Colleges weigh fate of students
Major bribery scandal puts many in limbo
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 Stanford similarly noted that students could be “disenrolled” or have offers of admission rescinded.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. (He pleaded guilty to counts of racketeering conspiracy, money laundering conspiracy, conspiracy to defraud the United States, and obstruction of justice in federal court in Boston on Tuesday.)
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. Messages left for Mr. Sloane were not immediately returned.
“The parents, the other defendants, are clearly the prime movers of this fraud. It remains to be seen whether we charge any students,” U.S. Attorney Andrew Lelling in Boston said in announcing the charges last week.
Several schools said they are still considering what to do about students whose admission may now be tainted.
At Georgetown University, the indictment cast a shadow over the applications of about a dozen students. The school said it was examining its records and “will be taking appropriate action.” An alumnus started a petition Tuesday urging the school to pull admissions from anyone involved, saying their presence on campus would diminish the school’s prestige and encourage cheating.
Wake Forest University said a student mentioned in the indictment remains enrolled, and school officials have no reason to believe the student was aware of the alleged crimes. The university said Tuesday it was redirecting $50,000 from a California foundation connected to the scheme to help firstgeneration college students.
Only USC has said definitively that it revoked offers of admission from applicants tied to the scheme. More than half the parents charged were trying to bribe their children’s way into the school in downtown Los Angeles.
Elizabeth Heaton, a college consultant and 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, and it may be challenging to prove how much a student knew.
“It’s possible that some of these students were as duped as the colleges were,” said Ms. Heaton, vice president of Bright Horizons College Coach, a consultant firm near Boston. “Do you just summarily punish the sons for the sins of the fathers? It’s hard.”