USC accepted her on fraudulent terms. Did it permit her to succeed without her working for it?
5
If found guilty, every single one of these parents needs the maximum penalty.
If it's jail time, so be it. 5, 10 years, buh bye. Get used to orange jumpsuits.
Huge fines, bring it on. If they can pay $50,000 for someone to take an SAT test for little Biff or Muffy , they can afford alot more to pay for some more deserving kids SAT for many years. 6 figure penalties, minimum
Community service - go to some inner city schools where kids with single moms working three jobs are trying to get their kids into college, look them in the eye and tell them you deprived them of a place in college because of your selfish greed.
But it shouldn't end there. What about those test centers - West Hollywood College Preparatory School for one. Many of the kids went there specifically to "take tests" , but they were just doctored, or even had substitutes take the test for them. No way the kids didn't know what was going on. They're just as guilty. Kick them out of school, now.
There's also no way this is an isolated case. There are literally thousands of "college consultants" in business today. I'm sure a great majority are legit, but even if only 5% are this shady, you're looking at several hundred fraudulent businesses. This industry is in desperate need of oversight.
Just as a gossipy aside, I thought Felicity Huffman was married to Bill Macy? That man she's holding hands with in the picture definitely isn't him. Maybe her marriage to Macy was a sham too?
3
Are we supposed to have sympathy for them? At least they have a house to get a mortgage from. It is ridiculous to think that it is a punishment enough or relevant that rich person missed their international vacation. What about all the people who lost opportunities because the choices theses parents made? Maybe the Times should write an article about that and have as much sympathy.
My heart goes for my kids. This is what they are up against!
3
I see another direct connection to Citizens United, perhaps the worst Supreme Court decision ever. Using dark money to influence our Congress, Senate - or college admissions - what’s the difference here?
2
This is another example of the decline of American society and purchasing power. The vast majority of Americans have neither the opportunity nor the means to attempt bribery for personal advantage. The only thing left is moral outrage.
1
Thank goodness the rich guy's name whose photo is on their website is not mentioned in this article about 501 (c)(3) non-profit contributions.
Sadly in our Eastern part of the planet typical public school students who are by no means gifted would eat the lunches of about a third of top tier acceptances without "cheating". Has to do with homework, biliteracy, transpositions, logic, great books and oral and written training besides STEM.
Yes there are American schools for expats. They are sponsored by credentialed US private schools. Just a generalization, but maybe they are a few years behind grade 11 or 12 students taught in typical public schools with an hour of homework starting in grade 1.
BTW, not unusual for principal/rector/headmaster of private schools to be paid $750K per annum. This can be supplemented.
Tip of the iceberg.
2
Does anyone believe this is the exception and not the rule in getting into an Ivy League school? Everyone tries to maximize his/her chances in a system designed to reward the most creative way to beat the system. In this case money is a key that opens the doors. No big deal, rich folks in this country have been doing that for hundreds of years. The real culprits are the various ivies’ admission committees that dispense a life of entitlement to those nerdy enough, or astute enough to discern the best way to get in. Didn’t Harvard recently was taken to court in order to reveal its archaic “admission system” and ridiculous quotas? The problem is that ivies don’t want scrutiny because they want to perpetuate the fantasy of “meritocracy”. It sells well to those who want privilege based on a degree from a “good school”. It works because people want to believe that those schools foster the best and brightest minds. In fact, my experience at Columbia wasn’t as rewarding as it was in Texas A&M and UT. In terms of quality of instruction and of students’ intellectual down to earth strengths, the ivies are found lacking. Too bad for those caught using the “side doors”. They will be temporarily closed until another Ivy graduate opens them again, or finds a way to open the windows for naive, self deluded students and parents.
3
When speaking about this with one Mom she admitted to faking a disability for her daughter and that daughter got special dorms testing etc. Telling this to another she said ‘only thing I ever did was have someone write my kids college essays’. One of those kids is in her medical residency.
And we spent our last pennies and worked extra jobs to get our kids through school. SMH. What is wrong with this country? What ever happened to hard work, morals, and a sense of decency?
6
These wealthy individuals are now discovering the truth about our justice system--that anyone accused of a crime is presumed guilty (especially by their employer and the public) until proven innocent.
4
Employment at will...you can be fired for any reason or no reason at all. It's the American Way.
People don't feel bad when an impoverished fast food worker is fired. Why do people feel bad when a wealthy professional is fired?
Surely these parents can get fast food jobs like the rest of us.
10
When an “under served” inner city child of color gets accused of the slightest trouble, the punishment is swift and severe for them, and the blame goes to their parents (present or not) for not raising them right. The immediate verdict is always “throw the book at the kid.” That’s the only way to teach them a lesson.
In this circumstance, where families of privilege lied, cheated, and stole in order to secure an undeserved spot in a prestigious university, the parents were the culprits. And yet so many are quick to offer sympathy and forgiveness without considering the effects on our society as a whole — reinforcing the divide between have and have-nots — between those who have earned something fair and square and those who use their power and wealth to demand a short cut.
A have-not child didn’t get to go to a good school — and therefor has virtually no chance of attending an elite college, the parents (or lack thereof) are again blamed. They are not supported by their schools or society or the legal system — and certainly have no “in” with admissions, administrators, or coaches. When they are offered a precious spot in one of these same schools we hear of diluting standards, making exceptions, and reverse discrimination. It’s all bundled up in the excessive cost of requiring diversity. Then too many are up in arms about how unfair this is.
4
In ethics, we reached the top of the world and no where to go, so we are heading in the opposite direction to meet the third world halfway. Don’t expect justice in courts. The judges have different rules to follow for rich and famous than the commoners.
Guess what?
Parents refinance their homes to pay for their children's educations all of the time.
The difference being that the children of these parents earned admission by virtue of their own merit. THEN the parents started paying.
7
The parents and the kids should be forced to face real consequences for the underhanded way these kids got into college, jail time if necessary and expulsion of the students.
I am not sure about this but I believe I have read somewhere that the payments were used by parents as a tax deduction because it was supposedly going to a charity. If that is true, the courts should show no mercy.
6
The only appropriate punishment is to inform the kids that the university withdraws its offer for a place. That's the only thing that's going to hurt the parents, and teach the kids - presumably legal adults now - a valuable lesson.
1
I graduated from a high ranked, prestigious state law school. Apparently, wealthy alumni donors, who were partners at prestigious law firms, had complained to the dean when their children (in my time, most probably, sons) were not being admitted as they didn't have high enough LSAT scores and/or grades. I was told the dean responded: "When your law firms start hiring the students from the bottom of the class, not just the top, come back and we'll talk." Enough said.
14
I agree that the parents should be punished, but not the kids. They may or may not have known what their parents were doing, and if they did know, it may have been difficult for them to resist parental instruction, or simply confusing. They would now know right from wrong, with the way this story has erupted in the media and the lawsuits, but further punishment would mean that we now hold children responsible for criminal activity by their parents simply because it involves them. Unfair, I think, and my heart goes out to them.
1
Have any of the parents or students acknowledged their part in the fraud?
It appears at least some of those who enabled the fraudulent applications and admissions have acknowledged their roles.
How many other parents are guilty of writing, or "editing" their child's application essays?
The parents can best help their children by owning their behavior--and punishment.
I am OK with the kids getting a "do-over", repeating the application process--this time for schools they legitimately qualify for (with every chance of getting a better education if they want one).
At least the kids have an essay topic: "What I learned about myself from cheating on my college applications last year." Might as well own it. Pretty certain that essay gets read.
3
At what point do you ask yourself, "when did all my money and power override my moral compass? And how will my behavior affect my child in the long term?" Losing their virtue and their reputation, and destroying their children's future in the process, are the biggest losses for these parents.
I'll never understand why they risked so much for what would always be a tainted diploma. The feeling you get when you earn a degree through your own merits and hard work is the deeper and more meaningful joy these kids may never experience. And that's their biggest loss.
7
This is a national scandal deliciously appropriate for the Trump era: The highly entitled rich doing anything it takes, including egregious ethical violations, to get their kids into elite schools. Jared Kushner's felonious father made a gigantic donation to Harvard shortly before his less-than-stellar student son applied, an example of "back door" access to a prestigious school. Now we have the new notorious "side door" approach by corrupt parents and their offspring. The parents should get jail time and their kids should be expelled in most cases. Otherwise, this will continue. My husband and I both got into Stanford on our own merits and attended grad school at Berkeley and Harvard, with no parental bribes or faked applications. If prosecutors and juries don't send a strong message in this massive cheating scandal, this rampant corruption will continue to spread.
13
Before rushing to too harsh a judgement, it may be worthwhile to consider that it is only considered to be a crime to bribe a coach to open a side door to usher in a student who doesn't cut it on the SATs and admission interviews.
It is NOT a crime to make a large donation to the college itself to get the front door opened.
Is it only me who is seeing hypocrisy written all over that?
Why are those students, who also didn't cut it on their own, treated better than the ones whose parents used different means to achieve the same outcome?
14
If someone gives millions to a PRIVATE INSTITUTION, that institution (and only that institution) has a legitimate right to determine whether that gift should be reciprocated in some way (naming a library or letting the donor’s dim witted progeny attend). Consider that if they make accommodations too many times, eventually the very reputation of the institution will be damaged. Sometimes letting a less qualified applicant into an institution serves a wider purpose like making it possible for many others that could not otherwise afford have a chance.
1
@SG1
I get all that, SG1. I did make it through university on my own, after all.
But how does that address my main point that the system is a textbook case of hypocrisy?
I recall reading in the pages of this esteemed newspaper that at least one of those kids was doing quite well in there public high school. Yet that parent decided to spend $15000 to some guy to game the college acceptance system. Which is just about the cost of the tuition and living expenses for one semester for youngest in grad school somewhere in New England.
This shows some severe disrespect to the accomplishments of their own child. There must be some severe pressure among the celebrity queen bees if one's kid does not meet expectations.
If anything, the parent made it more difficult for that child in the future. On the other hand, as baby boomers retiring form a really good job... our great accomplishment is that none of our kids have to deal with student loans. Kids who had to apply themselves to taking the SAT and to the colleges (seriously, it is how it is done... it is not like elementary school, the kids have to it themselves!).
1
I don’t have any sympathy for these people. If you ask me, most of them have been cheating all their professional lives if not longer. Why else would they so been so willing to participate in this scheme. I doubt this Singer character had sales people that advertised. I could be wrong, but I doubt it.
7
A doctor could kill a patient due to negligence and still continue practicing. What was done is so very wrong, but the punishment is excessive.
6
@fb
No. doctors and lawyers here know their licenses are in jeopardy if they engage in criminal activity. They were warned!!!!
2
@fb And from attitudes like that, we get donald trump as president.
3
Ok, now you are scaring me. I take it back.
1
What a contrast this is to Julian Castro talking about his immigrant grandmother working hard to provide for the generations who came after her, including her two grandsons now accomplished, well educated human beings. How insulated we've become from those who came before us, who made the sacrifices for those of us who came after. The sense of entitlement amongst these wealthy people is stunning--and disrespectful to their ancestors and descendants.
6
One of the more disturbing aspects of this issue is that these parents paid for others to take or fake their children’s SAT tests, presumably because the potential students are not intelligent enough to do well on that test. Cheating seemed to be the only course of action considered, instead of other options - tutoring earlier in the child’s life, applying to colleges and universities that don’t require SAT, or even doing something other than going to college. Or even considering that some failure can be beneficial in a person’s life rather than always getting bailed out of reality by your parents.
7
They have been caught. How many wealthy parents have or are getting away with it.
8
I'm not sorry in the least. A $12 million vacation home in one state and another home in yet another state can be sold and pay for the public (read: inexpensive) education of several children, who can subsequently work hard to establish their own place in the world, no problem. Believe me, most of us live with much, much less and deal with much, much more. And we're no less intelligent, attractive, or otherwise "worth it" than you.
10
So it is OK to get your kids into college because you went to a particular school, ok to pay for a new wing at college and get kids in and on and on . . . essentially, bribery approved by colleges is ok, bribery not approved is wrong. The whole system is sick and a big marketing scheme designed to make parents part with their hard earned money. The end goal for all these businesses, from college, to hospital, to elder care is to make you die penniless.
5
Crickets.
It would seem obvious that there must be hundreds, if not thousands of other students CURRENTLY enrolled that cheated their way into university either through the "student-athlete" scam or SAT bait and switch scam.
Every Division 1 university should be demanded an audit by the alum or state official.
Expose them all, come clean, institute reforms, and gain the trust of the nation.
But we know, they will not. Cheaters.
5
No sympathy for these folks whatsoever. Imagine they can't go on vacation. They deserve no consideration at all. I saw how hard my kids worked to get good grades and improve their SAT scores, and these rich kids just bribe their way in. It's disgusting.
11
What punishments would make it more likely that when a student submits a university application, and says it is their own work, that they really mean it?
(And what lack of punishment would make it seem that extra assistance is worth the risk of getting caught?)
3
The defendants belong to the upper 10 to upper 5%. They are rich, but not uber rich, not of the billionaire class. The upper 0.1% can legally buy their way into the best colleges, either through legacy applications or through multimillion dollar donations to the colleges of their choice. Money buys access, legally, because money can buy laws to make access legal.
10
@Mary M:"The defendants belong to the upper 10 to upper 5%. They are rich, but not uber rich, not of the billionaire class."
So they'll be out there manning the barricades with you?
2
If losing their jobs, privileges and professional reputations (not to mention their freedom, potentially) is what it takes for these people to learn a lesson about ethics, something they clearly should have learned a long time ago, then so be it.
The thing is though, the way this article is written and the way their lawyers are playing it, it’s clear they’re seeking sympathy and portraying themselves as victims. Something tells me that the only thing these people are actually upset about is that they got caught. This whole episode gives the lie to so much of the elite charade of worthiness that it’s hard not to question every aspect of American institutionalism. It’s all a sham, and that’s a disquieting reality.
162
@Incensed In Brooklyn How anyone could possibly think these indulgent parents could be envisioned as victims makes a mockery of honor and ethics. As a child I became well acquainted with ethics, honor, skill and service because those were the tenants and philosophy of the private school they selected for me at age 4. This was reinforced by every subsequent school I attended until college at which point I was on my own with carrying out the philosophy. The parents did not do anyone any favors and actuality put a lifelong blemish of corruption on themselves and their children. The idea of obtaining plea bargains is reprehensible. They should face sentences and only then will them contemplate their poor choices.
4
@Incensed In Brooklyn Agreed. The press is getting on board with the sympathy card.
1
To me, the distinction here is between parents who wouldn't *dream* of getting their kids into school with a bribe or scam, and those who have make the attempt - successfully or not.
Some of these students would have made it on their own without the unfair edge, but will now be forever marked as cheaters. For those without the 4.0+ averages and loads of extracurricular activities, there are lots of excellent schools where they would get a fine education and a good job later. Not to pick on USC, but I can't see paying a small fortune to get kids admitted there, when it's hard to rate them higher than 4th best in the LA area.
8
Is this even tip of the tip of iceberg, if you allow that such malfeasance is not restricted to just college admissions but every sphere of lives of the moneyed and privileged.?
18
I think it's time we stop holding these institutions in such high regard. They're only interested in peddling power, and their wealth and connections are what keep them in the top of the college rankings. Many students would benefit more from going to big state schools, trade schools or junior college, and there's no shame in that. Or going to a cheaper school in Europe or Canada whose universities offer great programs and dedicated professors. Instead of brainwashing students into believing that they need these elite schools to succeed, teach them how to use their present resources to thrive and to get what they want in an ethical way. That person will be much more valuable in their respective community.
9
As a father of two in college, I wonder what the parents were thinking.
They were telling their kids they were not smart enough to meet their parents expectations
What a message
Maybe more love and care and attention when their kids were younger would of made a difference and they would of need to cheat
13
The kids were never meant to find out.
All of the children could have gotten excellent educations without all these manipulations. All have lived and WILL live very prosperous lives. If an employee falsifies a resume in a material way and is found out; what happens: termination usually. In my view this is a crowd of folks accustomed to "fixing" outcomes, only in this case the fix was a crime and they got caught.
12
Note to self when I become rich and famous. Just don’t cheat on a standardized test. Just donate the old fashioned way. Not that I support what they did. When people get away with worse in the world. Reminds me of when Al Capone getting caught not paying the tax man.
5
Anyone else feel bad that these parents aren’t allowed to travel internationally or take an already planned vacation? No, I don’t either!
19
Another powerful argument for a wealth tax.
7
Feel sorry for these parents and their children, no way. I feel sorry for those who are following the system, whose parents are working two jobs each to try to afford college for their children and for those children who are working hard, night and day to try to get into colleges of their choice -- these parents and children who didn't play by the rules need to be taught a lesson -- I have no sympathy for Mr. McGlashan who can't go on his vacation to Mexico. Some of the parents of students trying desperately to make it to one of these colleges have never had the luxury of a vacation. These people need a dose of reality and to know what others work hard to attain with their intelligence, grit and determination -- not buying their way into school
14
What we see here is the flip side of privilege that kept the likes of Clinton, Bush and Trump out of military service in Vietnam.
Clinton, Bush, Trump and hundreds of thousands or more of the sons of privilege used trickery, influence and fraud to avoid the hardships and dangers of military service in Vietnam.
What we have here is not the use of trickery, influence and fraud to avoid something dangerous and unpleasant but the use of trickery, influence and fraud to obtain something desired but undeserved.
The similarity is that the non-privileged suffer. The non-privileged bore the hardships and dangers of military service in Vietnam back then and today the non-privileged are denied the benefit of admission into these colleges and universities.
9
@R. H. Clark
Precisely! And why is that not prosecuted?
3
Clinton (Bill) may have dodged military service, but he was not rich. He shouldn’t be considered wealthy like Donald Trump who could afford to buy himself anything.
5
@R. H. Clark Clinton was not the son of privilege. He grew up in rather modest circumstances. He had an educational deferment, as did I, during the Viet Nam War. I certainly was no son of privilege. I worked a minimum wage job to earn my way through college, and no one except myself ever paid a cent of tuition, fees, or board and room. I did benefit from living in a state that at that time guaranteed an inexpensive college experience to all who qualified. And I qualified legitimately, not by cheating.
2
One point seems to have been mostly ignored. I simply do not understand the legal basis for the judge's (original) ruling that the accused parents couldn't speak with their children without a lawyer present. The unrealized fear of 'witness tampering' cannot be allowed to outweigh a person's Constitutional rights, let alone a parent's inalienable rights.
We need look no farther for proof that we live in a police state.
3
@Jeff Miller First, the original proscription was not to discuss the case with their children without a lawyer present, rather than not to speak with them without a lawyer present. That actually is standard protocol for persons who might be witnesses in a trial, and applies to family members just as to others. It is not a denial of either constitutional or parental rights. It is protection of the rights of both the accused and the state to a fair trial.
5
If you also read tonight’s NY times article On inhumane treatment of prisoners in Alabama jails, it’s ev3n more of a contrast to what these parents lawyers argue is unfair treatment. They don’t know unfair. Grossly Unfair is also toddlers seeking asylum locked in cages and separated from their parents perhaps forever.
15
The Huffman and Loughlin mothers are the poster girls for the scandal. But I recall reading that neither of them attended college. Or perhaps it is only that neither has a degree ? But how about this : Instead of jail require that they enroll in a 4 year institution of higher learning. Require that they write papers under supervision, monitor their computers and proctor their exams. Perhaps at the end of 4 years they will understand what they have dishonored and besmirched.
14
A doctor is being reviewed by the state’s licensing board because of criminal charges unrelated to his professional work?
The has to be the greatest irony of all. There are thousands of incompetent, and hundreds of actually dangerous doctors and surgeons in California alone (according to my lawyer) who never get even reviewed, no less their licenses suspended. I know. I tried to sue one of them. I tried to alert the state board. I tried to leave a warning for other hapless patients. My efforts came to nothing — and my evidence was solid.
So now a doctor who probably has not injured his patients will lose his practice, while the board that should be protecting citizens against physical harm will continue not doing it.
4
These defendants are adults.To say they should have known better is to state the obvious. Cheating in all its forms is wrong. Period. Full stop. They are now learning that actions have consequences. About time.
5
Take their money. Plough it into the public school system.
5
Does anyone really think any of these parents will spend a minute in jail? A few fines, a contribution to charity and all will be well in the world of the rich and entitled.
4
Pretty sickening but not surprising that the rich have access to things just because they have money. This kind of thing has been going on forever where the rich get their kids into schools by giving big donations that the rest of us could never do.
4
The students are just as culpable and deserving of disgust as the parents, though on different grounds.
These are prospective college students. Yet they are so uninterested and uninvested in their future education that they don't even notice that
- they never sat for a second SAT test, the one that got the higher scores, or
- their SAT score on their college application is different from the SAT score they received (If they noticed that they received it in the first place)
They are so dishonest with themselves about their high-school achievements (academic and other) that they just don't register that they don't belong in a tertiary institution of learning.
They care so little for the educational opportunities opened to them that they don't, apparently, recognize the expectations that attach to such opportunities, whether participating in a certain sport or going to classes.
I teach at the college level. Such students get Ds and Fs. And they earn them. I just wish I were permitted to give them the kick in the pants that they also earn.
4
This is what should happen:
1. The students who were admitted to these universities should be immediately expelled.
2. Their places should be filled by deserving students who are accepted on their merits, not on their parents' ability or desire to bribe college officials.
2. Mom and dad should be tried and punished as the criminals that they are.
3. Those who took bribes should place the monies they received into a scholarship fund for the less fortunate, but deserving college students.
4. Those who took bribes should be fired immediately.
Will all this happen? I think not, because the rich always find a way to twist the system in their favor. Shame on them all.
5
No one likes it when the field that we're all supposed to play on isn't fair and equal to all the players, but in the scheme of things, I just can't get too worked up about this. NEWS FLASH: Money talks. Money makes the world go round. Money buys the US presidency! I'm not the 1% so I don't like this but at the same time, I'd rather talk about my health care or global warming or the total corruption of our democracy thanks to the current motley crew of elected Republicans raping our freedoms. So no, this isn't a happy story but in today's world it just doesn't even pop up on my radar (unless it's reported by The Times in which case I can't avoid it even if I wanted to).
2
You do not seem to realise that all the things you care about and what is happening here are all entwined.
Are your health care problems not caused by some folks having more money than sense and some folks having no money at all?
2
I wonder less about the alleged offenses than I do about the howling masses screaming for retribution when they didn't even suffer any harm. Forfeiture of the amounts paid and the beneficiaries being kicked out of the schools seems sufficient to me. I don't--and won't--understand why careers and livelihoods need to be sacrificed at the altar of sanctimony based on mere accusations.
I can understand firings of those whose professional reputations are steeped in the assumption of ethical behavior, but actresses? Come on.
2
I think it is a tipping point and the screaming masses are railing against the unfairness of a society where the rich can buy themselves out of any trouble and many at the bottom have not got a chance to even got on the bottom rung of the ladder.
4
@Jim:"I wonder less about the alleged offenses than I do about the howling masses screaming for retribution when they didn't even suffer any harm."
That's the purpose of the the mob. The NYT likes to whip it up as long as it's not related to public school desegregation in NYC.
Just imagine what they get away with on their taxes.
2
As one judge recently said, they won't see a day in jail since they've led otherwise blameless lives...
1
As sordid as this story is - I'm an educator involved with admissions - would it have the "legs" it has were it not that people of fame are involved? Linda Franks, reporter, in her memoir notes “My stories were too soon forgotten by everyone except the people whose lives they had ruined.”
2
Water polo. Really.
2
I understand the outrage people express and I feel it myself.
I don't think Draconian punishments are suited to this situation.
I would fine the parents and additionally have them make a significant contribution to a college that is both worthy and financially needy. I would also have the parents take an unpaid leave of absence to do community service--perhaps at a community college.
I would have the kids removed from the colleges in which they are currently enrolled and, after a year of community service, have them apply to colleges as honest people do--with authentic credentials, college board scores, and the rest.
61
@Mark N.
The Law is not what hitting them the most. The Law will not fire them from their jobs or cancel their book contracts. The Law will not turn their social life to turpentine and peanuts.
What will happen in court is the least of the problems they are facing. I can feel some sympathy for them, but I can also feel sympathy for the parent who cannot afford to send their kids to college even if they get in on merit. I can also feel sympathy for the kid that did not get in because of someone of money bought his or her place.
I feel no sympathy for those who allowed themselves be bribed. I hope The Law will make them regret it.
5
@Mark N. Game Theory suggests that unless the punishment is severe enough, people will continue to cheat. Of one thing I am sure, "white-collar people" are deathly afraid of going to jail (and they should be).
3
@Mark N. For those parents who took the phony tax write-off, the real trouble will come from the IRS.
1
I feel so badly for these parents. What they are accused of doing is wrong, certainly. But the human frailty of it all is heartbreaking. Some even struggled to borrow money for what in the end is such an empty prize in the bigger scheme of their children's lives. The lost careers, many of them lucrative and long-established; the loss of time; the crumbling of respect from without and esteem from within, for both the parents and the children; potentially damaged marriages and forever-changed relationships: these things sear at my heart.
37
I don’t feel sorry for them. They are mostly very wealthy, and are cheaters who apparently felt no shame until exposed. They deserve speedy trials and (if convicted) some jail time for their felonies.
36
@Faith
This is exactly how ordinary criminals feel, and how their lives turn out. And how it effects their children and their families. And most are not coming from famous and rich back grounds. So no need to burst out crying over these lucky souls who have conspired to cheat to make sure their offspring will not destroy family pride.
23
@Faith Are you kidding? They borrowed money to cheat on their kids SAT scores? MDs and Dentists, whose children are already privileged?
They stole other parents hard work: they took away the hard work that other children do, as for example my children, who take a four hour math class every Sunday, and study all the time. My children will work for the next five years to get good grades and good SAT scores, and my children will NOT cheat, as these people have. You, Faith, are completely wrong
30
Sure, In the scope of America, this story and the accompanying comments are about the rich cheating to stay ahead strikes a nerve with the rest who have to play by the rules. But in a global sense, shouldn't the poor of the world be angry at the people of rich, industrialized nations, who are already rich, yet continue to drive SUVs, eat beef, pollute and contribute to climate change by 4X their per capita allowances? Aren't we also cheating to stay ahead? There are more pressing problems like climate change, species extinction, famine and war that we should concern ourselves with yet we get riled up with this drama.
23
@Gr8bkset Deflecting a little? Global warming will kill us anyway so why should any of us care about corruption? If that is the case, a couple of years of cell time for these people won't make a difference either.
@Gr8bkset
My recommendation would be to save your pity for the applicants that didn´t receive admission to these schools, as a result of these cheating, lying criminals. We can rationalize almost any criminal behavior, especially if we say that we ¨did it for family.¨ My suspicion is that the parents´ motives were not pure, either.
2
And in an even larger sense, if the human population dies off due to the effects of climate change, the planet, solar system, and universe at large will go on as if nothing happened. So pay attention to all this climate change drama considering the climate has changed naturally before? Jk... In all seriousness though, you can't arbitrarily determine what people should discuss or consider important because of your own priorities. And I would think that wider access to education could contribute to a more conscientious society that would strive to minimize its impact on the planet. People rigging the system to further restrict access to the more elite schools is the antithesis of that ideal. I don't think it's a coincidence that the countries at the forefront of climate solutions tend to also be better at educating a large part of its population and minimizing economic inequality. These issues are all connected, and I think this scandal is a reflection of larger problems.
1
There is no egalitarianism in this country. It is, as it has always been, the rich and well-connected getting what they couldn't get on their own merits. Over the centuries it has been shown that this kind of influence buying and cheating plants the seeds of social upheaval. No one should feel sorry for these worthless strivers.
29
@joseph gmuca And this is bolstered by right wing pundits yammering on and on about the Welfare State and all the lazy people who live off the dole. It's a bait and switch, a deflection, a centuries old lie that the poor are lazy and need to be starved to death in order to perform. Meanwhile the rich just write checks with money they didn't earn, with money they got by cheating, scamming, not paying taxes and garnishing their resumes and connections by going to schools where they should never have been admitted. I'm sure this is not the first time this has happened, only the first time the perps. got caught. The Times said that "some people" believe the system is rigged. At this point, if you don't believe it you're a fool.
what makes this case special for me: people of privilege actually being held to a standard. normally, these people can just act above the law and it's fine. see Matt Taibbi's book, "The Divide: American Injustice in the Age of the Wealth Gap"
31
I recommend reading Lori Loughlin's interview with the Christian Broadcasting Network in which she states being concerned her performances be acceptable to her father, presumably that they would not conflict with traditional Christian values. Unfortunately, for Loughlin, like many conservative Christians, morality is too often confined to traditional sexual behaviour (e.g., no sex outside of heterosexual marriage, opposition to abortion, etc.), but cheating, apparently, is not a problem because the normal rules shouldn't apply to those who can afford to get around them.
68
I think you're making a lot of assumptions, generalizations, and leaps in logic here. You can find the same attitudes in East Asian countries, where any type of religion is of minimal importance in these societies. The urge to please one's parents, to be seen as perfect or successful, can drive people anywhere to do some crazy stuff. I recall reading a story about a girl who took a hit out on her parents just to avoid disappointing them. Not religious, just stressed and misguided and conditioned to believe failure is not an option. I think you could accuse the parents of mental abuse in some cases.
@James, Toronto, CANADA
I'm not a lover of organized religion but I do not think
that these generalizations of Christians are really true.
There are as many varieties of personalities in this group as in any other.
Regarding Gorden Caplan, the accused Fordham Law School graduate, a note to Law School Dean Diller and his admissions dept.follows:
To Law School Dean Diller,
Teach your children well so the song goes. Namely, teach your students ethics/morals not only in a legal educational setting but also as a foundation on how one conducts his/her own personal life as one day it might determine if they will be disbarred from the legal industry. Your ’91 grad Caplan should not be treated in a court of law any different than a ’91 Tier 3 bottom of the class graduate. Not to worry, however, as Caplan’s deceased FIL was a very wealthy man who donated 2.5 Million Dollars for a building at the UCONN in the 1980’s. So if Cornell is not a possibility for Caplan's daughter, maybe she might be accepted to this state university, and as a bonus, at in state tuition rates. A fitting outcome for someone trying to cheat his daughter into his and his deceased FIL Ivy league legacy undergrad institution. Hopefully that Cornell undergrad spot will go to some well deserving high school student and maybe in the future that person might be accepted into Fordham Law.
3
If being admitted into a "good" college is "everything" to a parent you can expect the parent to do anything and everything to get his/her child admitted.
2
@R. H. Clark
How about tutoring in junior high and high school, and withholding privileges and smartphones until the grades go up? The moment of application is a tad late to think about that.
1
These parents should pay the tuition for those who deserve to go and did not cheat. They should pay tuition for those who want to work in the trades too. They should pay for law school to those who truly earned it. Let's start making our society fair to everyone. My goodness, if their children could only get into jr. college, so what. Stop making these institutions bigger ego boosters than they are ready are. School should always be an environment for critical thinking, problem solving and broadening ones intelligence. ...and let's pay adjunct professors their true worth!
18
@EJW
I don't think they should pay other students' tuition. I think they should spend some time in jail -- only that would deter others from doing the same thing.
Dear accused parents, I guess you figured that since worked hard or came from a wealthy family, your kids shouldn't have to work hard themselves. If you figured that "just" $15,000 to cover a faked test isn't a big, think of what REAL kids had to do to get a top score. Pretest, study, focus on school work... pre-test, study, focus on school work... pretest, study, focus on school work, etc (see paragraph below) ... for years.
Yup, my son got a 1550 (800M, 750V), plus seven 5s in his AP classes, plus was a newspaper editor, Eagle Scout, involved in sports, plus had a science patent pending that won at various science fairs, and won many debate tournaments and luckily we could pay for school without loans ... but even with all that, he still didn't get into an ivy league.
You deserve every vitriolic comment sent your way, but sadly you'll probably end up with a petty few hours of community service and gentle slap on the wrist for your misdeeds.
48
@ActualScience
Some fault must be attributed to the Common Application system, which introduces chaos by making it likely to the point of necessity, that each student must apply to fifteen schools to have assurance that they will in fact be accepted. I watched a boy like yours (1600, 5.3 weighted, Eagle, tutor, bilingual, athlete—even good-looking!) apply to 10 places and not get in. And kids can’t help but feel it as a judgment of themselves as people, and experience it as a huge slap in the face. Which it is.
1
I question the idea that the parents were corrupt but the kids were innocent.
The youngsters knew full well that their high school résumés and test scores weren't nearly good enough to get them into Yale or USC; yet they got in.
What did they think happened? A clerical error? Magic?
I suspect it was more a case of the kids saying, "Don't tell me anything about this. I don't want to know what you're up to."
139
@Taz
This is nothing new, what about the tens of thousands of, “legacy,” admissions every year that still go on? I’m quite sure George W. Bush, (C-student), knew full well he had a leg up on his admission to one of the worlds most prestigious universities.
15
Colleges favor legacies because they tend to donate money to the school or are active in alumni affairs. The legacies I’ve met in college were very bright. Most attended good public schools.
Schools will also favor celebrities or children of (big) celebrities. I remember the paper application of one of the Ivies permitted applicants to list their royal title.
1
@Taz The kids knew. There’s no way they didn’t know that their SAT scores were higher than they should have been, or that a private proctor was giving them a leg up.
There’s also no way the parents who did this led spotless lives beforehand. You don’t just decide to bribe your kid’s way into college as your only sin. And kids know when parents are dishonest.
I have no sympathy for anyone involved.
Strip the parents of their wealth, as they used it to harm countless others. Send the parents to prison. Do not give them probation. Send them to prison. Justice will not be served by anything less than full prison terms with absolutely no early release for any reason.
Strip the children of their "degrees". Force them to apologize publicly. Make them re-apply for entry to the institution, and have the entire process be done in public.
Our society is vastly too concerned that a few wealthy people might be possibly harmed than the fact that hundreds, if not thousands of people were harmed by the actions of these parents. When will those that suffer be helped?
46
@Tom. Does anyone consider that these students of parents that wangle plea deals eventually graduate and then become cheaters in the business world after college? We have the president of our country who perpetrated the same schemes, continually fleeced the system and is considered a leader. Those acts have nothing to do with anyone's political persuasion but are in reality, reprehensible deeds perhaps worthy of prosecution at some point in the future.
I agree. There is no excuse on the part of these parents. Its grossly unfair for those of us who "play by the rules" even if we have the means to bribe and cheat our way to college. We look like suckers compared to these individuals who did not see a problem in paying Singer et al.
To those saying ‘Who cares?’—So you won’t mind when your brainy teen who worked HARD their whole young life to earn their spot (top grades, top test scores, athletics, extra-curricular’s, volunteering, etc etc etc) gets rejected because someone richer than you steals your kid’s place?
58
I am so NOT fascinated with white, rich priviledged criminals or their children whom I hope will develop a little more regard for all human beings after this, instead of just the wealthy.
16
No sympathy. I just hope they get something close to what they deserve.
45
For 20 years I have taught students with parents like this who are aggressive, relentless, unethical liars. I hope parents see the reputations and livelihoods ruined and they begin to take a different approach to planning and plotting their kids future.
75
Why is the Times writing these ridiculous articles about how tough it has been on privileged, clueless, people who try to game the system, but fail? They deserve no sympathy. Are their children so dumb that they did not know that they were not major lacrosse stars? Please, Spare us.,
56
Were the parents who paid a whopping six million dollars publicly named? Or are they too wealthy to be subjected to a "perp walk" like mere peons?
26
They also didnt reveal the name of the parent(s) who bribed the Yale coach. Their kid has been expelled from Yale but remains anonymous.
1. Put these corrupt parents in jail.
2. Put the "handlers" who paid bribes, and the coaches that accepted them, in jail.
3. Put the University presidents and admissions officials - who elevate athletic ability, legacy status and desired skin color (not Asian, curiously) above integrity and academic merit - in jail.
18
I’m all broken up that these people will miss their vacation in Monaco or their summer cruise in the Caribbean. And they should lose their jobs and be ashamed. What’s the matter? These rich folks don’t like their own justice system? Too bad. They should lose it all and have to make a real living like most other people. They had their chance and they blew it. They’re criminals. Now it’s time for the consequences of their actions.
51
These shady elite schools need to be accordingly punished.
It’s common knowledge they are prostitutes for cash.
The schools are more culpable than the students and parents.
23
Nothing will happen, some pathetic fine. This is America the only time the wealthy have to truly pay (like prison) is when they rob other wealthy people.
20
What's the difference between making a donation to a tertiary institution's building fund to curry admission favors, as against bribing an admissions officer to achieve a similar outcome?
It's a question of intent - unconditional philanthropy is an admirable calling but financial contributions with ulterior motives or strings attached are not.
My concern is also for the unwitting children of parents who bribe and are caught. Being tainted forever as 'none-too-bright' for the sins of their parents hardly seems fair. They don't deserve the shame or guilt mom and dad have brought down on themselves.
15
@Tom
One donation's legal per IRS and the other illegal if deducted on tax returns.
"Unwitting children" for parents sins? How about unwitting children of parents who do not sin while laws require them to sin?
2
@Tom The difference is that openly making a straightforward donation to a school, even with ulterior motives, is not illegal. These parents' lies and bribes are outright fraud, a criminal offense.
@Tom Somehow, I thinks the children will survive, just fine.
I am probably the only one who feels this way, but I feel sorry for these parents. It sounds like in many cases their careers are ruined, and they brought it on themselves. It's just sad. It's a self-inflicted hardship, and I know that, but still I feel bad for them. I do think they should suffer the consequences of their actions.
Their children, it's a different matter. I do not agree that in every case, the children knew what was going on. If a young person gets into Stanford on a soccer scholarship and they don't play soccer, yes, they would know something was amiss. If, on the other hand, the young person took the SAT, and unknown to them, someone was hired to change answers, they might not know. How many times in my own life have I taken a test and been surprised at an "A" or a higher SAT score than I expected? Many times. And I did not cheat. These things need to be evaluated on a case-by-case basis. It's sad for the children, too.
And yes, the true victims are those who would have gotten these coveted slots by their own efforts, but did not get them.
39
@SC Certain Whether or not they were aware of the schemes, these kids took places from deserving students. They should not be allowed to continue to attend colleges where they didn't gain entrance through legitimate means.
40
@SC Certain I agree. I, too, feel sorry for the chaos this has put in many lives. Families torn apart, jobs lost, self worth (of the young) deprecated-awful. May they all grow from this experience.
10
I'm sure there are plenty of rich people and people obsessed with fame and celebrity who also feel for these parents. The rest of us are disgusted that these entitled elitists and their spoiled brats get to abuse the system at the expense of people who actually earned their place with hard work and smarts.
9
I understand the public outrage but I also think that the presumption of innocence is a critical feature of our justice system and consequences should wait on proof. Because people do rush to judgement as the media prompts us to. Yes, it does seem likely they are all guilty, and the consequences they are facing seem well deserved, but it is also possible someone got mixed into the list by mistake or that in just one case the evidence was dodgy. Point is, we don’t know. We only know what reporters say the prosecutors say with no actual detailed evidence at all. Howling for blood should wait on proof and trial.
9
An example need to be made here by the justice system.
No slaps on the wrist of fines that are absurdly low compared to these parents net worth. Throw the book at them, make and example of them. WHY? Because that is the only way to send a message to other 1% families to knock off this sort of privileged manipulation of the education systems in our country. Yes, give them due process, but please do not give them any special consideration due to their status or fame.
Period.. full stop.
I'm not interested in listening to their pleading or excuses, much less see some of them treating entry to court as just another red carpet performance.
27
@Chuck Agree- not because I enjoy seeing anyone suffer but because we cannot have a system in this country that allows the 1% to cheat and have access to a good life while others suffer for minor offenses. It is heartbreaking to read all the comments excusing this type of behavior. It indicates just how far we have gone from the idea of what is right, and what is wrong. What is honest and what is thievery.
8
No international vacations.
No appearances on television.
No book deals.
Out of work.
So you mean they are a little bit more like the rest of us?
58
@Frederic Mokren
No, I don't think they are as vindictive and spiteful as many of "the rest of us" are here. There's a good deal of ugliness in a lot of the comments. Let them all be judged by the courts, if at all, first, please. Maybe they are, or are not guilty, and how are you or I to really know at this point? Because of the news stories? As if they get it right all the time? Regardless, it seems a lot of commentators have left common decency behind here and are thriving on mob mentality.
They can barrens like OCA!
What’s hard to understand is that there are so many expensive private colleges that would welcome customers who can pay the full freight and offer the edge stays seekers want. No need to cheat or lie.
10
@RC
Without an Ivy League degree, you have no chance at many jobs. Look at the Supreme Court and it’s clerks. Ask Judge Kagan what chance does a non Ivy Keague grad have of becoming a professor at Harvard Law School.
Cheating has legal consequences and personal consequences. The evidence that these parents conspired to cheat is overwhelming, so while the courts will decide whether they committed a crime, others are free to determine whether what they did was wrong based on their own values. Losing jobs and stature and being subjected to social ostracism are the lifelong consequences meted out to those who choose to fake their, or their family's, accomplishments rather than earn them.
10
Yes, there is an assumption of innocence until proven guilty. But it's hard for me to work up any sympathy for these parents. Did they think that once they handed over the cash, the transaction and the cheating it represented would remain a secret? Did they not think of any potential consequences to their careers or their children's lives? The full force of the law should come down on them. Kind of tough going to one of your multi-million-dollar second homes in the US rather than taking your family to Mexico.
8
I don't get it. Sure, these parents are super lame and horrible examples of parenting, but how is any of this illegal? I mean, specifically, what actual law has been broken?
And what is the difference between this and buying a fancy college a new library with your name on it? Answer: nothing. Your kid is getting in to that school.
Another open, apparently not illegal, secret is college athletes (the real ones) barely even have to attend classes. They are admitted no matter what their SAT scores are. As long as they are selling tickets to their sporting events, no one seems to mind.
While I'm at it...competitive water polo? Seriously? The real crime is that that is even a thing.
9
@Nadia
Actually water polo is pretty tough.
2
So you won’t mind when your brainy teen who worked their whole young life to earn their spot (top grades, top test scores, athletics, extra-curricular’s, volunteering, etc etc etc) gets rejected because someone richer than you steals your kid’s place?
And, my daughter was a competitive water polo player & competitive swimmer- she was also on her high school’s varsity teams for both sports. Water polo & Swimming are sports- seems your lack of knowledge regarding sports is at the same level as your lack of empathy & character.
1
@Nadia:"And what is the difference between this and buying a fancy college a new library with your name on it? Answer: ..."
In the latter, the school gets a new library that students, faculty and staff can use. In the former, a middle-man is enriched.
Any other questions?
College/University is an abject rip off and inappropriate for more than 50% who attend or attempt to do so. Most of it is timing - but that is irrelevant.
No one here has put the blame on the colleges for the "education" they purport to provide and the amount they charge for it. The schools are the problem and made this problem.
I put 4 kids through - all were different. One did the four yrs with a 4.0. Another, now 30, has a 2 year degree and is working for her 4 yr degree. Another did 4 yrs, graduated but no clue how academically, learned nothing and is running her own business doing $5M+/yr in sales. Another took 7 years to finish.
Me - now comfortably retired, I got 123 credits, never paid for/filed for the diploma, never had a real job, wouldnt know how and have ordered a vanity license plate for my new Tesla showing the following:
210GPA
1
Okay, it's time for a "Jessie" sentence, with but one exception: they all pled guilty.
They should serve hard time, but we all know they will not.
3
The kids are getting a degree in the law from their parents. Hope they learn from all this.
7
These people have lost their livelihoods before they’ve stepped one foot in court to defend themselves, and certainly before they’ve been convicted of anything. This is very troubling.
4
I do feel sorry for the kids. How awful to have parents with so little faith in or regard for their children. With hard work and all of their advantages in life these kids would have gotten into colleges without their parents’ dubious “help”. Even rich entitled kids deserve to have loving strong relationships with their parents, relationships that I am sure are now badly damaged.
57
If nothing else, this scandal should hopefully make all colleges hire a few extra employees to their system.
They would confirm that the kids are who they SAY they are in tests, sports, and activities, and that they wrote their own essays to gain admittance.
A great lesson from my father, repeated throughout my life:
Actions have consequences.
11
These parents are all white and privileged. I'm quite sure they will be just fine. This will all mysteriously work and the women (especially the actresses) will never see the inside of a prison.
46
@Yolanda C. Summers
I think this has much more to do with wealth than race. But I agree they will all be fine.
7
@Yolanda C. Summers:"These parents are all white and privileged."
Among the privileged "whites" are:
I-Hsin “Joey” Chen.
David Sidoo
Gamal Bbdelaziz
Wanna try again?
10
Well hey - Loughlin is acting as though she’s on the “red carpet” she’s laughing, waving at “fans” shaking hands - this is fun time! Excuse me madam - breath deeply ‘cause the toast is burning.
25
@Sofedup
They’ll all pay fines and walk. It will blow over. That’s how it works. It’s a disgrace and just one of the symptoms of our divided society. Easy to understand why some people just give up.
1
@Sofedup--After seeing Loughlin walk into the courthouse as if it was the red carpet for the Academy awards. The judge needs to have a private meeting with her and her attorney to read the riot act to them. Treat them as being innocent until proven guilty which is the next step--including punishment and prison time. No community service signing autographs!
1
Between 1991 and 2018 my four children have matriculated at different Universities. Three have graduated and the youngest is a freshman. In my books, entry to a competitive university is a lifelong project associated with the quality of schooling. That the dice are loaded against those with financial challenges and other social handicaps is a given. University is no different from Legal, Financial and other American institutions.
When these dishonest privileged get caught, I anticipate savoring their processing from the perp walk through their post trial placing of handcuffs. These Universities have departments much like those which Big Pharm sustain at their core. Grab money by any means available; damn the consequences. Perhaps it's time for an Ivy League perpetrator or two to take that trip up the river. Robbers and their lookouts do time; nothing new
20
I can’t feel sorry for the repercussions on these parents’ careers because their choices to help their their entitled, unmotivated kids get into higher education undermines my profession as a professor. Teaching students who don’t want to be there and show little interest in the material sucks the joy out of teaching. Give me a class of young people who want to be there and want to engage with the material to actually learn. Sad that some young people like that got displaced by these parents’ choices.
64
Hard to pity or condone what these people have done despite the years of surreptitious dealings by those who could afford to game the system.
As with the we movement, as the wild card cursor continues to uncover unsettling practices that social media begs for to exploit, clearly there will be few sacred cows. Maybe that's a good thing after all.
At the end of the day, those that have will always prevail. Those that don't have will remain wistful.
2
This is really quite sad when you consider the thousands of young people convicted and possibly in jail for the minor offence of getting caught smoking a joint or in the possession of pot. Seems to me these families should be fined 10% of their net worth and move on. Millions of dollars in legal and court time will be wasted over the next few years when those funds could be better invested in young people who need the funds for school.
9
@Really I don't think it's a 'waste of time' to have the process unfold if none other than to have it in the public record. That's one of the purposes of a trial and the judicial system as a whole.
Actually it's quite possible that a fund will be created for financially challenged students in which the guilty are forced to deposit x amount of their net worth as part of restitution.
11
No doubt what these parents are 'accused' of doing is wrong. However like other people who have the means, in real terms how is it different than parents donating money to schools to add on a wing or a library , or for that matter by paying for tutoring for their children to help them pass the entrance exams in order to get their children into college's of their choice . I hate to see people vilified because of their class or status, whether that be high or low, and I feel that is what is happening here.
8
@Brit Tutoring at least requires the student to listen and study and work, unlike having a sub take the ACT for you.
5
@Brit
A library, a wing, an updated gym, etc, at least benefit the broader student population. Not the case with bribes and cheating. The lesser of two evils I suppose.
4
@Brit
Because those things, while perhaps unethical, are not strictly illegal nor involve outright lying, as in the case of someone else actually writing the exam instead of only paying for someone to tutor your child to do better on the exam themselves. Or, portraying your kid as an athlete that doesn't even play the sport. That is different from donating an arena to the school.
7
Based on what I have observed representing employees in employment law cases, the treatment of these individuals by thier employers is very typical. Employers often suspend or even terminate employees based only on criminal allegations. So responding to another commentator’s point, these defendants are being treated no worse than their far less wealthy peers. A point I wish this article had made, since I agree it otherwise would seem to garner sympathy for these very privileged people. It is a whole different question as to whether employers should engage in this practice.
11
@Faith Herndon
This is the best comment here! The consequences of getting in trouble is far more severe for the average person than for these people.
Why is this an issue now? This has been a long standing tradition that we saw used well and truly during the Vietnam War draft (look no further than President bone-spurs himself).
It has been in countless documentaries from college athletes, coaches, and alumni that this has been a long practice of abuse of admissions whether for personal gain, the prestige of the University, or a combination of both.
Actual merit-based application has been what was sold to the public, but each level of education (from pre-school through to post-graduate) has seen to some degree this level of corruption.
USC has always been called "University of Spoiled Children" since the 70s (if not earlier), so is anyone really shocked that it hasn't changed?
The real question is why are we insisting now on 'merit-based admissions' when our society isn't based on merit-based economics? Shouldn't we change our focus of society first on becoming more merit-based than income-based?
14
@James Wallis Martin:"This has been a long standing tradition that we saw used well and truly during the Vietnam War draft "
During that time these sort of scams were considered progressive and forward thinking.
And for all the Kabuki theatre NYC parents go through to get their kids into "Top Tier" Private grammar school and high schools including 40K pre-K programs, IQ tests and test prep at 4, family interviews, child "play dates" where they are being observed. Guess what THE HIGHEST BIDDER WINS. So don't feel bad when they reject your kid, you didn't know the rules of the game. They buy and cheat themselves into private lower schools and then find the way to do it for college.
10
It’s hard to summon up sympathy for these parents.
All I can think of is how many poor people end up being charged with a crime, and they too pay a price for even being charged. Plus, the poor may not be able to afford a lawyer. Or may be totally innocent, but haven’t the resources to adequately defend themselves.
Yes, their children may pay a price too. But so would the children of poor people.
Just because you have an advanced degree or high power job or lots of money doesn’t mean you’re immune when you break the law. They’ve now disgraced themselves as well as their professions.
9
What good is having money if you can't use it to buy people and privilege? In their minds and those of their peers, the only crime is being caught. It's how the world works, after all. Now, those in the entertainment/fashion/modeling business will get new book deals for their story. Those others who are multi-millionaires, will just have to suffer by on their investments and asset appreciation...the professionals haven't stopped being valuable in their skills to offer the world. The kids, well, if they ever thought of other classes at all, will just learn to resent them to go with their inherited disgust at them...and get a book deal or youtube blogging contracts or go into politics, they will have a great victim card to play on E.T. and their like, maybe get onto a reality shows.
2
These kids had every advantage in the world -- access to the top private schools and tutors, and all of their material needs met and then some. And yet these parents still wanted to game the system even further on their behalf. It just goes to show how depraved the truly privileged in this country can be. None of these folks are victims. We should spend more time lamenting the hard-working people who didn't get a chance to go to USC or Yale simply because they didn't have $50,000 to bribe someone, or millions to donate legally to get an advantage.
11
Is this article part of some new sympathy narrative we will now be presented with (perhaps with the support of some costly PR agency that specializes in reputation reconstruction)? Because if so, I'm not buying it. These people essentially used their privilege to shove hardworking kids out of their way to grab something they hadn't earned and didn't deserve. I'm supposed to feel bad that they are missing out on vacations and are feeling the heat of public shame? Welcome to the other side of fame.
20
So sad to be hounded outside of court in your Bentley. Can’t compare to not having bus fare.
21
@Mark Bower
Your point is well taken, but judging from the logo on the grille, that appears to be a Chrysler 300.
As a college professor, I suggest throwing the book at these parents and their kids should be yanked out of their respective colleges. I hear weak excuses that students didn't know what was happening and should avoid penalties and to that I say hogwash. These are smart college students and it's not hard to figure out their parents engaged in fraud. Want to stop this abuse of privilege and power? Get rid of them all. The students booted from school will serve as the greatest deterrent from college fraud in the future. Humility is an outstanding lesson and this disaster could provide the schooling these parents and their kids need.
373
@Ralph braseth Agree 100% regarding the students. They should also rescind any degrees already awarded (Singer supposedly did this for 800 families, where are the rest of the defendants?). As for the parents, let's stop short of prison. We already send too many people to prison for too long. Probation, fines, and community service should be enough. I agree it's the students' punishment that will serve as the real deterrence to future parents.
29
@Ralph braseth
"Want to stop this abuse of privilege and power?"...
Good luck with that one.
6
@Ralph brash
I agree. Their parents went to ridiculous lengths shield them from disappointment. Let this be their first lesson. They need it.
22
I just don’t understand these parents. Their kids already had it easy. I had a paper route when I was 12. I worked a part-time job bussing tables at a restaurant on the weekends when I was in high school. I bought most of my own clothes with that job. And I worked 2 jobs over the summer before my senior year to save up for my first car. My parents couldn’t afford private tutors for me, let alone private school. I took the ACT fair and square. It’s just mind boggling to me that these parents were pampering their children like that. They didn’t have to work. They could afford private tutors and coaches. And they can afford any college. What is the world coming to?
78
I sure hope there's a trickle-down effect and public school officials investigate the flood of IEP's and 504 protections in disproportional clusters among the schools. We've gone from standardized testing time limits being negotiable to protections of the actually impaired student being bought by parents with the know-how and means to give their children an advantage. Given the confidentiality of the situation I don't yet know how to uncover these abuses and this entire mess has kept a lot of expensive lawyers and advocates well employed.
28
@Jenny Well, you have to be careful about this one. I don't know what "the schools" are, but we moved our entire family into a one bedroom apartment so our daughter, who had a 504 in public school for dysgraphia, could go to a private school. It was incredibly difficult to get her a 504 and completely impossible to get her the learning supports that she needed in public school. She wasn't failing badly enough. Now she is finally learning.
It is not fair that kids in public schools have their learning disabilities ignored, but many kids in private schools have accommodations because public schools weren't educating them and that's where they go. My daughter's school is just known as a regular, private school, but almost every kid in their either has a learning disability or is the sibling of a kid with a LD. They don't all do poorly in school though; most of them are twice exceptional.
4
@Elaine - it sounds, Elaine, like your daughter is the beneficiary of your massive sacrifice and a successful diagnosis and I certainly wish her luck in getting the education she and every other child deserves.
I am talking about savvy suburban parents who have been made aware of additional help offered to legitimately needy students and then claiming it for their children in order to get more academic attention as a personal advantage to get ahead of the competition, such as additional time on tests. This illegitimate use of 504's and IEP's are starting very early and, again, the clustering of them has raised more than anecdotal suspicion. I am also sad that this cheating dilutes some of the idealism I hold toward public school education and the exceptional gains in Special Education.
3
Black defendants get locked up for years and lose crucial jobs before they get to defend themselves. And poor rich man can't go to Mexico but has to go to his million dollar house for vacation. And you wonder why the rest of us are sickened by these people.
142
Meanwhile my son slaughtered the SAT and could go to any school he wants, and I can’t get him to finish his BA.
Is it possible that as parents we try to do too much for our children when in fact they have to live their own lives?
39
@Kenneth Ranson No disrespect intended, but maybe your son needs to experience life without a college education. I had to go through this myself, and it's funny how a little hardship can quickly refocus your mind.
18
This should go without saying, but since there are no comments yet I might as well start it off: what about the "rewritten" lives of the hardworking and young people who didn't get into the best schools because their spots were already taken by the children of one of these fraudsters (or of the myriad who surely came before them)?
I liked Full House as much as the next person, but you'll excuse me if I'm not too moved by the backlash against Loughlin and her coterie. I know this is the headline that will generate clicks, but I wish the skills of NYT journalists could be used to cover news of importance, rather than sob stories about celebrities getting upset about not getting everything they wanted. Sheesh.
36
What about the smart young people Mr. Singer hired to take exams for these wealthy parents? Will their ill-gotten gains be scrutinized?
22
@DC
I believe a number of people employed by Singer were also indicted. That's just not the focus of this article.
2
@mm
The primary test taker has not only been indicted but has already pled guilty. The parents are the ones declaring themselves not guilty, which will prolong the spectacle - that's why you are seeing them in the news.
Definition of smug, over-privileged elite person: Mr. McGlashan lamenting the cancelling of a trip to Mexico with his wife and children and that he should be allowed to go on since it had been planned months before the charges were unveiled.
Ahem.
Perhaps if he'd not (allegedly) conspired to cheat and bribe "months before" he wouldn't be in court.
84
@Sara G.
It was difficult to read that: he's so arrogant that he didn't have a flicker of a worry that his presumptuous attitude might not go over well with the judge. How dare the court interrupt his plans.
2
When we look at what the wealthy will do to insure greater advantage is afforded their children, let’s remember the parents who trek in torn socks through the desert and cling to the top of speeding trains for the chance of safety, a square meal and an American public school education for their children.
102
@Chris Thank you for this comment. Spot on.
10
@Chris
The parents that trek through the desert certainly deserve a better life for themselves and their family. Should they seek it from their own corrupt government? Do you believe they get to jump the immigration line ahead of people in similarly desperate situations who are waiting OUTSIDE the U.S. for legal immigration? I don't know what the real answer is. Seems the U.S. just can't absorb everyone who needs saving fast enough. And we already printed money like crazy.
2
Essentially these parents are saying to their kids “you can’t make it on your own”, “if I don’t make it happen, you won’t get in”. What a message to send your children - i.e that you have no faith in their abilities and that they can’t stand on their own 2 feet.
On so many levels it is just being a lousy parent, being a really bad example by breaking the law, that the kids are just another showpiece in the parents’ lives, that the kids aren’t loveworthy unless they are as successful as the parents.
The parents are depriving their children of the joy of knowing that they can make it on their own.
Maybe not at a prestigious school if they can’t get in, but letting them find their own way through life with the parents on the sidelines for advice, good example, trust and love.
18
Please, NYTimes, do a follow up “Where Ate They Now” article in 6 to 12 months. I’d bet my last dollar they all land nicely on their feet.
79
@Paul V No one asks for Kim Kardashian's CV. They'll be fine. The punishment is that they'll never be taken seriously again, but they'll drop their sorrows in money.
6
@Paul V
At the finest restaurants in town, to be sure.
As the mom two kids who went to a small, poor, rural public high school (OK, yeah, my fault for living here), I find it hard to understand the mentality of parents who would do such a thing. Maybe they knew that once there, their kids could also buy grades and degrees? Otherwise why send them to colleges for which they are not prepared?
My kids did have some advantages over poorer classmates, however. They had two schoolteacher parents familiar with the college scene. They had the wherewithal to be able to take the SAT three times and the ACT once to try to improve their scores. They had supportive parents who helped with homework when necessary and made sure they did it at all.
But no AP classes, no SAT prep courses or books, no donations to colleges. My husband and I each have a degree from Gonzaga, a Jesuit school, to which we could not afford to send our kids. They went to state schools, from which they graduated with very minimal debt. We had saved all their lives to pay for this, and they contributed as well. They have good jobs with which they make reasonable incomes and are happy. And that's what life is about.
I seriously doubt that any of these parents considered the possible consequences of being caught. And I'm positive that William Singer and the coaches and other college and testing officials are the only ones, or even the tip of the iceberg, who did such to gain such access for their kids.
Shameful.
26
These people spent fortunes and now lose everything. If I were a lawyer representing these people, I would argue that they were taken in by the con artist who arranged these dishonest admissions - except that he preyed on their greed for status. Barnum said there's a sucker born every minute, and that is certainly the case here. They're as dumb as they thought their kids are.
11
@RJ Your assertion is wrong on many levels. The parents shouldn’t be let off the hook because they were “tricked” into engaging the huckster. Like most parents, they were looking to help their kids gain admission to a great college but knowingly crossed a line from giving them legitimate help with test prep and tutoring to out-and-out cheating. They weren’t dumb. Rather, they were blinded by a combination of blind ambition and financial privilege and fell prey to the herd pressure to place their kid in a great school.
4
@RJ These people were fully aware of what they were doing. At least one of them tried to structure it so that they'd be able to claim the "donation" on their taxes. They might get more for that than anything, so then again, maybe they are as dumb as you suggest.
3
Oh, no, what? Rich white people are suffering consequences? How can President Trump let this happen? For shame!
37
@Toni Lee de Lantsheere: As are Indian-Canadian, Egyptian, African-American and Chinese-American charged in the scandal white folks?
Interesting.
3
They did it because they could pay. Now they need to pay for what they did. Simple ( crime or not).
12
Gee, my heart bleeds (NOT). My annual retirement income is far less than what they paid to help their kids cheat on the SAT. No sympathy whatsoever.
--not sorry.
22
This reads like an Onion parody. Having to use one of your domestic mansions instead of going to Mexico! Losing book deals! The horror, the horror.
66
Very interesting how Ms. Huffman's husband was a no-show at her court appearance. I guess Mr. Macy didn't want to jeopardize his multi-million dollar contract with Showtime by appearing with his wife and possibly arousing suspicion that he had a hand in this as well.
Typical "Do as I say, not as I do" behavior.
19
Maybe he was working.
I just heard on CBS radio news that these people are consulting - get this! - prison consultants, asking them things like, "Will I have Internet access? Email?"
Prison consultants? Next door to college consultants, I guess. If there are prison consultants (and I guess there must be given the market from white-collar criminals), their services should be available free to anybody about to be sent to prison. With expertise on how to avoid being stabbed or raped, as well as how to send email.
26
@Howard
After that it will be a PR consultant - to burnish their brand when they’re released (maybe even with a book deal about prison life).
@Howard
See "Get Hard" starring Will Ferrell and Kevin Hart.
The parents are not victims, and deserve as much punishment as the law calls for, up to and including jail time.
And I know their kids were so dumb that they could not get into a so called "good" college (e.g., USC? say what?) without their parents committing bribery or other crimes to gain admission for the little darlings. However, it seems highly likely that most of these kids were aware of what was going on.
A proctor sat next to the kid and provided or changed test answers? The kid had to know.
Another person took the test instead of the kid? The kid had to know.
The kid took a photo on a rowing machine pretending to be a rower? The kid had to know.
The kid was given extra time to take the test due to disability? The kid had to know that he/she did not have a disability.
Were there possibly a few instances where a kid somehow did not know his parents had cheated to gain him/her admission? Maybe, but doesn't seem very likely.
Many, perhaps most, of the kids were not "caught up" in the crimes but were witting participants. To preserve any sense of decency and ethics the colleges need to investigate not just what crimes the parents and their enablers committed, but what the kids knew and did.
In any case these criminal parents' kids, witting or not, need to be expelled. (If a parent steals a car and gives it to his kid, does the kid get to keep the car? I don't think so.)
23
I was taken aback at Olivia Jade's video that she didn't really care about school. She's in one of the most prestigious schools in the U.S. and she declares, unapologetically, that she doesn't appreciate the advantage mummy and daddy bought for her.
Olivia, honey, then quit. Go to a community college and let someone who desperately wants to be there, be there.
37
@JL22 Or how about skip it all together and not waste the professors' time. Her main concern is (was) her Instagram "business."
4
@JL22
Hey, I work in admissions at a community college and trust me when I say that the students there all want to be there -- very much!
6
This is the wrong week to feel sorry for these defendants, because just last Thurday college rejection notices broke the hearts of tens of thousands of deserving high school seniors.
I personally know of kids with 4.6 GPAs and near-perfect SAT scores who failed to gain admission to Yale or Stanford or the other schools implicated. Not because they weren't qualified, but because they were 10,000 other equally qualified applicants just like them at each school and only a thousand or so admissions slots available.
Every admission spot gained by one of these cheaters was literally stolen from a bright, hard-working kid. And if you know any high-school seniors, then you know I'm not lying when I say "hard working."
75
Here’s the thing, charges like this aren’t filed, unless the prosecutors have at least a 90% chance of winning, by winning, I mean agreeing to lesser charges, that said, I don’t think it’s a stretch to think that these people more than likely did do exactly what the charges are asserting.
And it really does demonstrate the greed, and the feeling of entitlement that these people feel. If any of their children have graduated, their test scores are now suspect....
9
The two well known actresses have faced more scrutiny than others.
I think we should be more focused on the likes of Caplan and Wilson, who fancy themselves captains of industry. Their entitlement and lawlessness poses a greater danger for the rest of us.
32
@Cousy Great point!
3
It's interesting that neither woman's husband accompanied them to their court appearance today.
14
The students can take a gap year, retake the SAT and apply next year
They can spend half the year doing service and write about that or they can take a few community college classes
and beef up their gpa
Not the end of the world. They can
All reapply and use this experience as an essay topic
8
But what university would accept them now?
@Alexandra Hamilton
they will be able to write killer essays about the whole ordeal and how they have found Jesus
@Mr. Prop Silk
Only if they want to be rejected (except to
It’s a shame that the kids have to suffer. First being expelled and then only seeing parents only on visiting days.
3
It makes you wonder about the chicanery that occurs with graduate admissions. And with medical school, it's downright unnerving.
11
The same wealth they used to buy their kids places at university will buy them the best attorneys. I have zero sympathy or concern for them.
15
They have nothing to fear.... a so sorry will suffice. If Smollett can get away with it, why not them? Unless they are not worth pleading for by the Obamas....
2
The Obamas had nothing to do with the charges against Smollett being settled. And for what it’s worth, I think he should have paid the price, too — of a conviction. Cheaters who break the law should be punished. Full stop.
“Ms. Huffman has been derided on social media, and she has deleted her parenting blog, “What the Flicka.” I wonder if her parenting blog, covered cheating, and opening yourself up to federal charges. I bet if you would have said, your going to get charged, she would have laughed in your face, while writing her “parenting blog”
6
A parable for our times. What many of these high performing parents have in common is the ability to control their environments, and yes, the college admissions process, through money and connections and now, a phalanx of lawyers. I'm still reeling from the twist of fate by which a parent apparently engaged in yet another criminal act unraveled this scheme. Human beings are impossible to predict, impossible to control.
3
Well, isn't this "kinda" what Jared Kushner's father did so Jared could go to Harvard?
A middling high school student, Jared skipped over top fellow students kind of because his father donated $2.5 million to the school. Would love to see Jared's grades at Harvard, wouldn't you?
An official from Kushner's high school said, "His GPA did not warrant it, his SAT scores did not warrant it. Then, lo and behold, Jared was accepted."
47
@Jay
One is criminal. The other is unethical.
I would condemn both.
5
@Jay Aren't his father-in-law's tax returns enough for you?
2
@Jay
Precisely! I don't see much of a difference here.
Cry me a river.Us working people have kids that really did have great GPAs and great SAT scores,and really did crew,really were super musicians.They worked for it, We paid $250,000 for their tuition,so they would not have student loan debt,affecting our retirement.This inequality needs to come to an end.How come my kids had to work their tails off to get into a good college.How come my husband and I had to work our tails off to pay for it?Sorry,no sympathy here.
52
@Nora Happy to hear your kids got into a great school. Not to sound harsh, but I know several people here in LA whose kids got into a non-Ivy or equivalent college as well as UCLA. Their kids felt entitled to attend said schools which the parents couldn’t afford, and for some reason, the parents also effectively took on that debt when their child could’ve received a great education at a fraction of the price at UCLA. This choice is another form of entitlement that I can’t understand. If the child picks a school that doesn’t offer substantial scholarship money when a public university is an option, then I really don’t have a lot of sympathy for the kid or the parents for making that consumer choice.
2
@Juarezbear both of my sons had half of their
tuition paid by academic scholarships,Hard work by both of them.While also working construction jobs .Sorry,there is inequity,I am not looking for a fight.Just hoping that things can change.
3
"There does seem to be a certain assumption that these people are guilty just based upon the accusation — and that’s not true, and that’s not fair,” said David Schumacher"
Ruh-roh: Scooby, I think someone is trying to pull the wool over our eyes.
I have sympathy for just about everybody, but my God, this desperate housewife is really struggling to not want to see all these parents in the full house that is prison.
I know. Bad puns.
But seriously......
These are thieves. What did they steal? The future of other children. They did so because they thought that despite their vast privilege, they were more deserving. I really can't think of anything more despicable.
No sympathy and let me never see those actresses ever come across my television screen again.
18
What lesson or message were these parents sending to their children? Cheating is just fine if it gets you into Yale?
These are the proverbial helicopter parents and the helicopter just crashed. These parents simply do not know what it means to be a loving, caring, moral person and have sent a terrible message to their children.
7
I thought this might have been a satire. We are supposed to weep for the wealthy who might have to cancel international vacations because they've been charged with federal crimes in connection with buying their children's admissions to college? In most of the cases, there are recorded conversations and documentary evidence. Have they been so shielded from consequences themselves that they think they are entitled to vacation abroad while on bail?? As for the children--no teen who permitted someone else to complete his or her college application, then signed it, should be considered "innocent" in this mind-boggling scandal.
19
"If [one of the accused parents] were not allowed to attend the conferences . . .he would be out the cost of several international plane tickets as well as any honorariums for speaking."
"[Another couple] struggled to come up with the $100,000 they had agreed to pay as part of the arrangement, with [the] wife saying at one point that they were refinancing their house to make the payments.
Poor dears. Who cannot sympathize?
7
This article almost sounds like a parody. It is comical that we should feel sorry for these families. They gambled and lost. They were involved in an illegal activity and got caught. Now they must pay the price if they are found guilty. Like the other parents in this comment section, my children studied hard and were rewarded with admittance into good colleges. They did it on their own. My husband and I were fortunate to be able to pay for their college tuition. We did it the legal way.
12
Are we supposed to feel bad that these wealthy famous people can’t take international vacations before trial?! Um no. Poor people with brown skin get shot to death for merely appearing guilty of something to a cop. If these parents somehow are found to be innocent, at least they will have survived the trauma of having to spend spring break at their $12m Montana ranch instead of Mexico.
14
These days, many universities are operating like Wall St. firms. Womb-to-Tomb, they're are relentlessly after the wealth of alumni, donors, corporations, etc. though various benignly named schemes such Estate Planning, Donor Appreciation, Golden Alumni Awards, etc. etc. Favors are given and taken on a regular basis. Most of these parents probably will get light sentences. The judge would do well to make these parents pay for the entire college expenses of 100 students who otherwise would not be able to afford a 4-yr college. That'd be a fitting punishment
19
The people accused of bribery got what they deserve. I don't feel bad for them. They are contributing to the brake dawn of our society. Their kids have it made with or without the bribes.
2
Indignation, the norm nowadays, amplified exponentially.
People allegedly committed crimes but despite everything that’s transpired since November 2016 this is still a country of laws.
Why are are we creating a slippery slope by convicting them in the court of public opinion?
Let the legal process unfold and then queue up the righteous indignation.
4
Their is a lot to untangle here on multiple layers. This is an Attack on the whole system itself. We need to question the people who have degrees from the School if the students should be reevaluated before a degree is handed out. If not a process needs to be put in place to ensure the students are intelligent as they claim...
1
As a former federal public corruption prosecutor, my view is that it Is important to keep in mind that individuals of moral character do not suddenly, one-time decide to commit a significant criminal act - as the parents did here.
Rather, nearly always when a criminal act is identified by the authorities, is almost always part of the accused's modus operandi - how they view the world and how they operate.
I'd lay money on the line (visual pun half intended) that these defendants are odious characters whose public facades of decorum and achievement contrast mightily with how they got to where they were - and how they treat people. This time they simply got caught redhanded . . . .
49
@William M. Palmer, Esq. Exactly. That is what an attorney I interviewed indicated when I remarked on the breadth of cases he had handled as a formal federal prosecutor. He said in effect, don't be impressed with the variety of crimes, they are actually all doing the same thing in different venues. Easy to see, just follow the trail.
Additionally, in this LA community, many of the private schools stage seasonal fundraisers whereby vendors are invited, pay fees to exhibit, are charged for program advertising, required to donate items for silent auctions and then donate 20-25% of their sales. Frequently parents approach vendors for additional discounts of more than 20%. If the vendor declines, they are generally not asked to participate again. Small time stuff to the entitled parents but not for the vendors. It happens and just becomes another character recommendation.
Weirdly I am not overwhelmed with sympathy for these rich people who tried to cheat to get their kids into college. Their kids could have gone to lesser schools. They could have focused on getting their kids more tutoring so that the kids would have gotten into top schools with ease. Maybe their kids are simply not too bright, and shouldn't go to top schools anyway.
Regardless, they're rich, they'll be fine. I'm far more concerned about pretty much every problem the world is facing today.
11
The article implies that it is unfair that Dr. Colburn and the others are being unfairly punished before they have been found guilty of anything. If that is true (and I don't think it is) isn't that also true of everyone accused of inappropriate behavior as part of the me too movement? Also, it is not the prosecutor's fault that the State Medical Board's rules require poor Dr. Colburn to report the allegations. The same is true for Mr. Caplan and the State Bar rules. It is also unlikely that he could continue to practice law as I'm sure their malpractice insurance doesn't cover them if they have been indicted for a felony. I have no sympathy for any of these people. None of them thought they were doing the "right thing" and none of them would have done what they did if they thought it would become public. That isn't the case with Dr. Dre's $70m donation to USC or Kushner's father's donation even though everyone knew why they did it.
4
It is difficult to feel sympathy for any of these parents, who if they are not wealthy are certainly upper middle class and well educated. Protections against criminal convictions have never protected indicted persons from civil consequences. Think of all the people who lose their lives every year in this country based solely on the color of their skin or their religion or their nationality. When these parents claim innocence and unfairness, let them remind themselves of the completely innocent who die every year because of hate and prejudice.
4
To the extent that these people thought about the criminal implications of this at all, they clearly considered it a victimless crime. Of course there are victims. The kids who did it right and just missed out because an undeserving person was taking their spot.The kids who got in, knowing they were undeserving. What does it say to a child when their parent has to cheat for them? This is part and parcel of the entire collegiate industrial complex. Great schools validate the parents more than the kids. Let kids find schools where they can enjoy the college experience and succeed or fail on their own.
3
Actions have consequences. Why shouldn't these entitled individuals pay the price for the crime they have committed? If their lives are "ruined", it was due to actions willingly and knowingly taken by these parents. They are not being treated unfairly, they're just not used to being treated like everyone else. Isn't that the entire crux of this issue -privilege and the subsequent abuse of the system?
3
Are we supposed to feel sorry for these people and their kids?
I don’t have an ounce of compassion for them. They are just mad they got caught.
3
No pity for them from me. The students of the richer parents in my opinion knew all about this. These young people know their grades, and whether or not they could have gotten on their own merits.
Becuase of the way they take advantage of the lesser classes, I ask for severe penalties
4
How often does the accused (Lori Loughlin) walk up and shake hands with the prosecutors? Is she trying to schmoose the prosecutors or what? Is she out of touch with reality?
6
It strikes me that the most constructive way to deal with this mess is for the parents who cheated so their little darlings could go to good schools to pay a full scholarship for one student who has the grades, but not the money, to go to that school. The scholarships should apply to as many students as the cheating parents have children.
4
So sad that they couldn’t go on their Mexico vacation and had to make do with going to their $12 million Montana home instead. I’m weeping here.
13
I'd love to see the college applications for any of the Trumps, or any of the privileged elite 1%. I suspect they all buy their way in, one way or the other. Let's call it "affirmative action for the wealthy."
13
Many of the 1% are doctors, large law firm senior partners, c suite executives of Fortune 500 firms and Wall Street partners. The NYT has noted several times that those people now rarely marry down, usually finding spouses equal to themselves. I would expect it is a better than average chance their children’s SAT scores, sports roles and leadership experiences would likely be very competitive.
Many of these people live for public adulation. BUT when the chickens come home to roost the public scrutiny is "unfair" They should be ashamed for their whining about the "hardships" they face. This one time where the adage "hate the sin, love the sinner" simply does not apply.
4
Live by the sword, die by the sword.
If anyone thinks the kids didn’t know what was going on, your kidding yourself.
4
Everybody cheats at some point. They just did it on a bigger scale because they are rich and could afford to.
6
@HeatherD no. Not everyon cheats.
2
As significant as the merits of these cases is the Internet shaming that accompanies it. This episode joins the annals of hundreds or thousands of cases of vigilante justice that stream through the web every year.
Could it be that, worldwide, the administration of justice is so impotent that here we have created its successor?
1
Some would like to see these parents do jail time. Why burden our penal system and have our taxes pay for this? They should face HUGE fines - perhaps those could go to their local public school system or into the financial aid funds of the schools they wanted their children to attend.
People like this live on how they are perceived by others. They have lost that positive persona and this is the worst punishment possible for such people.
They owe a huge apology to coaches and athletic directors at universities all over the country, whose own integrity is now being brought into question - guilt by association - and also all athletes who were recruits and have gone on to study hard and play hard for their university.
5
So, they're facing consequences for their actions. Very good.
2
For less than $100,000 their child could have had a perfectly wonderful college experience elsewhere. Goodness only knows how much this stupidity will cost them in the end. And now, I imagine, there is no money left to pay for any college.
2
He went to court to fight to be allowed to go on the spring break vacation? That, right there, is the definition of “out of touch, elite”.
15
If found guilty they should be fined a great deal of money. That money should be used for scholarships for low income deserving students. Jail? I prefer they give up most of their money.
1
The entitlement of people never ceases to amaze me. Somehow they feel they should be able to escape the consequences of their actions. I absolutely think their children should also have to face the consequences of their parents actions -- may then they will have a fighting chance to turn into a normal ethical people who will do better than their parents did.
2
What is the point of this story? People who aren't rich and who are indicted on felony charges routinely suffer these consequences, but I don't see their stories in the NYT. Unless the intent was to report their continuing sense of entitlement and general whiny-ness, why waste the space?
6
These people cheated, got caught on irrefutable wire taps and are now complaining of the consequences of being exposed as cheats and criminals.
Some of them are particularly galling like Mcglashan and Colburns maintaining their innocence and feeling like they are the victims whining how they cant take their vacations or being fired for their dishonesty and unethical behavior!
I hope the justice department lawyers are not soft on their punishments and plea deals.
1
White collar crime.
1
no sympathy for zadeh, you tried to cheat the system, and now it's going to bite you in the behind. should've thought of that before!
1
what amazes me is that what these people were thinking. My children worked very hard to get into good schools and worked very hard to graduate. I guess rich people think rules for regular folks don't apply to them.
2
The schadenfreude! I’m enjoying it while it lasts because we all know none of these people will face any lasting consequences.
4
The point that many of the accused have already been convicted in the media and their lives ruined is certainly valid and grossly unfair. I sincerely hope that the courts will appoint competent public defenders for those who have lost nearly everything and can no longer afford quality legal representation.
3
Ah shucks, they can't go on vacation or leave the country, they are being dismissed from jobs, book deals, hospitals and their lives are turned upside down. Really! The rich and entitled think they shouldn't have to suffer like the rest of the country when they do criminal acts. Interesting.
10
These parents don’t deserve any sympathy. They broke the rules and adversely impacted worthy kids, who would have received admission to these schools as a result of their hard work. Instead of trying to generate sympathy for these morally repugnant individuals, your article should have focused on generating sympathy for the hard working kids that may not been admitted to these schools because their spots were given to undeserving applicants.
3
“There does seem to be a certain assumption that these people are guilty just based upon the accusation — and that’s not true, and that’s not fair,” says the lawyer.
It's not about fairness, it's about venting my outrage. I have to vent my outrage when the story breaks because my outrage is only as long lived as my attention (not very long). Waiting for the facts to come out at a trial would take way too long as both my outrage and attention would have moved on by then. Besides, facts would just muddy the waters and perhaps call my own moral superiority into question, which is something I definitely want to avoid. Much better to be outraged when the story first breaks and everyone is painted in the worst possible light to get more eyeballs, as they say in the media game. That way I can have my momentary righteous indignation (emphasis on the righteous) before quickly moving on to the next scandal (hopefully soon...attention...fading fast.)
2
It seems to me that This has bee going on for years. Will we look into past misgivings? What about the large donations that were/are made to ensure admission- aren’t they bribes?
5
Since the schools were the ones allegedly defrauded, donations made to the school are perfectly legit. Contrary to public opinion, the government does not care if people lie on admissions forms. It only cares if they use banking system to move funds to implement the lie.
1
@Stephanie Lederman: So... we should do nothing because it's been going on for years? And large donations are usually done in the open and acknowledged. They don't involve fake test scores and staged photos. They may not be ideal, but at least it's more transparent.
Regarding the accused doctor and dentist whose attorneys are complaining about the impact on their lives before charges are proven.
To practice medicine or dentistry is a privilege, not a right and unlike in court the presumption of innocence is not required before action is taken otherwise a medical profession could continue to be unprofessional without any sanction until charges were proven. Part of the agreement when receiving a license to practice is that a state board can take action even prior to a court's determination of guilt or innocence.
And, just incidentally, Dr. Zadeh is supposed to be so famous that he lectures all over the world and had three book contracts but struggled to come up with $100,000. It doesn't quite fit together.
41
@Steve
I noticed the problem with the money too.
I don't know any dentists who don't have $100K.
They are lying about something for sure.
6
It seems that admissions should be based much more on test scores than grades since there is no way of knowing which students truly earned the grades.
1
Maybe it is just me, but the story seem to be rather sympathetic to the accused and trying to pull at my heartstrings by painting the parents (the accused) as victims. I don't feel in bit for them. So they don't get to take that "international" vacation. I wish I could afford an out-of-state vacation. And I went to college on scholarships and grants. You can't tell me the "students" didn't know. I knew every reason for my admission.
62
@Marty Hafner
I think it's just you, Marty. I just finished the article and, like you, I don't have much sympathy for these parents, but I thought the article was straight reporting about what has happened to these paents as a consequence of their actions. It's actually one of the most interesting -- and, in a way, the most satisfying -- part of this case -- this is what you get when you when you think you are better than other people.
3
@Marty Hafner The story has seemingly shifted as you suggest where originally these parents were vilified but it is almost as if the media is trying to soften the blow, "sure they should get a fine or something but come on losing out on a TV series seems a little extreme!". The two aspects of this story that still annoy and seemingly are lost, first it wasn't just buying a spot in a college but in many cases their bribes were funneled through fake charities so not only did they think their kids were entitled to this special treatment but also being the celebrities they are it seemed perfectly acceptable, (again some and not proven in court yet so we're still at the alleged phase), that they should also get a tax rebate for their bribe. Second this is just the tip of the reality associated with the corruption of getting kids into the top schools. Why should a legacy or some kid who's father buys Harvard its own airport, (yeah I stole that from the Simpsons), get precedence over an inner city kid who comes from nothing and still has straight A's?
4
@Marty Hafner Marty, I think it is just you. I have seen pretty much nothing written - in this article or elsewhere - that is remotely sympathetic to these overprivileged, cheating parents. The sentiment is universally against them and their actions.
2
No, I don’t buy it, you said how would a student that got in on an athletic program they didn’t participate in, how would they know they had an edge, what.....it’s fairly obvious, since the student who was there on the pretense that they are athletic, would know whether they actually played on the team, or not, and as such, wouldn’t the coach know that, now I’m just guessing but most college coaches know who their student athletes are, right.
33
@James The coach was in on it.
4
It is tempting to focus on the lack of sympathy for these wealthy defendants, but the disruption a criminal charge can bring to an average citizen is hardly a trifling matter. The trauma of our legal system radiates outward in devastating ways the moment someone is charged or arrested. The burdens of arrest are usually felt immediately by people and communities connected to the defendant, and often so acutely that the period before a verdict is more punitive than the period after: an exact mirror image of how the system is supposed to function.
10
@Kelly Not sure what you’re trying to say. Are we supposed to have pity on these self-entitled people, who feel that the usual rules don’t apply to them? Reminds me of Leona Helmsley, who said that only “little people” pay taxes. Then she went to jail.
3
@Kelly And much more so for those accused who can not afford bail.
2
@Kelly
These folks are able to buy the best legal defense - very different from most people accused of a crime.
3
I do not feel sorry for any of these parents if any of this is true.
In a family where we have one kid about to graduate from college another entering her fourth year in University and won all a scholarship to study for 8wks in China and the youngest a senior in high school who has gotten into some very competitive universities on her own. Their parents though far from poor do not have the resources or would even think about taking a loan or mortgaging their home to bribe someone to get their kid into the college of their choice. The only advantages these kids had was access to a decent school system and schools that took an interest in them. Which in my opinion should be available to anyone regardless of their economic situation.
90
Hope your students/children write more persuasively and more clearly than you do?
5
Unwitting students should not be penalized because even though others were deprived of their spots, it is unjust to punish an innocent beneficiary.
As for the the witting students, they should be expelled.
The more interesting question is what to do should they reapply at the same school or elsewhere.
These are teens, with still-malleable personalities. Education purports to mold these plastic minds. Our legal system recognizes they are inchoate, impulsive, and more subject to social pressure--though still bearing partial responsibility. I would favor having them apply to the original school or elsewhere on the merits (such as true sports ability, retaken SATs, grades where they were fraudulently admitted), but with the condition that their status be public, such as in the school newspaper.
The third is witting graduates. Their diplomas and transcripts should note they were complicit in admission although meeting subsequent requirements for graduation. Probably, they should be stripped of any honors.
18
@David
And how do you propose that we identify the witting students from those unwitting?
Whether one got in through an athletic program for a sport they didn't participate in, or was allowed more time on a standardized test with a known allotted time, it's impossible for the student involved to not realize that he/she was given an unfair edge. And they took advantage of it.
There is no unwitting student in this case, in my opinion.
73
@David--They should at least be required to retake all exams (SAT, ACT) in the presence of proctors unknown to them but paid for by their parents. And they should be required to redo their applications as well, and pay for independent investigators to check them out. Their families should be able to afford this.
16
@David
If an "unwitting" student got in because of a doctored test they should still be expelled since they were admitted and benefited from the fraud. If my wife embezzles $100,000 from her employer and tells me it was a bonus and I spend some of it I still have to pay it back. As for the still-malleable students, none of them did this on their own. Their parents initiated the fraud and bribes so once again they shouldn't benefit.
3
It is the wrong time in history to be wealthy and accused of a crime like this. The perfect storm of income inequality, opportunity inequality, and social media driven culture has created a virtual mob demanding retribution.
The constant media coverage makes it nearly impossible to separate our personal dislike of the accused (and there seems to be very little likable about, say, Olivia Jade Giannulli) and our belief in the right to a fair trial. There is no question that many of the accused possess the entitlement and hubris unique to the privileged class. In and of itself that’s distasteful, not criminal.
25
But the felonies that they committed are criminal.
5
@SeattleMama
Is there ever a right time for people of means and visibility to game the system just because they are convinced the rules of the game do not apply to them? And to make an effort to pass that attitude on to their offspring?
Not in the world I want to live in.
3
@SeattleMama
Can't the same thing be said of everyone accused as part of the MeToo movement? Many people who have lost jobs, prestige, etc. as a result of that didn't do anything that would have been criminal (although maybe it should be) had it been reported at the time the action occurred.
3
It is exceedingly difficult to feel much sympathy for many of the parents named in this story after reading the government's indictment. Yes, everyone is innocent until proven guilty, but the brazen way all of these people sought to subvert the system using their wealth and power leaves very little room for sympathy that they couldn't take a vacation in Mexico, or that they're losing out on fat endorsement deals as a consequence for their despicable behavior.
255
@Shane
They, and the posters here, should do the obvious -- focus on your problems. Like tutor the kid -- will be informative.
Higher ed today involves federal dollars. That's why the charges involve fraud accusations. This is serious.
These people live in a different universe from mine where friends sometimes have to skip insulin injections until their next paycheck arrives and one friend in particular cannot go to a dermatologist right now because her deductible is $6,500. Are these rich people stressed. You bet. But their stress was totally avoidable.
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@Ellen, They are only stressed because they were caught. They would be happy little rich campers if they had gotten away with it.
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Imagine a country where she didn’t need the 6,500 to see a doctor.....just not in this one.....she should go to Canada.
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@Ellen
Madam, what they and all the posters here ought to really do, IMHO -- focus on your own issues. That is, instead of hiring "cheaters" -- help the kid with her/his homework. Will be insightful.
Upset about insulin costs? Go look for alternatives, like previous-generation insulin. Expect "the cavalry to ride in" -- you're going to wait a very long time. Example: Chicago finally elected a self-identified anti-Daleyite -- only took 30 years.
One small brick in the rebuilding of a more fair and just society. Money and Celebrity should not shield people from having to play by the rules.
When will it also lay bare how wrong it is for a lawyer such as Mr Schumacher to 'defend' one of these cases?
When will the lawyers say no?
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@John Marno. Lawyers will say no immediately after doctors begin to refuse to treat patients charged with a crime.Just as a doctor treats a patient since he /she has taken an oath to heal, an individual has a
Constitutional right to representation.
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Everyone is entitled to legal defense. That’s the cornerstone of the American judicial system
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@John Marno, I hope the lawyers never say no to defending accused criminals, or innocent people charged with crimes will never have a fair chance to prove their innocence. I fully agree with your first paragraph, but could not disagree more with your second/third. The only "wrong" for lawyers would be to not defend their clients.
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"According to the criminal complaint, Mr. Zadeh and his wife struggled to come up with the $100,000 they had agreed to pay as part of the arrangement, with Mr. Zadeh’s wife saying at one point that they were refinancing their house to make the payments." What do they think happens to people when they have to make bail or payments to the court? It's almost like they are saying "This consequence is too much like a consequence." It happens to poor people all the time, where do you think they get their bail money? If refinancing your house or losing your job hurts, you probably shouldn't do the crime.
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@Bet Well, remember that Hillary Rodham Clinton was practically on the poverty line when she left the White House, at least according to her own pity party ....
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I thought this referred to their payments to the consultant. If so, it’s even sadder that they would risk their professions, their home, their reputation, to get an unqualified child into this university. LA is full of excellent schools, including LA City College and other two-year colleges doing the work of creating greater equity and access to higher education. I guess none of these people’s children would have dreamed of going there and mingling with motivated students whose parents didn’t buy them a spot at USC.
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They also managed to pay to “fix” their child’s outcome.
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These people have suffered enough. All charges should be dropped immediately with the court's apologies. Wealthy people in America should not have to miss an international vacation just because they've been accused of crimes.
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@Pat Especially if the reservations are non-refundable.
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Indeed! Why should criminals be prosecuted if they are wealthy!
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Or be forced to make do at their $12 million Montana home. That’s like, totally cruel.
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I have not one speck of sympathy for these parents who bought "success" for their children. Their message to the rest of us is, "Our money trumps your kids' accomplishments. "Their kids aren't brighter, more talented, more interesting, more accomplished than many of the kids whose places they took. All my sympathy goes to the kids who were rejected and their parents. They worked hard, played by the rules and were gamed by a rigged system.
Nor do I have any sympathy for the colleges, administrators and coaches. Some colleges never checked to see if the "athletes" they recruited actually played the sport. Others were willing to take the money and look the other way as weaker, richer "students" matriculated.
And the "students" themselves knew what was going on. You know when someone is taking your SAT for you. You know when you are a rower who doesn't row or a tennis player who doesn't play tennis. You know when your CV is padded with gross exaggerations and outright lies.
These people need to stand trial and face the music. Maybe then the lesson will be, "Sometimes you don't get what you pay for, you get what you really deserve."
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Agreed, SAT/ACT scores are sent directly to the students. Unless the students were completely uninvolved in any part of the admissions process, there is no way they would have not known that they did not earn these inflated scores.
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@Alexandra
I appreciate that you think that these folks would allow their children access to their own mail. That's unlikely. These parents (or their hired designees) manage all manner of things that you or I might do for ourselves: open mail, make appointments, pick up things off the floor, wipe after using the toilet...okay, maybe not the last one, but so much else is done FOR these young people that they lack the skills and insights to run their own lives. It is sad and the resulting incapacity is what then inspires the parents to do ever more for their handicapped-by-parent children.
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@Avatar, mostly agree, except this: in many cases, those rich kids ARE brighter, more talented than my kids. Their parents have been able to send them to better schools, horizon-expanding trips abroad, structured competitive sports, enriching music lessons, and challenging unpaid internships instead of jobs at supermarkets. In many cases, that does actually create academic merit and likelihood of professional success. That's the dirty secret: aside from occasional scandals like this one that reveal blatant corruption, great colleges are actually meritocracies. But the conditions that create academic merit can be bought.
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These parents are trying to live their children's lives for them. This is not love.
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I think consequences are a good thing. What about all the parents/kids who did not pose for false photos, allow stand ins for SAT/ACT exams, or deduct phony charitable contributions. A tiny little violin is playing for actresses, medical doctors, dentists, hedge fund managers and the like who got caught.
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It seems crazy to risk so much success by committing so serious a crime. Part of the answer, of course, is that people are crazy about their kids success and it's reflection on themselves. But it wouldn't surprise me if many of them have cheated before and benefited from it and gotten away with it, making this crime a natural thing for them to do.
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Parenting requires you to teach your children how to prepare for success, meaning going to school and getting good grades yourself, kid have to learn about set backs and disappointments because that’s life. Cheating, only begets more cheating and when does the parent draw the line and say, as far as cheating goes thats too far, where is that line. What they should be teaching their kids is, success happens, when preparedness and opportunity meet..
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The truth is that these parents probably got where they are today by cheating the system.
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Why the compassion story? Does the NYT’s write similar stories for other people who lose jobs when indicted on felonies? It is true that these parents have not yet been found guilty in a court of law. But the average person, if indicted on a felony, will often lose their job. I have compassion for people who, in their humanity, commit crimes and do stupid things. But it extends to all people not just the privileged few.
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It didn’t feel like a compassion story to me. More like a “justice” story.
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@Susan I read it more as a very subtle dig at all the people involved, disguised as a compassion story, using neutral language to report blatantly egregious behavior by people who thought they would get away with it.
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@Susan I did interpret this to be a compassion story. It was an objective accounting of facts with commentary by some of the accused and their lawyers. In fact, these people came across as spoiled, entitled and out of touch. And based on the comments, I don’t think they gained an iota of sympathy.
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These were all smart and educated people who thought the rules didn't apply to them. Their children all had opportunities many don't and they still they looked for an edge. The fact that all of Carlos Ghosn's children went to Stanford is also suspect.
The universities involved turned a blind eye and in the past have made shameless accommodations to the wealthy and privileged.
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It makes me wonder, are their kids really that ignorant, uneducated, that they would need someone else to do the actual school work....so money apparently really doesn’t buy an education.....
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I don't think these parents need jail time - they're facing lots of other negative consequences of their actions.
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@markymark Poor people would be jailed, lose jobs, homes, and savings. I have no sympathy for these parents. I earned my way through USC, not through bribery.
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Ohh, that’s too bad, so do you feel the same way when a dope dealer goes to jail. Because maybe they had some real struggles in their lives too. Or doesn’t your compassion go that far....
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@markymark Yes, what would the country be coming to if every little felony resulted in jail time?
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Imagine not being able to take your family to Mexico for spring break and being forced to choose between two 12 million dollar vacation homes here in the U.S.? What an excruciating punishment, not to mention the billable hours for arguing this in court! Haven’t these people suffered enough? If they are rich and white, then yes.
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@Lee V.
I agree Lee. It's clear Mr. McGlashan just wanted to take his family someplace warm and sunny. Do you know how cold and it is in Montana and Tahoe in March? What if they had gone there and it didn't snow and they had to ski on the old snow? The horror of it all.
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@Mike I wish I could post a laughing emoji
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...and the world's smallest violin began to play.
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@Dave
My mother's FAVORITE comeback.
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I feel bad for the children because their parents didn’t believe in them enough to let them find their own way in life. The kids probably know deep down it’s not about them. That’s an invalidation of the worst sort.
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These people are going to be just fine. Money cushions a lot of falls and they have plenty of it.
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@Outta Here ...but that guy who didn’t get to go to Mexico is now going to be forced to sell $12 million house in Montana, and that’s just not fair!
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“There does seem to be a certain assumption that these people are guilty just based upon the accusation — and that’s not true, and that’s not fair,” said David Schumacher, a lawyer for two of the parents, Gregory and Amy Colburn.
No, David. What's not fair is having the rich and famous "buy" justice with the help of mouthpieces like you.
Oh, I know. Everybody has a right to counsel, and their day in court....if they can pay.
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So are we supposed to feel bad for these individuals who apparently never felt bad themselves for what they did? This represents all of what is wrong with parenting today - never allowing junior to experience “failure” and thereby learn by such an experience. What about the individuals who actually worked hard to “earn” a spot at these institutions yet were displaced by these spoiled privileged brats? Do you think these rainbow parents ever thought for one second how they felt or how this would affect their lives?? Perhaps this is exactly what these people need to “refresh” their memory that the US became the land of opportunity and the great nation it is through HARD WORK and INTEGRITY. Maybe you should stop feeling bad for yourselves and start showing some remorse for your actions. Until then, you deserve everything that is coming your way.
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@Think More And Talk Less. Exactly. If it is not dealt with now, the entitled children/students will eventually graduate and enter the corporate or professional world believing they can write their own rules. THAT is what is happening in many sectors today and continuing to infect the system. Clean Sweep!
These parents were not naive. They knew what they were doing was illegal there was a chance of discovery, and took the risk.
But I bet they didn't expect to have to pay for their deceit. With so many fall guys, such as crooked coaches and greedy admissions officials, why would the law come down on them, with all their money, connections, and great lawyers?
Surprise!
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A lawyer for two parents lamented,
“There’s been unrelenting coverage of these charges,” Mr. Schumacher said, “and that has upended the Colburns’ lives.”
Boo hoo. What about the lives of the students (and their parents) whose places were stolen by the Colburns? They are the real victims. The Colburns and all the other parents and their kids deserve no sympathy. Only contempt.
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“There does seem to be a certain assumption that these people are guilty just based upon the accusation — and that’s not true, and that’s not fair,” said David Schumacher, a lawyer for two of the parents, Gregory and Amy Colburn.
Translation:
These rich and successful people are being treated the same way we treat everyone else accused of a crime, except these people are rich and successful, how unfair!
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He is simply saying it is wrong? Are you saying that is ok to just believe an accusation or that because everybody does it, that makes it ok?
@Michael Blazin Are you arguing that they didn't do it? The legal system is obligated to assume they are innocent until proven guilty. The rest of us have no such requirement and since the evidence is someone public now we are welcome to make our own conclusions.
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@Mike
Actually they are being treated like royalty compared to a young black man with a joint of marijuana in his pocket.
So having to reschedule his beach vacation to Mexico was punishment enough? I look forward to the Times’ prominently running a similarly sympathetic story on how everyday in Boston and other major cities thousands of poor people have their lives completely upended by being arrested and prosecuted with minor, non-violent crimes.
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@Barry I don't think the point of the story is for readers to feel sorry for people who have to spend spring break at their $12 M vacation home rather than traveling to Mexico. The NYT, which has done a great job reporting on this whole scandal, is further exposing in this story the sense of entitlement that led to these crimes. Also, a lot of commenters in previous stories have asked who are some of the other parents involved besides the two actresses whose actions were heavily reported.
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There was once an article, where a young man, stoke his dads truck, picked up some friends and went on a drunk driving spree where he hit and killed 4 people. The judge let him off, because he was “affluent” and that because he came from an affluent family, and he just didn’t know right from wrong, because he wasn’t told “no” enough. He got no prison time, his mother, feeling justice had been unfair to him, packed him and her up, and moved to Mexico, and wrapped herself and her son in a blanket of security, after all she’s in Mexico, safe from US law enforcement. She forgot one tiny thing, the US Marshall service won’t forget that her son is s fugitive, and they went and got him, where he now sits in prison.
The judges “affluent” judgement was stunning to say the least, to assume that because your told yes your whole childhood, that somehow precludes you from knowing right from wrong, is mystifying to me.
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@Barry
Actually, Barry, if you're paying attention, the Times run sympathetic articles about the poor ALL THE TIME. I disagree with commenters who think this article is sympathetic.
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