College Admissions Cheating Scandal Puts Rich Parents Under Fire

Lori Loughlin and Felicity Huffman are charged in connection with a widespread cheating scandal that’s ensnared elite colleges across the country. (Los Angeles Times)https://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-admissions-scandal-lawsuit-20190315-story.html

Natalie Mosso, Arts & Entertainment Editor

Last week, a number of actresses and other wealthy parents were charged in the U.S. college entry fraud scandal. Actresses Lori Loughlin and Felicity Huffman were among the list of people caught bribing and donating large amounts of money to prestigious universities in order to secure their children an admittance spot.

Last Tuesday, federal prosecutors charged at least 50 individuals who were involved in the bribery scandals for Yale, the University of Southern California, and the University of California, Los Angeles, along with many other schools.

Wealthy parents were not the only people involved. College athletic coaches were also accused of accepting money in order to lie about students being top athletes. Lori Loughlin’s daughter, Olivia Jade, who was admitted to USC, was said to be on the crew team after submitting false photographs of her rowing as evidence of her experience.

19-year-old social media influencer Olivia Jade has recently announced that she is no longer attending USC amidst the backlash she has received. Sephora has ended their collaboration with her due to the surface of the scandal.

It has also been revealed that test scores have been tampered with, too. College Board’s SAT is a requirement for many colleges, and it is reviewed highly when judging a student’s application. Elitist parents took lengths to cheat and break the law in order to raise their children’s test scores.

Students with special circumstances or learning disabilities can qualify for extra time when taking the SAT. This tactic was taken advantage of, as some students of rich parents would claim to have a disability and be allowed to take their tests by themselves with a private proctor. Rich parents then would bribe proctors to take the SAT for the student in order to ensure they get an optimal score.

The center of the college cheating epidemic was William Singer, who founded the Edge College & Career Network. Singer, bribed with about $25 million from parents, would help students cheat on standardized tests and bribe coaches and administrators to ensure the admission of the children of the parents. Court documents reveal that Singer had more than 700 clients.

Several lawsuits have been filed, including an Oakland woman who filed a $500 billion class-action lawsuit against the wealthy parents involved.

Federal authorities have revealed that the investigation is still ongoing. They have also stated that the colleges involved are not targets in the investigation.