Schools face tough call on fraudulent students

BOSTON — In the wake of a massive college bribery scheme, the schools caught in the middle have been left facing a thorny question: What to do about the students who may have been admitted through fraud?

The University of Southern California announced late Monday it had placed holds on an undisclosed number of students, meaning they can’t register for classes or obtain transcripts until their cases are reviewed. After a review, USC officials said they would take appropriate action, “up to revoking admission or expulsion.”

At Yale, the president declined to comment on specific cases but said its “longstanding policy is to rescind the admission of students who falsified their Yale College applications.” Stanford similarly noted that students could be “disenrolled” or have offers of admission rescinded.

More than 30 parents have been charged in the scheme in which prosecutors say a disgraced college admissions consultant, William “Rick” Singer, took millions of dollars in bribes to assure their children’s entry into top colleges by getting them recruited for sports they didn’t play and by arranging for standardized tests to be rigged.

Federal prosecutors say some students never knew about the bribes and fraudulent entrance exams that got them into some of the nation’s top universities, but investigators say some students did and were even involved in submitting false information about athletic feats in their applications.

One student posed for photos in 2017 that were allegedly doctored to make it look like he played water polo, according to court records. Investigators say the family bought a water polo ball and cap on Amazon.com to be used for the photos. The photo was edited and used in a fraudulent “athlete profile” that helped him get into USC. His father, Devin Sloane, is accused of paying $200,000 for the scheme.

At Georgetown University, the indictment cast a shadow over the applications of about a dozen students. The school said it “will be taking appropriate action.” An alumnus started a petition Tuesday urging the school to pull admissions from anyone involved, saying their presence diminishes the school’s prestige and encourages cheating.

Only USC has said definitively that it revoked offers of admission from applicants tied to the scheme. More than half of the parents charged were trying to bribe their children’s way into USC.

Elizabeth Heaton, a former University of Pennsylvania admissions officer, said any student who knowingly applied through fraud should be expelled. But schools face a dilemma with students who may not have known, she said.

“It’s possible that some of these students were as duped as the colleges were,” said Heaton, vice president of Bright Horizons College Coach, a consultant firm near Boston.

The scheme was remarkable in part because of its cast of rich and famous defendants, including actress Lori Loughlin and her fashion designer husband, Mossimo Giannulli, who allegedly paid USC $500,000 to have their two daughters labeled as crew team recruits. The daughters, Olivia Jade and Isabella Giannulli, attend the university.