Abbott: Examine admission policies
In the wake of the largest college admissions scam ever prosecuted by the U.S. Department of Justice, Gov. Greg Abbott has advised Texas public universities to closely examine their admissions policies and procedures to ensure that they are void of fraudulent activities.
“Such deception and fraud in the college admissions process undermines the integrity of our institutions of higher education, and erects unjust hurdles for students trying to get into universities through hard work, good grades and community service,” Abbott said in a letter sent Monday to all Texas Boards of Regents.
Abbott reminded the boards that lawmakers have assigned them “important responsibilities … including setting campus standards” and that they must take necessary measures to prevent corruption in admissions.
“First and foremost, our universities exist to serve qualifying Texas students. Those students, their parents and taxpayers must have confidence that the system is not rigged,” he wrote. “The integrity of the admissions processes at Texas’ institutions of higher education depends upon the unbiased assessment of the merits of each applicant.”
The letter comes nearly a week after University of Texas at Austin’s former tennis coach Michael Center was arrested and charged March 12 after allegedly accepting $100,000 in bribes in exchange for recruiting a student
to the tennis team, which resulted in his admission.
Center, released on a $50,000 bond, was fired from his position as tennis coach.
He was among 50 people indicted and arrested in the nationwide college testing scheme that helped arrange bribes and cheating on major college entrance exams, and coordinated athletic recruitment scams in order to get students
“The integrity of UT admissions is essential to our mission as a research university and to the students and families we serve.”
Gregory Fenves, UT-Austin president
into prestigious universities around the country.
UT-Austin President Gregory Fenves responded to the many criminal allegations against Center in a letter addressed to the college Wednesday, saying that he takes the issue seriously and that the university will be conducting an investigation into the alleged fraud.
“The integrity of UT admissions is essential to our mission as a research university and to the students and families we serve. That is why any act of wrongdoing, no matter how singular, matters so deeply,”
Fenves said.
The university is also reviewing its many gifts after learning about Center’s alleged bribes. Tax documents report that Key Worldwide Foundation, the charity that funneled the many bribes behind the college scheme, donated a total of $546,500 to UT Athletics in 2015 and 2016, and according to court documents, $40,000 worth of checks using the purported charity’s funds were also made payable to “Texas Athletics” in 2015. The university has stated that it has record for only $15,000 from the foundation but is working to review gifts to see whether any past donations are related to the scam.
Houston residents Niki Williams, 44, and Martin Fox, 62, were also among the 50 charged in the scheme, which involved several universities and dozens of parents across the country, according to records.
Williams, who worked at Jack Yates High School as a teaching assistant, facilitated cheating on the ACT college exam, helping at least three students from California get high scores with the help of a proctor at the so-called Houston Test Center where she worked, according to court documents.
Fox allegedly funneled payments to Williams and arranged bribes to Center and a University of San Diego coach, which were made in exchange for student admission.