Mass College Admission Cheating Scandal

[Beau Vine 54230]

On ‎3‎/‎15‎/‎2019 at 12:32 PM, NWBuck said:

And I speak as a university administrator who had to talk with students about how their continued receipt of low grades from one professor was due to lack of their grasp of the material, not because the professor "was a bully". 

I would love to hear more about this.

[Beau Vine 54230]

On ‎3‎/‎15‎/‎2019 at 8:59 PM, AggieFactFinder said:

That's quite the list of data points! How many does it take to qualify for "their kind"?  Two famous people who until this week lived decades in the public eye without a whiff of scandal (as far as I know) raised a spoiled teenager and broke the law to get her and her sister into USC.  What the parents did was illegal and immoral and I assume they will be punished.  Going from there to "oh I know their kind and trust me they're perpetual sinners who can't change and see themselves as victims"?  Nope, not based on what's known so far.

Username checks out.

[Beau Vine 54230]

 

On ‎3‎/‎15‎/‎2019 at 10:20 PM, TwiceHorn said:

Judgey brisket is judgey!

(I'm giving you shit, they certainly seem to have raised a vapid child, at least they're concerned about the appearance of education, if theyre going about it in the worst way possible).

 

Being concerned about "the appearance of education" is actually much worse than not being concerned about education, IMO.

That's what caused this whole situation, you know.  See also Rick Perry's "Closing the Gaps" initiative that tried to turn every university in the state into diploma mills.

Edited March 20, 2019 by Beau Vine

[Sbbruin 21856]

On 3/15/2019 at 11:51 AM, hopkinsnhorns said:

Now that you mention it, there were a couple of very wealthy guys on the freshman crew team at Johns Hopkins when I was on it.  One was part of the Heinz family, another of the Vlasic family as well.  They actually attended practices and participated on the team, but I wouldn't be surprised if that was part of their admissions decision.  They seemed more into Greek life than academics anyway.

I smoked pot with Johnny Hopkins.  It was Johnny Hopkins and Sloan Kettering and they were blazing that shit up every day.

[Gil Bang 25960]

 

[Gil Bang 25960]

Cheating to get into USD.  Mind.   Blown.. 

[Fuck Tim Beck 3816]

Lamont, you big dummy!

[GHOSTUSER 361]

The NZ mosque shooting unfortunately has sucked out all of the oxygen in the newsroom and has our the cheating scandal on the back burner. This is my favorite news story in years and was reading every article posted on the WSJ and NYT. It has everything - rich people, celebrities, hypocritical progressives, elite universities and spoiled children. 

Mind blowing that this Isackson chick was fraudulently on such an elite team. What did she do during practices where her lack of skill would obviously show? How’d she deal with her teammates when they could obviously she wasn’t an elite soccer player. I want more of the juicy details damn it!

[Asithappens 974]

Let's keep it real....

Pickle Rick!

[Brisketexan 105147]

1 hour ago, Fuck Tim Beck said:

Lamont, you big dummy!

That gets rep AND a quote.  Goddamit, I needed that laugh.

[Sbbruin 21856]

This UCLA soccer scam was ridiculous.  No way daughter stays in school as she had to be in on it.

Quote

‘If they get into the meat and potatoes [it could be] the front-page story. The embarrassment to everyone in the communities. Oh my God, it would just be — yeah. Ugh.’

Bruce Isackson

 

Well, unfortunately for Bruce Isackson, they’re clearly getting into “the meat and potatoes” of the college-admissions scam.

And, yes, definitely front-page news.

That quotation was apparently recorded by William “Rick” Singer, the college admissions consultant and central figure in the scandal, when he wore an FBI wire to Isackson’s home in the tony Bay Area suburb of Hillsborough, Calif., according to the Los Angeles Times.

Singer, as part of his cooperation deal with the government in a bid for leniency, met with Isackson, who allegedly “donated” $250,000 in Facebook stockFB, -0.34% to help get his daughter into UCLA.

 

Lauren Isackson’s case, however, was unique.

 

While other fake athletes bribed their way into schools and, of course, never actually played, Isackson, due to UCLA’s own rules, was required to join the soccer team for at least a year, the Times reported.

The only problem: She wasn’t much of player.

In fact, prosecutors say she never even played competitive soccer. Yet, there she was, taking a spot among what was heralded as the second-best recruiting class in the nation, alongside the year’s top recruit, a Canadian national-team member and five players on the U.S. youth national team.

Isackson donned the No. 41 jersey on the 2017 team. No other player on the squad, which would ultimately finish runner-up to national champion Stanford, wore a jersey number higher than 28.

A 2017 media guide describes Isackson as a practice player. Her “greatest athletic thrill” listed in her biography had nothing to do with soccer. Apparently, she’s more skilled at horseback, a favorite endeavor for the Hillsborough elite.

Isackson, while no longer a player, still reportedly attends UCLA, while Jorge Salcedo, UCLA’s men’s soccer coach, has been placed on leave after allegedly submitting a “falsified soccer profile” to the university, the Times said.

Prosecutors say Salcedo received $100,000 from Singer, as part of the 2,150 shares of Facebook stock that was given to his “charity.”

After Isackson was admitted to UCLA, her mom thanked Singer in an email, according to the affidavit. “I know it has been a rough ride,” Davina Isackson reportedly wrote, “but I thank you from the bottom of my heart and soul for your persistence, creativity and commitment toward helping [our daughter].”

 

 

 

 

https://www.marketwatch.com/story/dad-who-used-250000-worth-of-facebook-shares-to-get-his-daughter-into-ucla-ugh-this-could-be-a-front-page-story-2019-03-20?siteid=yhoof2

[jimmyjazz 45960]

Tangential question:  in sports with partial scholarships, how does the NCAA deal with universities augmenting an athletic partial with an (undeserved) academic partial?  Given that different schools have different academic standards, it would seem to be a nightmare to enforce.  I assume they don't?

[Beau Vine 54230]

21 minutes ago, jimmyjazz said:

Tangential question:  in sports with partial scholarships, how does the NCAA deal with universities augmenting an athletic partial with an (undeserved) academic partial?  Given that different schools have different academic standards, it would seem to be a nightmare to enforce.  I assume they don't?

None of this is an NCAA violation, and it wouldn't matter if it was, because the NCAA doesn't do dick.

[XYZ 2154]

4 minutes ago, Beau Vine said:

None of this is an NCAA violation, and it wouldn't matter if it was, because the NCAA doesn't do dick.

It wouldn’t matter if it were.

[Beau Vine 54230]

3 minutes ago, XYZ said:

It wouldn’t matter if it were.

For all intensive purposes, I could care less.

[jimmyjazz 45960]

34 minutes ago, Beau Vine said:

None of this is an NCAA violation, and it wouldn't matter if it was, because the NCAA doesn't do dick.

So basically a whole bunch of baseball players are getting full rides . . .

[Beau Vine 54230]

4 minutes ago, jimmyjazz said:

So basically a whole bunch of baseball players are getting full rides . . .

Basically every NCAA baseball player for a Louisiana or Georgia school is on a full ride, because in-state students get full-tuition scholarships funded by their state lotteries.  

Edited March 21, 2019 by Beau Vine

[jimmyjazz 45960]

Don't get me wrong, while I support the basic ideas behind Title IX, the implementation and consequences are just stupid.

[longhorns fan 0]

Could this be the kid whose parents paid 100K to get him into UT?

http://www.thekeyworldwide.com/testimonial-item/michael-chui-schaepe/

Quote

Hey Rick,   I wanted to thank you personally for all your help in getting me into the University of Texas in Austin, and for helping me secure a managers position with the UT basketball team. And, can you believe it, here is a picture of me with basketball star, Kevin Durrant at the UT Summer Basketball Camp.   Thanks so much,

Michael Chui Schaepe

Apparently Rick Singer has connections in the athletic dept to get kids on as basketball team managers as well.

[RollLeft 5045]

3 minutes ago, longhorns fan said:

This is the kid whose parents paid 100K to get him into UT.

http://www.thekeyworldwide.com/testimonial-item/michael-chui-schaepe/

Apparently Rick Singer has connections in the athletic dept to get kids on as basketball team managers as well.

We canz has fire Shaka now??

[longhorns fan 0]

imgur

[hayden_horn 11362]

On 3/15/2019 at 12:43 PM, SuingToGetAMessageBoard? said:

 

 

ha. this, uh, hits close to home, as i got into texas with a 2.8 gpa, the last year before the state instituted the top 10% rule.

[Parliament 14260]

I got into Ohio State with a 2.8 GPA, and my parents didn't hafta buy my way in.  Guess I'm just lucky...

[Beau Vine 54230]

Kid is half-Asian.  You'd think he could get into UT on his own. 

[freyguy 4273]

So sports managers spots have been reserved for the privileged ne’er do-well’s, whoda thunkit.

[Armybrat 40850]

So Major fucked some rich guy’s daughter?

[Lhorn 4913]

1 hour ago, Parliament said:

I got into Ohio State with a 2.8 GPA, and my parents didn't hafta buy my way in.  Guess I'm just lucky...

Nah, Ohio State’s just not that good.

 

 

 

j/k 

[jimmyjazz 45960]

5 minutes ago, Lhorn said:

Nah, Ohio State’s just not that good.

Hey, they don't let just everybody in for no good reason.

[gsoda3 3262]

Kid is half-Asian.  You'd think he could get into UT on his own. 

Only half asian. He only had one foot in the door.

[bigup2dahorns 3343]

TMZ:

The USC admissions scandal has become so intense, one student threatened suicide because her parents used the services of ringleader Rick Singer ... TMZ has learned.

USC sources familiar with the investigation say the girl was grief-stricken because her parents chose Singer to help her gain admission. We're told the university has investigated and determined in this case Singer's services were legit. Our sources say the girl is now receiving counseling.

Our sources say the investigation has broadened significantly and university officials now say they are looking to revoke degrees of alums who gained admission by fraud. We're told university officials believe they have 8 cases where alums used Rick Singer's services in a suspicious manner.

Our sources say in all 8 cases, the students used the Athletic Placement Services ... similar to the way Olivia Jade and Isabella gained admission. We're told there is one case where an alum "self-reported" -- meaning he contacted the university and blew the whistle on himself -- saying he cheated on the ACT test with the help of Singer. The alum played football and received a scholarship, even though we're told he did not meet the academic standards for athletes. We're told the university will not take action against the alum, in part because he self-reported.

Sources tell us ... USC officials are interviewing members of the athletic staff other than those already indicted.
The university is working with other "victim schools" and, so far it's not clear which schools had the most abuse in the admissions process.

Our sources say USC officials are currently working with both the U.S. Attorney and FBI. We're told the university will resolve the fraudulent admissions cases in 2 to 3 weeks.

And finally, USC is retaining an outside auditing agency to design a fraud prevention plan. As we reported, Lori Loughlin's daughters, Olivia and Isabella, have officially withdrawn from the university, but there's still an investigation that could lead to then being banned from campus forever.

[Huckleberry 32861]

13 minutes ago, bigup2dahorns said:

Our sources say in all 8 cases, the students used the Athletic Placement Services ... similar to the way Olivia Jade and Isabella gained admission. We're told there is one case where an alum "self-reported" -- meaning he contacted the university and blew the whistle on himself -- saying he cheated on the ACT test with the help of Singer. The alum played football and received a scholarship, even though we're told he did not meet the academic standards for athletes. We're told the university will not take action against the alum, in part because he self-reported.

Right, the reason they're not taking action against him is because he self-reported. Hahaha.

Edited March 22, 2019 by Huckleberry

[Fudge Nuggets 19190]

18 hours ago, Parliament said:

I got into Ohio State with a 2.8 GPA, and my parents didn't hafta buy my way in.  Guess I'm just lucky...

Valedictorians usually get in.

[TwiceHorn 31483]

On 3/20/2019 at 10:24 AM, Beau Vine said:

 

Being concerned about "the appearance of education" is actually much worse than not being concerned about education, IMO.

That's what caused this whole situation, you know.  See also Rick Perry's "Closing the Gaps" initiative that tried to turn every university in the state into diploma mills.

Probably right about this from a moral standpoint.  However, I was thinking more along the lines of "put kid in school, kid still has to put in the work to really get anything from it."

One might think that an unqualified kid whose parents have to resort to these measures would flunk out pretty quick, but because USC is revoking degrees, it would appear not to be the case.  I have kind of mixed feelings about that.  I certainly get that a fraudulent entry maybe should render the whole thing "void ab initio," particularly if the student was complicit.  On the other hand, they did put in the work.

[Fudge Nuggets 19190]

 

19 minutes ago, bigup2dahorns said:

The alum played football and received a scholarship, even though we're told he did not meet the academic standards for athletes. We're told the university will not take action against the alum, in part because he self-reported.

Now this sounds like something the NCAA could get involved with.

[Fudge Nuggets 19190]

1 minute ago, TwiceHorn said:

On the other hand, they did put in the work.

That's a pretty big assumption.  If they bribed their way into school it is not out of the question that they could buy their grades as well.

[TwiceHorn 31483]

Just now, Fudge Nuggets said:

 

Now this sounds like something the NCAA could get involved with.

Reggie Bush, iimo.

[TwiceHorn 31483]

4 minutes ago, Fudge Nuggets said:

That's a pretty big assumption.  If they bribed their way into school it is not out of the question that they could buy their grades as well.

True enough, but again, kind of depends on how complicit the kid was.  Also, "buying" an entire degree's worth of grades (shorthand for any form of cheating), without being caught a) seems unlikely and b) would seem to require some institutional complicity (UNC).

I think one reason the schools are getting so uptight about this is it punctures the facade that they have stringent entrance requirements because only the academically elite can handle their work.

Edited March 22, 2019 by TwiceHorn

[Catdaddyhorn 3444]

53 minutes ago, TwiceHorn said:

Probably right about this from a moral standpoint.  However, I was thinking more along the lines of "put kid in school, kid still has to put in the work to really get anything from it."

One might think that an unqualified kid whose parents have to resort to these measures would flunk out pretty quick, but because USC is revoking degrees, it would appear not to be the case.  I have kind of mixed feelings about that.  I certainly get that a fraudulent entry maybe should render the whole thing "void ab initio," particularly if the student was complicit.  On the other hand, they did put in the work.

Even at UT flunking out of school typically has nothing to do with whether one is smart enough to do the work. It has everything to do with whether they're willing or disciplined enough to do the work.  A person who isn't prepared or equipped enough to finish some majors such as any of the engineering disciplines can always find another major they can finish, even at UT. 

[ImissWallyPryor 9046]

19 hours ago, Beau Vine said:

Kid is half-Asian.  You'd think he could get into UT on his own. 

Wouldn’t that make it twice as hard for him?

Edited March 22, 2019 by ImissWallyPryor

[TwiceHorn 31483]

8 minutes ago, Catdaddyhorn said:

Even at UT flunking out of school typically has nothing to do with whether one is smart enough to do the work. It has everything to do with whether they're willing or disciplined enough to do the work.  A person who isn't prepared or equipped enough to finish some majors such as any of the engineering disciplines can always find another major they can finish, even at UT. 

Don't disagree.  But at least until recently perhaps, UT has not considered itself super-selective, so they don't maintain the facade of "you can't come here unless you prove you can do the work."  Texas, particularly in our day, was "bring it, dildo, we'll flunk your ass out with quickness if you aren't ready and willing, regardless of your record (and you will have been only an SSN to us)."

I would submit that Texas' solid reputation is based not on elite admissions, at all, but rather on graduates who proved they could do the work and by requiring substantial work to graduate.

Edited March 22, 2019 by TwiceHorn

[hayden_horn 11362]

19 minutes ago, TwiceHorn said:

Don't disagree.  But at least until recently perhaps, UT has not considered itself super-selective, so they don't maintain the facade of "you can't come here unless you prove you can do the work."  Texas, particularly in our day, was "bring it, dildo, we'll flunk your ass out with quickness if you aren't ready and willing, regardless of your record (and you will have been only an SSN to us)."

haha, that was definitely the experience i had in the late 90s. however, once you get into junior and senior level classes (at least in liberal arts), it became less of a weeding out process and more educational.

[Catdaddyhorn 3444]

25 minutes ago, TwiceHorn said:

Don't disagree.  But at least until recently perhaps, UT has not considered itself super-selective, so they don't maintain the facade of "you can't come here unless you prove you can do the work."  Texas, particularly in our day, was "bring it, dildo, we'll flunk your ass out with quickness if you aren't ready and willing, regardless of your record (and you will have been only an SSN to us)."

Yeah I agree.  As a guy who got into UT during the mid 90s I take for granted how easy it was to get in back then compared to now and how the perception of UT as a super elite institution has also changed.  It's not just the 10% rule that has changed things and made it more competitive.  The internet has made going to college and getting financial aid much more transparent and thus less intimidating for kids who probably didn't apply to a school like UT back in the day ( your guy or girl from 1st generation immigrant families, or white kid whose parents didn't go to college, kids from rural outpost, and kids from the inner cities).  Back in my day, even for a guy whose parents went to UT, applying for college, financial aid, and everything that came with it was almost a blackbox process.  There was a lot of uncertainty surrounding test preparation, applying for schools,  and getting financial aid stuff together. My Dad paid for some guy to walk us through the process.  I can think of a lot of high school friends who were extremely smart but either applied to small schools like Trinity or Austin college or stayed at home to go to UTD, UTA, SMU, & North Texas because applying and going to UT seemed overwhelming.  Now every person who fits the above category applies to UT with no hesitation.  

Edited March 22, 2019 by Catdaddyhorn

[ImissWallyPryor 9046]

9 minutes ago, TwiceHorn said:

Don't disagree.  But at least until recently perhaps, UT has not considered itself super-selective, so they don't maintain the facade of "you can't come here unless you prove you can do the work."  Texas, particularly in our day, was "bring it, dildo, we'll flunk your ass out with quickness if you aren't ready and willing, regardless of your record (and you will have been only an SSN to us).

In the late 70s, UT had a matrix showing what you had to score on the ACT given your ranking in HS. If you were top 10% like I was, the minimum SAT wasn’t terribly high, but it rose sharply for the top 25% (or whatever the next level was).

But, once you got in, they weeded out those who couldn’t or wouldn’t do the work. I think the Freshman retention rate was around 60%. 

The USNWR rankings changed all that when they started awarding points for Freshman retention and later on, graduation rates. The criticism of their rankings was that they were increasingly skewed in favor of small, private schools on the coasts. Another wtf example is when they added spending per student. 

[Wally Fairway 5550]

22 hours ago, XYZ said:

It wouldn’t matter if it were.

Are you kidding, with big name schools involved the NCAA would come down hard on the likes Cleveland State and Houston Baptist

[Catdaddyhorn 3444]

8 minutes ago, ImissWallyPryor said:

In the late 70s, UT had a matrix showing what you had to score on the ACT given your ranking in HS. If you were top 10% like I was, the minimum SAT wasn’t terribly high, but it rose sharply for the top 25% (or whatever the next level was).

But, once you got in, they weeded out those who couldn’t or wouldn’t do the work. I think the Freshman retention rate was around 60%. 

The USNWR rankings changed all that when they started awarding points for Freshman retention and later on, graduation rates. The criticism of their rankings was that they were increasingly skewed in favor of small, private schools on the coasts. Another wtf example is when they added spending per student. 

They had the same progressive scale during the 90s. Top 10% and maybe 1000 or 1100 was an auto admit. Top 20% meant you needed 1200 or something to get an auto admit.  And of course they had the provisional program if you didn't meet the auto admit requirements or get in holistically. One of the results of this process is we had a lot more out of state students back then.  Just compared to my brother who got in 4 years after me in 99 there were way more kids from places like California and New York in my friend group than his. 

Edited March 22, 2019 by Catdaddyhorn

[TwiceHorn 31483]

10 minutes ago, Catdaddyhorn said:

Yeah I agree.  As a guy who got into UT during the mid 90s I take for granted how easy it was to get in back then compared to now and how the perception of UT as a super elite institution has also changed.  It's not just the 10% rule that has changed things and made it more competitive.  The internet has made going to college and getting financial aid much more transparent and thus less intimidating for kids who probably didn't apply to a school like UT back in the day ( your guy or girl from 1st generation immigrant families, or white kid whose parents didn't go to college, kids from rural outpost, and kids from the inner cities).  Back in my day even for a guy whose parents went to UT applying for college, financial aid, and everything that came with it was almost a blackbox process.  There was a lot of uncertainty surrounding test preparation, applying for schools,  and getting financial aid stuff together. My Dad paid for some guy to walk us through the process.  I can think of a lot of high school friends who were extremely smart but either applied to small schools like Trinity or Austin college or stayed at home to go to UTD, UTA, SMU, & North Texas because applying and going to UT seemed overwhelming.  Now every person who fits the above category applies to UT with no hesitation.  

Weird.  I just sent my SAT score to UT and got a letter back saying "you're in."  I also applied to Plan II and Honors Engineering, and for some small merit-based 'ships, which were all more like a private school and a bit of a hassle.  I can't imagine that Austin College, Trinity, and SMU were any easier to apply to.

But I was one of the last years where you could get in on test score alone.  But, as I recall (and I may be confusing LSAT here), didn't CTS do a distillation of your high school transcript also that you could send along with your SAT score?

 

Edited March 22, 2019 by TwiceHorn

[ImissWallyPryor 9046]

2 minutes ago, TwiceHorn said:

Weird.  I just sent my SAT score to UT and got a letter back saying "you're in."  I also applied to Plan II and Honors Engineering, and for some small merit-based 'ships, which were all more like a private school and a bit of a hassle.  I can't imagine that Austin College, Trinity, and SMU were any easier to apply to.

I would have never guessed you were in HS.

[Catdaddyhorn 3444]

5 minutes ago, TwiceHorn said:

Weird.  I just sent my SAT score to UT and got a letter back saying "you're in."  I also applied to Plan II and Honors Engineering, and for some small merit-based 'ships, which were all more like a private school and a bit of a hassle.  I can't imagine that Austin College, Trinity, and SMU were any easier to apply to.

Maybe it was more about the intimidation of a big school and financial aid stuff.  Because you're right applying was the easy part.  But in figuring out dorm request, financial aid, and things of that matter,  I remember UT being a lot less responsive on those things than friends who went to smaller schools. 

Edited March 22, 2019 by Catdaddyhorn

[TwiceHorn 31483]

Just now, Catdaddyhorn said:

Maybe it was more about the intimidation of a big school and financial aid stuff.  Because you're right applying was the easy part.  But figuring out dorm request, financial aid,  I remember UT being a lot less responsive in those matters than friends who went to smaller schools. 

True enough.  My Dad had gone to SMU on the GI Bill, and I was a late, adopted child.  So my parents had saved sufficiently to pay for SMU, not realizing it was among the most expensive schools in the country at the time (~$400/hour vs. $4 for Texas), so I was set from a financial standpoint.

But yeah, those collateral things like housing were where you got a flavor for how little of a fuck UT gave about you.

On the other hand, by the time I hit upper division with good grades, I was rather surprised how much attention you started to get.

[gecko 1104]

In 1976 I was likely not in the top 50% at my HS - I was an unmotivated mess.  I had an 1150 SAT, I think my ACT was a 28.  I got in to UT no problemo.....